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The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide
Whether it's a delicate green tea or a bracing Assam black, a cup of tea is a complex brew of art and industry, tradition and revolution, East and West. In this sweeping tour through the world of tea, veteran tea traders Mary Lou Heiss and Robert J. Heiss chronicle tea's influence across the globe and provide a complete reference for choosing, drinking, and enjoying this beverage. The Story of Tea begins with a journey along the tea trail, from the lush forests of China, where tea cultivation first flourished, to the Buddhist temples of Japan, to the vast tea gardens of India, and beyond.
Offering an insider's view of all aspects of tea trade, the Heisses examine Camellia sinensis, the tea bush, and show how subtle differences in territory and production contribute to the diversity of color, flavor, and quality in brewed tea. They profile more than thirty essential tea varietals, provide an in depth guide to tasting and brewing, and survey the customs and crafts associated with tea. Sharing the latest research, they discuss tea's health benefits and developments in organic production and fair trade practices. Finally, they present ten sweet and savory recipes, including Savory Chinese Marbled Eggs and Green Tea Pot de Creme, and resources for purchasing fine tea.
Vividly illustrated throughout, The Story of Tea is an engrossing tribute to the illustrious, invigorating, and elusive leaf that has sustained and inspired people for more than two thousand years.
Offering an insider's view of all aspects of tea trade, the Heisses examine Camellia sinensis, the tea bush, and show how subtle differences in territory and production contribute to the diversity of color, flavor, and quality in brewed tea. They profile more than thirty essential tea varietals, provide an in depth guide to tasting and brewing, and survey the customs and crafts associated with tea. Sharing the latest research, they discuss tea's health benefits and developments in organic production and fair trade practices. Finally, they present ten sweet and savory recipes, including Savory Chinese Marbled Eggs and Green Tea Pot de Creme, and resources for purchasing fine tea.
Vividly illustrated throughout, The Story of Tea is an engrossing tribute to the illustrious, invigorating, and elusive leaf that has sustained and inspired people for more than two thousand years.
432 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2007
223 people are currently reading
2944 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
March 8, 2009
This read like a mix between a textbook and an infomercial. I dislike not finishing books so I persevered, but I definitely heaved a sigh of relief and a "Thank God!" when I finished. If it wasn't for the anecdotal stories included in the margin blocks of the chapters the book would have excruciating to read... instead of just really boring. If you have this book I recommend looking for the text in the blue blocks and skipping the rest.
March 27, 2013
I finally decided to give up on this book upon realizing that after all of the pages that I've struggled through, I'm still not 100% clear on how the production of green tea differs from the production of black tea.
The writing quality is poor, and the organization of content is worse. For example, while there is a huge chapter devoted to one stage of the tea production process, manufacture, in the descriptions for each varietal of tea it often wanders back and forth through the other stages, repeating content and muddying the subject.
I did gain a broad overview of the world of tea, which is what I had hoped for. There is plenty more I'd like to learn, but I'll seek other sources.
The writing quality is poor, and the organization of content is worse. For example, while there is a huge chapter devoted to one stage of the tea production process, manufacture, in the descriptions for each varietal of tea it often wanders back and forth through the other stages, repeating content and muddying the subject.
I did gain a broad overview of the world of tea, which is what I had hoped for. There is plenty more I'd like to learn, but I'll seek other sources.
January 7, 2019
This was the most frustrating, maddening, delectable, annoying, painful, heart-rending book I have ever read. I have always been a tea lover, and imagine my frustration as I picked up this ode to tea, that I hardly know anything of tea! Everytime the author described a variety of tea, I went running to my tea shelf to find if I have it. Why did I not stock my shelf with delectable jasmine tea? Where are the white budset teas?
And why on earth did I not realize that the Chinese tea box I had received was beautiful Anxi Tieguanyin tea? I cried. I raged. And I vented more when I realized that I spent years in China without understanding its tea culture. And that, sob, I went to Kyoto without seeing the earliest tea house there.
In the end, this is the sort of book I want to buy in hardcover and keep on my bookshelf so that I can refer to it as I continue my journey through the world of teas. As a book, it kind of lost its infusion towards the end, but I loved learning about the history of tea, its origins, and all the different kinds of manufacture.
And why on earth did I not realize that the Chinese tea box I had received was beautiful Anxi Tieguanyin tea? I cried. I raged. And I vented more when I realized that I spent years in China without understanding its tea culture. And that, sob, I went to Kyoto without seeing the earliest tea house there.
In the end, this is the sort of book I want to buy in hardcover and keep on my bookshelf so that I can refer to it as I continue my journey through the world of teas. As a book, it kind of lost its infusion towards the end, but I loved learning about the history of tea, its origins, and all the different kinds of manufacture.
