Tea: History, Terroirs, Varieties
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- Create Date：2021-11-15 09:53:56
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Kevin Gascoyne
- ISBN：0228100275
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Summary
An updated edition of the "World's Best Tea Book" acclaimed by the 2014 World Tea Awards。
This widely praised bestseller has been updated to incorporate the changing tastes of tea drinkers， developments in production， the impact of climate change， and an expanded and more highly developed tea market。 This third edition improves Tea with this revised and extended content plus new photographs。
TeaTime Magazine called Tea "the reference work we've been waiting for"， noting its value to students。
Library Journal praised Tea as a "definitive guide to tea （that） will appeal to die-hard tea enthusiasts。"
Tea House Times found Tea "impressive， well researched， and complete。"
Tea takes readers on an escorted tour of the world's tea-growing countries -- China， Japan， Taiwan， India， Sri Lanka， Nepal， Vietnam and East Africa -- where they will discover how， like a fine wine， it is "terroir" （soil and climate） that gives a tea its unique characteristics。
The authors own the popular Camellia Sinensis Tea House in Montreal which imports teas directly from producers in these countries。 Each author focuses on specific tea regions where they travel every year to work with growers and producers， discover new teas and keep abreast of developments that might， for example， remove a tea from the tea house's menu。
The book covers black， green， white， yellow， oolong， pu'er， perfumed， aromatic and smoked teas and includes:
An overview of the history of tea Tea families， varieties， cultivars and grades How tea is grown， harvested and processed The tea trade worldwide Profile interviews with tea industry personalities。
Special features that loyal tea drinkers will especially enjoy are:
Local tastes and methods of preparing tea （e。g。 macha） Tasting notes and infusion accessories Teapot recommendations Caffeine， antioxidant and biochemical properties of 35 teas 15 gourmet recipes using tea A directory of 42 select teas。
This widely praised bestseller has been updated to incorporate the changing tastes of tea drinkers， developments in production， the impact of climate change， and an expanded and more highly developed tea market。 This third edition improves Tea with this revised and extended content plus new photographs。
TeaTime Magazine called Tea "the reference work we've been waiting for"， noting its value to students。
Library Journal praised Tea as a "definitive guide to tea （that） will appeal to die-hard tea enthusiasts。"
Tea House Times found Tea "impressive， well researched， and complete。"
Tea takes readers on an escorted tour of the world's tea-growing countries -- China， Japan， Taiwan， India， Sri Lanka， Nepal， Vietnam and East Africa -- where they will discover how， like a fine wine， it is "terroir" （soil and climate） that gives a tea its unique characteristics。
The authors own the popular Camellia Sinensis Tea House in Montreal which imports teas directly from producers in these countries。 Each author focuses on specific tea regions where they travel every year to work with growers and producers， discover new teas and keep abreast of developments that might， for example， remove a tea from the tea house's menu。
The book covers black， green， white， yellow， oolong， pu'er， perfumed， aromatic and smoked teas and includes:
An overview of the history of tea Tea families， varieties， cultivars and grades How tea is grown， harvested and processed The tea trade worldwide Profile interviews with tea industry personalities。
Special features that loyal tea drinkers will especially enjoy are:
Local tastes and methods of preparing tea （e。g。 macha） Tasting notes and infusion accessories Teapot recommendations Caffeine， antioxidant and biochemical properties of 35 teas 15 gourmet recipes using tea A directory of 42 select teas。
Reviews
Ehsan Giroux
，
（I read the third edition）This tea is THE book to read if you want to know as much about tea as you can。 This is a great start to get your footing and although there are some areas I wish I got more information it did a very good job at balancing the great task of explaining tea。 It is very straight forward and concise with relevant historical explanations。 Many other books about tea don't do to well of a job and the focus seems to shift and doesn't really stay in one direction which I gladly wa （I read the third edition）This tea is THE book to read if you want to know as much about tea as you can。 This is a great start to get your footing and although there are some areas I wish I got more information it did a very good job at balancing the great task of explaining tea。 It is very straight forward and concise with relevant historical explanations。 Many other books about tea don't do to well of a job and the focus seems to shift and doesn't really stay in one direction which I gladly was not the case with this book。 It definitely gave me some good information and helped me continue my journey in knowing more about tea。 。。。more
