Tea History, Terroirs, Varieties provides a fantastic gateway to enter the world of tea. This is the book I recommend for any tea drinkers who are about to start a journey as a tea drinker.
I met this book while I was working at Barnes & Noble as a part-timer when I was in college back in 2015. For people who are not familiar with Barnes & Noble, it’s a bookseller brand with the largest number of book retail stores in the United States.
I found this book while I was walking around the store floor out of boredom and slowness. The moment was almost like finding an oasis in a desert. At first, I was intrigued by the cool book design. Soon after, I was fascinated by the fact what tea really was!
It’s been more than 7 years and now there’s a 3rd edition for this book (I read 2nd edition). Whether it’s 1st, 2nd, or 3rd edition, it’s a great book to learn about tea without feeling overwhelmed.
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.