March 29, 2020
I listened to an audio version of this, which was not the best way to appreciate this book. It is not a narrative or a work of journalism. It is more like an encyclopedic collection of short pieces that cover the many aspects of growing, selling, and enjoying tea, along with a fair amount of historical background. This book taught me a lot about the different varieties of tea and how and where they are produced, and how tea is different in the world's great tea cultures (China, Japan, India).
If you are a tea lover and have not read anything like this before, by all means pick this up, brew up a pot of your favorite tea, and enjoy. There is no need to listen to it or read it cover to cover. It is the kind of book that is good to hold onto and dip into from time to time.
If you are a tea lover and have not read anything like this before, by all means pick this up, brew up a pot of your favorite tea, and enjoy. There is no need to listen to it or read it cover to cover. It is the kind of book that is good to hold onto and dip into from time to time.
May 19, 2025
This book is best considered a coffee table / reference book. If you want to learn about tea without much knowledge to start with, I recommend that you read Chapters 1, 2, 6, and then 3. If you are interested in health effects you can then read chapter 8. From there I would explore various teas on your own, and refer to the entries in chapter 5 as you encounter different teas, leaving other chapters until later.
Note that herbal teas and tisanes are not discussed.
Note that herbal teas and tisanes are not discussed.
September 8, 2015
This was an incredibly disappointing book. First, it was full of typos, tortuously crafted sentences, and formatting errors. It had some of the worst editing that I have encountered in a published book. The book read like it was written by a committee: the chapters did not flow into each other; lots of information was needlessly repeated, yet it was never very well explained; and the book did not seem to be a coherent whole. I don't feel any more informed about tea than before I opened this book.
The best chapter was Chapter 7, "Tea Customs and Culture." The pictures in this chapter were good (lots of pretty tea cups and tea pots!) and the text was the most readable section of the whole book. Chapter 5 ("An Encyclopedia of Tea") was also good — great pictures of the different types of tea (brewed and in leaf-form) with easily readable descriptions (and practical brewing instructions to boot).
The rest of the book was a mess. Chapters 2, 3, and 4 presented so much of the same information on the different types of tea and methods of tea manufacture that I nearly fell asleep. At the same time, this information was presented in a poorly organized and terribly confusing fashion. The style was rambling, like a stream of consciousness explanation — fine for a casual chat with a knowledgeable tea merchant, but terrible for a book. Concepts and terms of art were introduced without a thorough explanation (and the glossary at the end of the book was not extremely helpful. For one, it is partly organized by meaning of the terms. Who organizes a glossary by meaning? If I knew the meaning of a word, I would not have to consult the glossary!). There were also many places in these chapters that read like a tea catalog or infomercial, which was grating.
This book should have just been the Encyclopedia of Tea chapter (expanded with more types of tea), a better written chapter of how different types of tea get made, and the "Tea Customs and Culture" chapter, which could be combined with the history of tea chapter that starts the book. But unfortunately, that's not what this book is. If I made a cup of tea as disagreeable as this book, I would pour it out.
The best chapter was Chapter 7, "Tea Customs and Culture." The pictures in this chapter were good (lots of pretty tea cups and tea pots!) and the text was the most readable section of the whole book. Chapter 5 ("An Encyclopedia of Tea") was also good — great pictures of the different types of tea (brewed and in leaf-form) with easily readable descriptions (and practical brewing instructions to boot).
The rest of the book was a mess. Chapters 2, 3, and 4 presented so much of the same information on the different types of tea and methods of tea manufacture that I nearly fell asleep. At the same time, this information was presented in a poorly organized and terribly confusing fashion. The style was rambling, like a stream of consciousness explanation — fine for a casual chat with a knowledgeable tea merchant, but terrible for a book. Concepts and terms of art were introduced without a thorough explanation (and the glossary at the end of the book was not extremely helpful. For one, it is partly organized by meaning of the terms. Who organizes a glossary by meaning? If I knew the meaning of a word, I would not have to consult the glossary!). There were also many places in these chapters that read like a tea catalog or infomercial, which was grating.
This book should have just been the Encyclopedia of Tea chapter (expanded with more types of tea), a better written chapter of how different types of tea get made, and the "Tea Customs and Culture" chapter, which could be combined with the history of tea chapter that starts the book. But unfortunately, that's not what this book is. If I made a cup of tea as disagreeable as this book, I would pour it out.
January 14, 2013
A beautifully illustrated and comprehensive book about the a humble commodity indigenous to the tropical forest of the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan, bordering Myanmar (Burma) and Laos.
It provides the reader with a tour de force exploration of the social history, varieties, processing, geographical distribution and medicinal benefits of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis).