Coralie
，
An amazing book to know everything about tea and even its "alternatives" such as rooibos and even yerba maté。I'm obsessed with tea and really learnt eveything about it thanks to this book。I love how has so many diverses point of view/analysis on tea : historical， scientific， culinary（recipes etc）， cultural and much more ！I often go back to this book when I need to check something about tea for example how to properly steep your tea To the authors and everyone else included in the conception of b An amazing book to know everything about tea and even its "alternatives" such as rooibos and even yerba maté。I'm obsessed with tea and really learnt eveything about it thanks to this book。I love how has so many diverses point of view/analysis on tea : historical， scientific， culinary（recipes etc）， cultural and much more ！I often go back to this book when I need to check something about tea for example how to properly steep your tea To the authors and everyone else included in the conception of book : thank you ！！ 。。。more
Ben Hewer
，
Learned alot about tea。 Focuses alot on what types of tea are grown where and why， which is neat。 I think it couldve used a chapter on tea basics laying out very plainly the types of tea， their most common flavor profiles， and other basics as an intro。 But still informative。 Definitely reads like a textbook， but at least a readable one。
Cone
，
Nice coffee table book that delivers everything the title tells you。
Rose
，
The book was really informative， covering a lot of information about the properties of different teas from different areas。 I've possibly been a bit spoiled by non-fiction books I've read lately， which have been written by great writers as well as experts。 In comparison this had a slightly drier writing style， but that's probably me being picky （and， as I say， spoiled）。 As a drinker of all kinds of tea， I liked learning a bit more about the production & sources of it。 The book was really informative， covering a lot of information about the properties of different teas from different areas。 I've possibly been a bit spoiled by non-fiction books I've read lately， which have been written by great writers as well as experts。 In comparison this had a slightly drier writing style， but that's probably me being picky （and， as I say， spoiled）。 As a drinker of all kinds of tea， I liked learning a bit more about the production & sources of it。 。。。more
0000000
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Maybe pay someone to get the map right next time or agree to fix in subsequent editions instead of making excuses。
Nichola
，
Reading this entire book is like taking a well organized college level class on the history and current stage of tea growing and production in multiple countries。 It includes information about how the plants are grown， picked， and marketed。 Beautifully put together and expansive but highly readable。
Jessica Kennedy
，
An excellent reference focusing on the production and properties of different teas。 I especially enjoyed the last two sections， a recipe section focused on preparation/tasting of teas and a biochemical analysis of teas， which focused on their caffeine and antioxidant contents。
Vahagn Aydinyan
，
Everything you need to know about tea。 After setting a goal to open my tea business mikastea。com this book and Kevin's talks/podcasts made it possible as they provide so much info about tea。 Thank you， Kevin。 Everything you need to know about tea。 After setting a goal to open my tea business mikastea。com this book and Kevin's talks/podcasts made it possible as they provide so much info about tea。 Thank you， Kevin。 。。。more
Mikko Saari
，
Luettuani Suomalaisen teekirjan kaipasin vähän laajempaa näkökulmaa teehen， vähän enemmän tietoa teentuotannosta ja alkuperästä。 Olin kirjastossa toisen kirjan perässä， mutta tämä opus löytyi sattumalta hyllystä。 Tea ottaa teehen sommelieerinäkökulman， käsittely muistuttaa kovasti viinistä puhumista。 Ensin käsitellään teenviljelyä hieman yleisesti， sitten alueittain: Kiina， Japani， Taiwan， Intia ja lopuksi muut maat。 Maiden teetuotannon ominaispiirteitä esitellään ja joitain tunnettuja teelaatuj Luettuani Suomalaisen teekirjan kaipasin vähän laajempaa näkökulmaa teehen， vähän enemmän tietoa teentuotannosta ja alkuperästä。 Olin kirjastossa toisen kirjan perässä， mutta tämä opus löytyi sattumalta hyllystä。 Tea ottaa teehen sommelieerinäkökulman， käsittely muistuttaa kovasti viinistä puhumista。 Ensin käsitellään teenviljelyä hieman yleisesti， sitten alueittain: Kiina， Japani， Taiwan， Intia ja lopuksi muut maat。 Maiden teetuotannon ominaispiirteitä esitellään ja joitain tunnettuja teelaatuja。 Ceylonilaisen teen ystävänä vähän harmitti Sri Lankan niputtaminen muiden maiden osastolle ja ohittaminen nopeasti。 Intiakin keskittyy pitkälti Darjeelingiin。 Muutenkaan en ole ihan varma paljonko eri teelaatujen esittelystä on suomalaiselle teenjuojalle iloa， mutta ainakin japanilaisen teen moninaisuutta kirja avaa hyödyllisellä tavalla。 Lopuksi käsitellään teen valmistamista， teetä sisältäviä ruokia muutaman reseptin verran ja lopuksi on tieteellistä analyysiä teen ominaisuuksista， etenkin kofeiini- ja antioksidanttipitoisuudesta。 Matcha on näissä reippaasti ykkönen， eli jos antioksidantteja teeltänsä kaipaa， matchaa kuppiin ja menoksi！Kirja on runsaasti kuvitettu ja sohvapöytähenkinen， siihen on helppo tarttua ja selailla esiin jotain kiinnostavaa。 Tietokirjana se on vähän pinnallisen oloinen。 Konkreettisena antina se herätti halun kokeilla senchado- ja gong fa -haudutusta， jossa teetä haudutetaan samoista lehdistä useita pieniä annoksia peräkkäin， jolloin makuelämyksen pitäisi olla monipuolisempi。 。。。more
Olga Kovalenko
，
This is a great informative book for those who is into the particulars of tea varieties， processing， and tasting。 The author tells a bit of history， but mostly it is a description of the most popular cultivars grown in major tea producing countries （China， Japan， Taiwan， India， Sri Lanka， Nepal， Vietnam， Kenya， and Malawi）， the way tea is grown and processed in every country， the way climate， soil， altitude， and latitude affect tea trees， and how to brew to brew it according to various countries This is a great informative book for those who is into the particulars of tea varieties， processing， and tasting。 The author tells a bit of history， but mostly it is a description of the most popular cultivars grown in major tea producing countries （China， Japan， Taiwan， India， Sri Lanka， Nepal， Vietnam， Kenya， and Malawi）， the way tea is grown and processed in every country， the way climate， soil， altitude， and latitude affect tea trees， and how to brew to brew it according to various countries’ traditions。 Knowing some of the facts of tea terroir and processing， one can know what more or less to expect from a tea when one buys it。 I especially loved a chapter on tea tasting and food paring。 Recommended for all those who want to know their tea。 。。。more
Kathryn
，
I now know more about tea than I ever thought possible。
Robert Hernandez
，
I read the version 2 of this book and noticed version 3 has some new images and new studies， but for the most part general idea。 That being said， this is a good book to get a general idea of different tea， its health benefits， several different types of tea brewing， and history of tea。 I wish they expand to other countries like sri lanka， nepal， africa， colombia and other upcoming tea areas in the same detail as taiwan， china， india， and japan。 Overall pretty good read
Erik
，
So， I love tea。I first started drinking it when I was younger; a friend and I would brew a cup and then watch Dr。 Who。 That was our ritual， and because of it， tea became associated with friendship， camaraderie， and that special Whovian sense of wonder。Now eventually this ritual ended， but my tea obssession only grew。 I’ve accumulated a great deal of tea gear， some might say an excess （but they’d be wrong， of course）。 I own a cast-iron tea pot， a ceramic teapot， a matcha set， a gaiwan， two french So， I love tea。I first started drinking it when I was younger; a friend and I would brew a cup and then watch Dr。 Who。 That was our ritual， and because of it， tea became associated with friendship， camaraderie， and that special Whovian sense of wonder。Now eventually this ritual ended， but my tea obssession only grew。 I’ve accumulated a great deal of tea gear， some might say an excess （but they’d be wrong， of course）。 I own a cast-iron tea pot， a ceramic teapot， a matcha set， a gaiwan， two french presses， three kettles， and more bowls， cups， and mugs than you can shake a camellia sinesis shrub at。 By this point in time， I’ve brewed hundreds of different iced and fermented teas， keeping detailed notes on each。 My little black book of tea tecipes is one of my most prized possessions。 And then there’s the sheer variety of tea varietals I’ve consumed。 At this moment alone， I’ve got tins of six different Chinese green teas from the 2019 spring harvest， as well as a rare ‘purple’ （really white） wild tea; an Iron Goddess of Mercy oolong; a Darjeeling black; herbals like Chrysthanemum and Egyptian-grown hibiscus and lavender; etc， etc。 Honestly， I lose track。