Among the fascinating facts about tea revealed in the book was that during China's last four dynasties: the Tang, Song, Ming and Qing, there was a list of 20 tribute teas that was used as tax payment to the emperor. These teas were reserved exclusively for consumption by the emperor and officials of the court. Such colorful names as Longjing (Dragonwell), Bai Hao Yin Zhen (Silver Needle), Da Hong Pao (Red Robe) and Bi Lo Chun (Green Snail Spring) were among the emperor's favorites.
The authors do a fine job classifying the different types of tea: green, white, yellow, oolong, black and Pu-erh and providing their growing regions, processing and popularity.
I enjoyed the addition of entertaining exotic facts such as the favorite tea of the Sherlock Holmes character was Lapsang Souchong, a smoked dark tea from Fujian province in China. And that a famous oolong tea from China, Tiekuanyin, was named after the Chinese goddess of Mercy, Kuan Yin.
The authors not only cover Chinese and Japanese teas, but extends their research into teas from India, Sri Lanka, Kenya, and southeast Asia.
My single criticism is that the reader unacquainted with the many facets of tea culture may be initially overwhelmed by the amount of information contained between the covers. But I would encourage the curious not to be intimidated by the amount of information, but pick out favorite chapters and enjoy learning about this intriguing beverage.
It provides the reader with a tour de force exploration of the social history, varieties, processing, geographical distribution and medicinal benefits of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis).
Among the fascinating facts about tea revealed in the book was that during China's last four dynasties: the Tang, Song, Ming and Qing, there was a list of 20 tribute teas that was used as tax payment to the emperor. These teas were reserved exclusively for consumption by the emperor and officials of the court. Such colorful names as Longjing (Dragonwell), Bai Hao Yin Zhen (Silver Needle), Da Hong Pao (Red Robe) and Bi Lo Chun (Green Snail Spring) were among the emperor's favorites.
The authors do a fine job classifying the different types of tea: green, white, yellow, oolong, black and Pu-erh and providing their growing regions, processing and popularity.
I enjoyed the addition of entertaining exotic facts such as the favorite tea of the Sherlock Holmes character was Lapsang Souchong, a smoked dark tea from Fujian province in China. And that a famous oolong tea from China, Tiekuanyin, was named after the Chinese goddess of Mercy, Kuan Yin.
The authors not only cover Chinese and Japanese teas, but extends their research into teas from India, Sri Lanka, Kenya, and southeast Asia.
My single criticism is that the reader unacquainted with the many facets of tea culture may be initially overwhelmed by the amount of information contained between the covers. But I would encourage the curious not to be intimidated by the amount of information, but pick out favorite chapters and enjoy learning about this intriguing beverage.
March 6, 2011
It is the most definitive text on tea I haver ever read - It goes through the history of tea - the different tea bushes - how the different countries grow and process different types of tea - how to brew tea to perfection - culture and customs surrounding tea - recipes with tea - fair trade with tea - resources on buying tea - if you want to know about tea, this is the book!
December 1, 2020
I don’t know what I was expecting
December 12, 2020
Like other reviewers have said, this book required a stronger edit prior to publication. The overall organization means one returns to the same topic repeatedly in subsequent chapters and one ends up reading the same things over and over. Also, better editing at the sentence level would create sharper writing with better flow. I was sorely tempted to give this book a lower score.
What saves it, however, is that the authors have clearly mastered tea knowledge, culture, and practices. They bring a wealth of information not found anywhere else in a single English-language volume. Their sidebar stories of travelling to prominent tea producers and giving the reader a rare view into this world were extremely well written. The chapters on the life of a tea bush, tea brewing, and customs and culture were the finest. As other reviewers have mentioned, the chapters on tea manufacturing and the tea trail were very dense and brought me to skip pages (rare for me) as I maxed out on my ability to retain this intricate level of information. Some things are probably best experienced firsthand to understand it.
Overall, a recommend, but don’t feel bad about dipping in and out if it helps.
What saves it, however, is that the authors have clearly mastered tea knowledge, culture, and practices. They bring a wealth of information not found anywhere else in a single English-language volume. Their sidebar stories of travelling to prominent tea producers and giving the reader a rare view into this world were extremely well written. The chapters on the life of a tea bush, tea brewing, and customs and culture were the finest. As other reviewers have mentioned, the chapters on tea manufacturing and the tea trail were very dense and brought me to skip pages (rare for me) as I maxed out on my ability to retain this intricate level of information. Some things are probably best experienced firsthand to understand it.
Overall, a recommend, but don’t feel bad about dipping in and out if it helps.
October 30, 2021
As other reviews have pointed out, this is an editorial failure now compounded by being dated (as far as concerns cultivars, production, and what is available on the US market). The botanical parts, and the specifics re: farming, harvesting, and processing are actually pretty interesting, and the photographs are quite lovely. But there are aspects repeated over and over, tea characteristics not at all described or explained, and except for one very general world map, there are no detailed maps of the growing regions which figure heavily throughout the prose: essentially, one has to have maps/atlases of China, India, Japan, or Sri Lanka open to have any idea where these authors are talking about.
This is an infomercial with some nice highlights, and a decent "Encyclopedia of Tea". Meh.
This is an infomercial with some nice highlights, and a decent "Encyclopedia of Tea". Meh.
November 2, 2019
An interesting book covering different aspects of tea, from history and preparation to even cooking with tea. But, there are times when the authors did not make enough effort to collect the data. For example, they talk about tea in Indonesia, they admit that it is one of the largest tea producers but they even do not devote a section to introduce the tea that they produce. Or they talk about Georgia with a limited impact on the tea market and history but they disregard lots of middle eastern countries like Iran where tea is very appreciated with 200 years of history behind it.
August 28, 2024
A fire hose of tea information - but well worth the endurance needed to get through it. And now an invaluable guide as I continue my tea exploration. This book is a course, a workshop, a seminar a conference and so much more. If one could retain all the information contained in it they would have an expert level of tea education - all that’s left is to go make the tea and taste it. I recommend “
The Tea Enthusiast's Handbook: A Guide to Enjoying the World's Best Teas” by the same authors as a great quick guide to teas.
The Tea Enthusiast's Handbook: A Guide to Enjoying the World's Best Teas” by the same authors as a great quick guide to teas.
June 25, 2024
Very informative overview of the history of tea, cultural uses and impact, and tea types
March 30, 2015
The Story of Tea is a beautiful piece of work, valuable to all tea lovers. Many gorgeous photographs suggest the cultivative art, while a strong discussion of production methods in various regions is the real heart of the book. For those interested in a description of production down to the village level, this is one of the few works that will provide it. This section is followed by a longish chapter called "Journeying along the tea trail," which is both meandering and somewhat redundant, while at the same time providing many interesting vignettes. By the finish of these two parts, the reader will have a decent knowledge of which regions produce the more famous teas, and why. With that said, I was disappointed by the rather spare, even perfunctory, history of tea, trade and the tea trade's role in the world economic system. As for the "drinking guide" section of the book, I much prefer the author's better known "The Tea Enthusiast's Handbook: A Guide to the World's Best Teas." Moreover, the structure of the book lends itself to overlap, leading to duplication of information. Even given these deficiencies, I consider The Story of Tea to be a must read for anyone seeking knowledge about the worlds most popular beverage. It remains the best single volume concerning all things tea-related.
June 15, 2013
I liked that this book covered not only manufacturing and industry, taste, regional variances, and terroir but included the history of tea and its relationship to global economics and colonialism, the different plants, particular teas, and rituals. I especially liked that the authors included a section on organic and fair trade regulation in regards to tea. I wish they'd included more but they named the important institutions and included a comparison of European standards to US standards.
You can read it all the way through like I did or use it more as a reference book when examining a particular type of tea or looking for tips about shopping for tea. There's a section with pictures of the different tea leaves and cups of liquid tea so that you can get a sense of the shape and colors.
I would obviously recommend this to tea aficionados, though if you're interested in power or economics the history sections are certainly interesting and if you're interested in sociology or anthropology, you'll find things of interest as well. I personally am excited by the recipe section at the end, more so by the sweets than by the savory dishes.
You can read it all the way through like I did or use it more as a reference book when examining a particular type of tea or looking for tips about shopping for tea. There's a section with pictures of the different tea leaves and cups of liquid tea so that you can get a sense of the shape and colors.
I would obviously recommend this to tea aficionados, though if you're interested in power or economics the history sections are certainly interesting and if you're interested in sociology or anthropology, you'll find things of interest as well. I personally am excited by the recipe section at the end, more so by the sweets than by the savory dishes.
May 24, 2013
I first picked up this book last August, in Santa Cruz, CA. I had just driven up the evening before from Monterrey, and I needed to check into my Air BNB in San Francisco by a certain time that evening. After spending some time in the UCSC Arboretum, I felt that I should go see the famous beach. And yet, during a stop in town to get lunch, I was drawn to a tea house. I spent the afternoon there contentedly drinking Chinese Dragon Well tea and skimming this book.
Why do I bother telling this story? Every time I picked up this book, it reminded me of that day. That's enough in and of itself to give it five stars. Also, I love tea--so much so that I'm willing to read almost 400 pages of meticulous detail about how it's been grown, produced, drunk, transported, categorized, accompanied, and contained for the its entire history. I'm intimidated by wine snobs, but maybe it's time to admit that I'm a tea snob.
Why do I bother telling this story? Every time I picked up this book, it reminded me of that day. That's enough in and of itself to give it five stars. Also, I love tea--so much so that I'm willing to read almost 400 pages of meticulous detail about how it's been grown, produced, drunk, transported, categorized, accompanied, and contained for the its entire history. I'm intimidated by wine snobs, but maybe it's time to admit that I'm a tea snob.