Point being， I like tea， and I’ve gotten pretty snobbish about it。 For example， I live in the southern US and in my opinion， most “iced tea” here would be better described as tea-flavored syrup， given the ludicrous amounts of sugar it contains。 Still， my knowledge definitely skews toward the brewing and consumption of it， moreso than its growing， production， or history and culture。 So， wanting to know more， I picked up this book， Tea: History Terroirs Varieties。First off， the book is quite beautiful。 It’s cleanly formatted and its glossy pages are full of pictures on practically every page， which makes it a great coffee （irony…） table book， especially if your friends are also interested in tea。But when it comes to the actual content， I found it rather uneven。 The bulk of the book （pages 36 to 188） is dedicated to the tea regions of the world， including China， Japan， India， Taiwan， India， and one combined chapter for Sri Lanka， Nepal， Vietnam， and East Africa。 In addition， there are chapters on ‘the art of preparing tea’， ‘a short tasting guide’， ‘tea in gastronomy’， and a final part on ‘tea and health’ including a chemical analysis。 Some of these were interesting， but I’d say a solid half of this book is filler material， of minimal interest even to a die-hard tea connoisseur like myself。 First， the Good:*The various history sections and legends were all rather interesting。 Learning how India first got into tea， learning where the ‘iron goddess of mercy’ moniker comes from， etc。 [If you read my review for Death's End， you can see I was clearly inspired by these legends]。*Manufacturing methods are always illuminating - it’s nice to know where and how the stuff I’m drinking is created。 Personally， I drank tea a long time before I knew what， exactly， differentiated a green tea from a black tea from a white tea from an oolong tea。 Not to mention， it’s always nice to get a reminder that the tea doesn’t just arrive， by magic， from the aether。 A human planted it and cared for it， a human picked it， another human processed it， and so on。 In this time of Russia-instigated disunion and discord， I’ll take any reminder that we’re all in this together。*Each regional section contains a selection of that region’s most famous teas。 Looking at the pictures and reading the descriptions gave me serious tea cravings！*Sections on local preparation displays the wonderful variety of tea culture （Japanese chado ceremony， the gong fu cha ceremony， the preparation of matcha， etc）。 Because of this book and other experiences， I purchased a gaiwan， and it’s now my preferred method of preparing tea。*Sections for pairings of cheese & tea， chocolate & tea， and scotch & tea pairing got me excited to attempt such pairings myself。*This was also my first look into the actual farming of tea， so I found that overview to be new and interesting but…And now， THE BAD:*While I enjoyed the overview of farming， the book often got into a level of detail that I can’t imagine anyone outside of actual growers and producers would find meaningful or interesting。 Consider this quote describing the ‘southeast region’ of China: “The most common soil type is old clay soil that contains both red and yellow clay。 Except in the north of Fujian， the temperature is warm， with an annual average of 66 deg F to 72 deg F， the rainfall is abundant， with 45 to 80 inches annually， and the plucking season extends over a period of 10 months。”Dry， statistical， boring - and they do this for practically every single province or sub-region within every country they talk about。 I absorbed exactly zero of these details and can recall none of them。*Each region contains an ‘interview’ with a local tea person。 I was excited about these at first， thinking I might get a more human insight。 NOPE。 They are unimaginably dull。 Consider this representative sample about JD RAI， tea producer: How did you start your career in the world of tea？ I started in 1984， when I was 24 years old， as assistant manager at the Barnesbeg Tea Garden。And how many gardens do you now supervise？ Currently I oversee five gardens: Castleton， Margaret’s Hope， Dilaram， Thurbo and Barnesbeg。 I am also consulted regarding quality control and processing in Badamtam。 I have around 5，000 workers under my supervision in those six gardens。Can you tell us what is the approximate annual production of these gardens？ Each year we produce about 1。9 million pounds of tea。What are your main customers？ Our main customers are: Twinings in London， Leafull Corporation in Japan and several wholesalers from Iran and Germany。 We also sell nearly 45 percent of our production through auctions in Kolkata。 Major yawn。 Every ‘interview’ is like that。 Just straight factual question and answer， without any sense of actual human conversation。 Utterly utterly dull。*The end contains a section in which they chemically analyze a tea to discover its caffeine and antioxidant qualities。 It’s clear they were well-intentioned， but it’s also clear none of the authors had a firm grasp or appreciation of statistical analysis。 Many of the analyses were done with a SINGLE trial - the standard deviation must be through the roof！ Which is especially problematic because （for example） by one method the antioxidant concentration of anji bai cha was 1175 micromoles but by another method it was 1800 micromoles。 A huge difference that essentially makes the whole thing a wash。*The recipe section is relatively brief （a single recipe for iced tea for example） and also falls into the common trap of skewing towards exotic， hard-to-cook recipes rather than offering more mundane， but more useful， daily recipes。 For example there’s a recipe for ‘pork belly braised in pu er tea with chopped jerusalem artichokes and cloves， with a chicory and star anise emulsion’ or ‘scallop carpaccio with marined celery and shittake mushrooms in a chinese white tea broth。’ Which isn’t to say these recipes are bad or particularly difficult。 It’s just I don’t see myself actually making any of these and there are so very few。。。。But then that’s the nature of this book。 It’s meant to be an overview of tea and that’s exactly what it is。 It touches on culture， history， farming， tasting， etc but never delves too deeply in any one topic。 Furthermore， the writing style can best be described as encyclopedic with a keen absence of style or wit。 As a result， Tea: A History （full title） makes for a solid reference book for a tea enthusiast or as a coffee table interactive decoration。 But if you’re looking for something with more depth or insight， you’ll want to explore other options。Also I love tea， so if you want to talk about it， leave me a comment！ 。。。more
Reuben Talbott
，
Awesome book about the history and use of tea
Alessandro Amici
，
Il libro sul tè più completo che ho trovato finora， non a caso vincitore dell'international tea book award。 L'opera parte dalla storia e le origini della camelia sinensis， per poi proseguire spiegando i concetti di cultivar e terroir; poi passa a illustrare le varie famiglie di tè esistenti。 Nei capitoli succesivi analizza i principali paesi produttori di tè， illustrandone le varie aree di produzione， i cultivar utilizzati e le varie tipologie di tè prodotte。 Per ogni paese poi sono presenti del Il libro sul tè più completo che ho trovato finora， non a caso vincitore dell'international tea book award。 L'opera parte dalla storia e le origini della camelia sinensis， per poi proseguire spiegando i concetti di cultivar e terroir; poi passa a illustrare le varie famiglie di tè esistenti。 Nei capitoli succesivi analizza i principali paesi produttori di tè， illustrandone le varie aree di produzione， i cultivar utilizzati e le varie tipologie di tè prodotte。 Per ogni paese poi sono presenti delle schede con le tipologie di tè più famosi e relativi dati di degustazione （attacco， mezzo e finale） e gli strumenti consigliati per la preparazione e la degustazione。 I capitoli successivi spiegano le varie tecniche e procedure pe preparare le varui etipologie di tè， inclusi tempi e temperature di infusione （tranne per il matcha， dove naturalmente è prevsita solo temeperatura）。 I capitoli finali illustrano le prorietà salutistiche delle varie tipologie di tè。 Che dire， un libro fantastico e un'ottima guida di riferimento per chi volesse entrare in questo fantastico mondo。 。。。more
Pamela Hamon
，
This tome of a book， written by several staff members of the famed Montreal tea establishment "The Camellia Sinensis Tea House，" covers a wealth of knowledge and experience across the spectrum of tea history， agriculture， pick styles， processing methods， tasting notes for examples of tea styles， brewing recommendations， 5-star chef recipes， and a section on the latest tea science （circa 2011）。Of particular interest in this book is the wealth of photographs that accompany the tea tasting descript This tome of a book， written by several staff members of the famed Montreal tea establishment "The Camellia Sinensis Tea House，" covers a wealth of knowledge and experience across the spectrum of tea history， agriculture， pick styles， processing methods， tasting notes for examples of tea styles， brewing recommendations， 5-star chef recipes， and a section on the latest tea science （circa 2011）。Of particular interest in this book is the wealth of photographs that accompany the tea tasting descriptions， processing details， and tea plantation and garden photographs。 For tea enthusiasts and professionals who have not yet gone to see these places and activities with their own eyes， these resources make this book extremely valuable。 