December 15, 2013
Liked it, but I think it works best as a reference book. In attempting to read it cover to cover, I just found it to be too much; it felt repetitive in places, and in need of editing down. After reading up to chapter 4, I started skimming much more.
I definitely appreciated the knowledge of the authors, but the book was trying to take tea into the territory usually reserved for wine fetishists (and I'm not using that term as a compliment), and ultimately, it wasn't a place I wanted to go. I just enjoy a nice cuppa of lapsang souchong or Assam. I will, however, have to give Keemun a try...
I definitely appreciated the knowledge of the authors, but the book was trying to take tea into the territory usually reserved for wine fetishists (and I'm not using that term as a compliment), and ultimately, it wasn't a place I wanted to go. I just enjoy a nice cuppa of lapsang souchong or Assam. I will, however, have to give Keemun a try...
October 20, 2018
Continuing on my quest to read as many tea books as possible, I found The Story of Tea at the library! Written by two tea traders, The Story of Tea claims to be a “cultural history and drinking guide.”
The first chapter is called “A Brief History of Tea”, though it’s pretty comprehensive to me. I enjoyed the fact that it focused only on tea-producing countries, which meant the main focus was on Asia, specifically China and Japan. Of all the books I’ve read, this probably had the most in-depth account of the history of tea in China (then again, I haven’t read a book that is dedicated to Chinese tea history). The section on Japanese tea history was pretty short, and I think Making Tea, Making Japan has a more comprehensive account of the history. And if you’re looking for something that looks at the relationship between England and her tea producing colonies, the book A Thirst for Empire will provide you with more information.
The second chapter focused specifically on the tea bush and a few tea producing countries. There is a brief mention of the Java bush (camellia sinensis var. cambodi), but unfortunately the book doesn’t go into detail about it. I did find the chart about when the tea could be harvested interesting, because it shows which countries can produce tea year-round and which can’t. It turns out that climate plays a pretty big role in this.
The third chapter is the second longest in the book and talks about the type of tea. I thought their distinction between the types of white tea to be very helpful – they divided white tea into the traditional budset white tea, which uses only buds, and the new-style leaf white tea, which uses the first leaves to make the white tea. That said, they also divided the budset white tea by terroir (whether it’s from a place that traditionally produces white tea or not), which I found a bit too restrictive for my taste.
Quite sadly, the book only talks about puer when they discuss dark tea, which is a pity given that there are also excellent dark teas that are not puer. In this respect, The Art and Craft of Tea’s discussion of the types of tea is better.
Chapter four is called “journeying along the tea trail” and it goes into detail about the different types of tea found in different places. It’s very much like a tea-focused travelogue and I enjoyed this section very much. It even covered places like Korea, Georgia, and Nepal and gave some information about their tea history along with the types of tea they produce.
The fifth chapter is their ‘encyclopedia of tea’, which they admit isn’t comprehensive. Instead, they choose teas that they feel are representative of a particular tea category. While I did find a few teas that were new to me, most of them will be familiar to a tea enthusiast. But the part that I found unhelpful were the colours – everything seemed washed out. It’s a pity, given that the colour of the tea leaves can be different even within a subcategory and that is part of its charm.
The next chapter is on tea brewing and covers buying and storing tea. It’s not bad, but there aren’t any illustrations and might not be very helpful to a beginner.
The seventh chapter is on tea customs and cultures and is one of the most interesting parts of the book. To be honest, I would have liked this to be with (or perhaps integrated into) the chapter on the history of tea and the tea trails because I feel that tea history, culture, and terroir are all pretty closely intertwined and it would be rewarding to look at it holistically.
Chapter eight is on the health benefits of tea, and I appreciated they included scientific studies. The discussion on caffeine was pretty interesting too.
The second last chapter, chapter nine, is on ‘ethics in tea trade’. Sadly, this chapter misses the opportunity to explore unfair tea practices in places such as India or Malawi, or how tea farms in non-recognised parts of China are struggling (if you’re interested, this blog post from teapasar talks about unfair tea practices and has a bibliography you can use as a starting point for more research). Instead, most of the chapter is spent talking about certifying bodies and the column about tea estate workers issues says that “only today, with the return of privatization and national pride, tea estates operate with the ethical awareness of the importance of workers’ lives and welfare as well as the interdependent contribution that each makes to the common good of each other.” Considering that there are reports of poor working conditions from places like the BBC as recently as 2016, I find that quote a bit hard to swallow. There are good tea estates, but they aren’t quite the norm yet.
The last chapter is on cooking with tea and has a variety of recipes. I haven’t tried any of those, since my interest is more in the history and cultural parts.