The history section of the book was a little lightweight， but there are other tea history books that can provide more depth and nuance （see my other reviews）。 Where this book really shines is describing in detail the climates， landscapes， processing techniques， and local serving customs for the dozens of types of teas covered。 The book includes occasional vignettes of tea professionals working in these different regions that add welcome color and personality to the book。I was admittedly skeptical going in to the "tea and health" section of the book， as most of the time these parts of tea books include vague claims and platitudes or even junk science， but I was pleasantly surprised to see it showcase some actual rigorous science even if the results were inconclusive。 The truth is， there is so much about how tea affects human physiology that we just don't know and at least these authors were honest about that。I would recommend this book to intermediate tea enthusiasts and budding tea professionals who are looking to build their repertoire of knowledge in the traditional and emerging global tea terroirs。 。。。more
3thn
，
Great book on tea
Tara
，
I love tea。 I love tea from Camelia Sinensis。 I am biased but this book is still great。 There's information about the history， different regions， different cultivars， and more。 The photography is beautiful and I'm going to read this again and again。 I love tea。 I love tea from Camelia Sinensis。 I am biased but this book is still great。 There's information about the history， different regions， different cultivars， and more。 The photography is beautiful and I'm going to read this again and again。 。。。more
Paul
，
One of the best tea books I've read。 It was comprehensive， covered all of the major （and minor） tea producing nations and gave some great examples and tasting notes for the teas。 I really enjoyed the last chapter related to tea and health。 It included a lot of chemistry and scientific studies about the health benefits of tea。 I haven't seen any other tea book that did as good a job providing the science info in such a straightforward format。 The layout and photography in the book was very good t One of the best tea books I've read。 It was comprehensive， covered all of the major （and minor） tea producing nations and gave some great examples and tasting notes for the teas。 I really enjoyed the last chapter related to tea and health。 It included a lot of chemistry and scientific studies about the health benefits of tea。 I haven't seen any other tea book that did as good a job providing the science info in such a straightforward format。 The layout and photography in the book was very good too。 。。。more
Steve Mossberg
，
This is an informative but problematic text on tea。 There is a nice breakdown of prominent varietas from all the major tea-producing areas， a healthy dose of science （and rigorous chemical analysis）， and some decent passages of tea history and geography。 I didn't find the writing particularly engaging or sufficiently proofread， and I take issue with the redundant interview sections， mistranslations of Japanese terms， inaccurate etymologies of Chinese tea names， and historical accounts of the Bri This is an informative but problematic text on tea。 There is a nice breakdown of prominent varietas from all the major tea-producing areas， a healthy dose of science （and rigorous chemical analysis）， and some decent passages of tea history and geography。 I didn't find the writing particularly engaging or sufficiently proofread， and I take issue with the redundant interview sections， mistranslations of Japanese terms， inaccurate etymologies of Chinese tea names， and historical accounts of the British tea trade in India that do not demonstrate a culturally proficient understanding of the implicit colonialism in the narratives。Too dry to leaf through， substantial enough as a reference work， and marred by poor research in the cultural realm 。。。more
Emmanuelle
，
Un livre juste， concis et complet qui fait un panorama à ceux et celles qui veulent s'initier aux thés。 Un livre juste， concis et complet qui fait un panorama à ceux et celles qui veulent s'initier aux thés。 。。。more
Jenna
，
This was a good overview book on a history of tea that packed a lot of information into it， while still being comprehensible to the novice interested in tea/tea culture。 Covering a broad swath of countries and cultures， it won't be a very deep read into any one aspect （i。e。 the fraught British history with tea and trade -- for that one might read For All the Tea in China: Espionage， Empire and the Secret Formula for the World's Favourite Drink or something similar） -- but it's a good start to ge This was a good overview book on a history of tea that packed a lot of information into it， while still being comprehensible to the novice interested in tea/tea culture。 Covering a broad swath of countries and cultures， it won't be a very deep read into any one aspect （i。e。 the fraught British history with tea and trade -- for that one might read For All the Tea in China: Espionage， Empire and the Secret Formula for the World's Favourite Drink or something similar） -- but it's a good start to getting a handle on this rich and varied history that is probably not as appreciated in the West。 。。。more