Overall, this is a pretty good introduction to tea. While there are some things I disagree with (such as their coverage of ethics and them leaving out the rest of the dark teas), I think that it’s got a lot of good information and stories about teas that will appeal to most tea lovers.
This review was first posted at Eustacia Tan
The first chapter is called “A Brief History of Tea”, though it’s pretty comprehensive to me. I enjoyed the fact that it focused only on tea-producing countries, which meant the main focus was on Asia, specifically China and Japan. Of all the books I’ve read, this probably had the most in-depth account of the history of tea in China (then again, I haven’t read a book that is dedicated to Chinese tea history). The section on Japanese tea history was pretty short, and I think Making Tea, Making Japan has a more comprehensive account of the history. And if you’re looking for something that looks at the relationship between England and her tea producing colonies, the book A Thirst for Empire will provide you with more information.
The second chapter focused specifically on the tea bush and a few tea producing countries. There is a brief mention of the Java bush (camellia sinensis var. cambodi), but unfortunately the book doesn’t go into detail about it. I did find the chart about when the tea could be harvested interesting, because it shows which countries can produce tea year-round and which can’t. It turns out that climate plays a pretty big role in this.
The third chapter is the second longest in the book and talks about the type of tea. I thought their distinction between the types of white tea to be very helpful – they divided white tea into the traditional budset white tea, which uses only buds, and the new-style leaf white tea, which uses the first leaves to make the white tea. That said, they also divided the budset white tea by terroir (whether it’s from a place that traditionally produces white tea or not), which I found a bit too restrictive for my taste.
Quite sadly, the book only talks about puer when they discuss dark tea, which is a pity given that there are also excellent dark teas that are not puer. In this respect, The Art and Craft of Tea’s discussion of the types of tea is better.
Chapter four is called “journeying along the tea trail” and it goes into detail about the different types of tea found in different places. It’s very much like a tea-focused travelogue and I enjoyed this section very much. It even covered places like Korea, Georgia, and Nepal and gave some information about their tea history along with the types of tea they produce.
The fifth chapter is their ‘encyclopedia of tea’, which they admit isn’t comprehensive. Instead, they choose teas that they feel are representative of a particular tea category. While I did find a few teas that were new to me, most of them will be familiar to a tea enthusiast. But the part that I found unhelpful were the colours – everything seemed washed out. It’s a pity, given that the colour of the tea leaves can be different even within a subcategory and that is part of its charm.
The next chapter is on tea brewing and covers buying and storing tea. It’s not bad, but there aren’t any illustrations and might not be very helpful to a beginner.
The seventh chapter is on tea customs and cultures and is one of the most interesting parts of the book. To be honest, I would have liked this to be with (or perhaps integrated into) the chapter on the history of tea and the tea trails because I feel that tea history, culture, and terroir are all pretty closely intertwined and it would be rewarding to look at it holistically.
Chapter eight is on the health benefits of tea, and I appreciated they included scientific studies. The discussion on caffeine was pretty interesting too.
The second last chapter, chapter nine, is on ‘ethics in tea trade’. Sadly, this chapter misses the opportunity to explore unfair tea practices in places such as India or Malawi, or how tea farms in non-recognised parts of China are struggling (if you’re interested, this blog post from teapasar talks about unfair tea practices and has a bibliography you can use as a starting point for more research). Instead, most of the chapter is spent talking about certifying bodies and the column about tea estate workers issues says that “only today, with the return of privatization and national pride, tea estates operate with the ethical awareness of the importance of workers’ lives and welfare as well as the interdependent contribution that each makes to the common good of each other.” Considering that there are reports of poor working conditions from places like the BBC as recently as 2016, I find that quote a bit hard to swallow. There are good tea estates, but they aren’t quite the norm yet.
The last chapter is on cooking with tea and has a variety of recipes. I haven’t tried any of those, since my interest is more in the history and cultural parts.
Overall, this is a pretty good introduction to tea. While there are some things I disagree with (such as their coverage of ethics and them leaving out the rest of the dark teas), I think that it’s got a lot of good information and stories about teas that will appeal to most tea lovers.
This review was first posted at Eustacia Tan
May 13, 2011
Excellent encyclopedia of tea. Pretty much the only book on the subject you will need. Gets pretty nerdy, in a good way.
July 17, 2008
Currently obsessed with tea - don't know if normal people would find this book interesting.
September 1, 2025
#Binge Reviewing my previous Reads #History of Food and Cuisine
The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide by Mary Lou Heiss is more than just a book about a beverage—it’s a rich, aromatic journey through history, culture, and human taste. Heiss treats tea not merely as a drink but as a living artifact, one that has shaped societies, travelled continents, and inspired rituals over centuries.
From the moment tea leaves were first steeped in ancient China to their global presence today, this book maps the story with both depth and accessibility, making history tastefully engaging.
The book begins by tracing tea’s origins in ancient China, where it was prized as both medicine and ceremony. Heiss carefully follows its journey along trade routes, showing how climate, geography, and human ingenuity shaped varieties and brewing traditions.
The narrative stretches from the disciplined elegance of Japanese tea rituals to the robust flavours of Indian chai, and finally to the familiar comforts of Western tea culture. Historical context is never dry; instead, it brings alive the economic, social, and political forces that helped shape each cup. Tea is shown not just as refreshment, but as a lens through which we can explore human ingenuity, migration, and exchange.
A major strength of the book is its detailed exploration of tea varieties and production methods. White, green, black, oolong, and pu-erh teas are described with vivid attention to flavour, aroma, and texture. Brewing techniques and tasting notes are explained in a way that invites readers to engage actively, even if they are novices. This practical guidance complements the cultural narrative, giving readers both the knowledge and the means to experience tea fully.
Equally compelling are the cultural insights. From formal Japanese ceremonies to casual household traditions, Heiss shows how tea functions as a social and symbolic medium. It brings people together, marks moments of reflection, and carries subtle diplomacy across continents. These stories highlight tea’s role beyond sustenance—it is a ritual, a connector, and a marker of identity.
The writing is warm, authoritative, and sprinkled with anecdotes that make the book feel personal. Heiss’s passion for tea shines throughout, whether she is describing the subtlety of a lightly oxidised oolong or recounting a historical tea trade voyage. Photographs and illustrations enhance the text, offering visual context that deepens the reader’s appreciation of the craft, artistry, and ritual of tea.
In the end, The Story of Tea succeeds as both a cultural history and a practical guide. It elevates tea from a simple beverage to a window into human history, art, and sensory experience. By the final page, readers emerge with a richer understanding of tea and a desire to savour it more mindfully, appreciating every aroma, texture, and story in their cup.
Mary Lou Heiss’s book is an essential read for anyone who loves tea, history, or the stories that connect people across time and place. It is steeped in knowledge, full-bodied in culture, and leaves readers infused with curiosity and appreciation.
The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide by Mary Lou Heiss is more than just a book about a beverage—it’s a rich, aromatic journey through history, culture, and human taste. Heiss treats tea not merely as a drink but as a living artifact, one that has shaped societies, travelled continents, and inspired rituals over centuries.
From the moment tea leaves were first steeped in ancient China to their global presence today, this book maps the story with both depth and accessibility, making history tastefully engaging.
The book begins by tracing tea’s origins in ancient China, where it was prized as both medicine and ceremony. Heiss carefully follows its journey along trade routes, showing how climate, geography, and human ingenuity shaped varieties and brewing traditions.
The narrative stretches from the disciplined elegance of Japanese tea rituals to the robust flavours of Indian chai, and finally to the familiar comforts of Western tea culture. Historical context is never dry; instead, it brings alive the economic, social, and political forces that helped shape each cup. Tea is shown not just as refreshment, but as a lens through which we can explore human ingenuity, migration, and exchange.
A major strength of the book is its detailed exploration of tea varieties and production methods. White, green, black, oolong, and pu-erh teas are described with vivid attention to flavour, aroma, and texture. Brewing techniques and tasting notes are explained in a way that invites readers to engage actively, even if they are novices. This practical guidance complements the cultural narrative, giving readers both the knowledge and the means to experience tea fully.
Equally compelling are the cultural insights. From formal Japanese ceremonies to casual household traditions, Heiss shows how tea functions as a social and symbolic medium. It brings people together, marks moments of reflection, and carries subtle diplomacy across continents. These stories highlight tea’s role beyond sustenance—it is a ritual, a connector, and a marker of identity.
The writing is warm, authoritative, and sprinkled with anecdotes that make the book feel personal. Heiss’s passion for tea shines throughout, whether she is describing the subtlety of a lightly oxidised oolong or recounting a historical tea trade voyage. Photographs and illustrations enhance the text, offering visual context that deepens the reader’s appreciation of the craft, artistry, and ritual of tea.
In the end, The Story of Tea succeeds as both a cultural history and a practical guide. It elevates tea from a simple beverage to a window into human history, art, and sensory experience. By the final page, readers emerge with a richer understanding of tea and a desire to savour it more mindfully, appreciating every aroma, texture, and story in their cup.
Mary Lou Heiss’s book is an essential read for anyone who loves tea, history, or the stories that connect people across time and place. It is steeped in knowledge, full-bodied in culture, and leaves readers infused with curiosity and appreciation.
February 17, 2022
It's a book about tea. I mean really about tea. Only about tea. In fact, an encyclopedia about tea is probably the most apt description. I am of the opinion that most of the poor reviews of this book failed to accept that it was nothing more than an incredibly informative, knowledge-based tome about tea.