Delphine
，
Cet ouvrage， particulièrement bien construit， est un incontournable pour quiconque souhaite approfondir sa connaissance du thé。 Les différentes sections sauront plaire à tous les types de lecteurs : histoire， botanique， gastronomie， géographie， culture， santé， etc。 De plus， le livre est rempli de photos de jardins et de producteurs de thé de partout dans le monde et de graphiques qui permettent de trouver rapidement les informations importantes。 Il y a autant de plaisir à le feuilleter pour choi Cet ouvrage， particulièrement bien construit， est un incontournable pour quiconque souhaite approfondir sa connaissance du thé。 Les différentes sections sauront plaire à tous les types de lecteurs : histoire， botanique， gastronomie， géographie， culture， santé， etc。 De plus， le livre est rempli de photos de jardins et de producteurs de thé de partout dans le monde et de graphiques qui permettent de trouver rapidement les informations importantes。 Il y a autant de plaisir à le feuilleter pour choisir un passage qu'à le lire d'une couverture à l'autre。 。。。more
Ashley
，
Fantastic primer on tea & beautiful book。 Highly recommended for tea-lovers and the tea-curious。 Did you know that black and green tea， for example， are differentiated by their oxidation processes - not necessarily by different trees？ Did you know that the highest quality teas are made up of tea buds only or tea buds and the very first tea leaf below it？ Do you know the difference between the way the Chinese and Japanese process and prepare their green teas？ Lots of fun stuff to learn and then t Fantastic primer on tea & beautiful book。 Highly recommended for tea-lovers and the tea-curious。 Did you know that black and green tea， for example， are differentiated by their oxidation processes - not necessarily by different trees？ Did you know that the highest quality teas are made up of tea buds only or tea buds and the very first tea leaf below it？ Do you know the difference between the way the Chinese and Japanese process and prepare their green teas？ Lots of fun stuff to learn and then taste。 Yum！ 。。。more
Buck
，
An encyclopaedic look at how tea is grown， harvested， processed， and prepared。 The author covers quite a lot of tea history， and it was very interesting to read about the various ceremonies and rituals that have sprung up around tea。 The book focuses mostly on the Asian growing regions; if you're looking for 18th century French tea parties， this isn't that book。 The focus on Asia is a good thing; it can be hard to find good information on Asian customs in the US （where I live）。 There are some go An encyclopaedic look at how tea is grown， harvested， processed， and prepared。 The author covers quite a lot of tea history， and it was very interesting to read about the various ceremonies and rituals that have sprung up around tea。 The book focuses mostly on the Asian growing regions; if you're looking for 18th century French tea parties， this isn't that book。 The focus on Asia is a good thing; it can be hard to find good information on Asian customs in the US （where I live）。 There are some gorgeous photographs; even the cups of tea are beautiful！ And there's a bonus: recipes！ I'm very tempted to try to find some of the teas mentioned here， but if I can't， I'll at least know the qualities to look for in the teas which I can find。 。。。more
Maggie
，
Un livre pour tous les amateurs de thés et aussi pour les experts！ De l'histoire， de la science et des recettes， il y en a pour tous le goûts， de thé bien entendu。 Un livre pour tous les amateurs de thés et aussi pour les experts！ De l'histoire， de la science et des recettes， il y en a pour tous le goûts， de thé bien entendu。 。。。more
Callista Cassady
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Nice compendium for those interested in the history and processes of tea。 Beautiful pictures， lots of knowledge。
Jessica Fulk
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Ridiculous amount of information about tea in this book。 Learned that there is so much I don't know about it！ Inspired to visit China and taste the teas of each region。 Ridiculous amount of information about tea in this book。 Learned that there is so much I don't know about it！ Inspired to visit China and taste the teas of each region。 。。。more
Slightly Devious
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