I have liked tea ever since I watched Avatar the Last Airbender as a kid and Uncle Iroh seemed to be one of the single wisest individuals I had ever known. Much of this wisdom seemed to stem from absolute infatuation with tea, and thus, I am unashamed to admit, I began drinking tea in hopes of growing wiser. Perhaps it worked, it's hard to say, my baseline was not particularly impressive.
This book, however, absolutely made me wiser in all things tea. It has a bit of the Dunning-Kruger effect, where it is difficult to understand just how much you don't know about a thing until you begin to really learn about the thing. For example, I had no idea that a single tea leaf could be turned into black, green, white, oolong, or pu-erh tea. I had always existed in a world where the type of tea to be made had been determined by the type of plant the leaf was plucked from, and this realization that it was only humans doing the incredible, innovate thing that they love doing who found out that there were hundreds of different processes which could be used to make thousands of different types of tea, made reading this tome worth it.
Now I do agree, that it drags, but I think that my saving grace was that I had hardly expected it to be riveting every step of the way. It is an encyclopedia of tea. I have never read the encyclopedia cover to cover, but I have a feeling it too would drag. Don't feel pressured to read it all in one sitting, that was my intention and I ended up skipping around quite a bit, and skipping through some passages entirely which did not interest me.
All that being said, if you have any desire at all to learn more about tea this is the book. You will do just that.
I have liked tea ever since I watched Avatar the Last Airbender as a kid and Uncle Iroh seemed to be one of the single wisest individuals I had ever known. Much of this wisdom seemed to stem from absolute infatuation with tea, and thus, I am unashamed to admit, I began drinking tea in hopes of growing wiser. Perhaps it worked, it's hard to say, my baseline was not particularly impressive.
This book, however, absolutely made me wiser in all things tea. It has a bit of the Dunning-Kruger effect, where it is difficult to understand just how much you don't know about a thing until you begin to really learn about the thing. For example, I had no idea that a single tea leaf could be turned into black, green, white, oolong, or pu-erh tea. I had always existed in a world where the type of tea to be made had been determined by the type of plant the leaf was plucked from, and this realization that it was only humans doing the incredible, innovate thing that they love doing who found out that there were hundreds of different processes which could be used to make thousands of different types of tea, made reading this tome worth it.
Now I do agree, that it drags, but I think that my saving grace was that I had hardly expected it to be riveting every step of the way. It is an encyclopedia of tea. I have never read the encyclopedia cover to cover, but I have a feeling it too would drag. Don't feel pressured to read it all in one sitting, that was my intention and I ended up skipping around quite a bit, and skipping through some passages entirely which did not interest me.
All that being said, if you have any desire at all to learn more about tea this is the book. You will do just that.
Currently reading
October 29, 2016"Spiritually, tea was believed to be an "elixir of immortality". Besides the goal of yielding a pleasant-tasting tea, Lu Yu preached that inner harmony could be attained through the expression of careful, attentive tea preparation. In his book, The Classic of Tea, Lu Yu explained the mindful execution of the ritual of tea preparation.
"It's liquor is like the sweetest dew of Heaven."
Today, the tea plant is a general term for the several genera [sic] of Camellia sinensis. These include Camellia sinensis var. sinensis (China bush), Camellia sinensis var. assamica (Assam bush), and Camellia sinensis var. cambodi (Java bush), also known as Camellia sinensis subsp. lasiocaly. Each of these genera [sic] has many subdivisions. All together, there are more than a thousand subvarieties of the tea bush Camellia sinensis!
Camellia sinensis var sinensis (China Bush)
Thrives on cool mountainsides with a southern exposure at elevations of 6,500-9,800 feet. Its short growing season generates a small yield of a tender, fine leaf that often has less tannin content than the Assam bush. Because of the seasonality of the climate, China bush has distinct picking times with no more than four to five plucks a year. China bush is grown throughout China, Japan, Taiwan, and some locales in SE Asia, as well as the Himalaya (most notably the half-dozen traditional garden of Darjeeling). This genus [sic], combined with hand-plucking and careful manufacture, is celebrated primarily for the finer, most highly regarded quality leaf for green tea. It is also the plant of choice for producing all the classes of tea in China, particularly the softer-style oolong of Fujian, the smooth black teas of Yunnan Province, and the winey, brisk, and stylish Keemun tea of Anhui Province in central China.
Camellia sinensis var. assamica (Assam bush)
This tea plant prospers in junglelike conditions. Assam bush can be picked every ten days, year-round. Assam bush is the variety preferred for the high-quality black tea production of northeastern India, Sri Lanka, and most of Africa.
Japan has successfully cloned close to 75 cultivars of Camellia sinensis, including Kanayamidori, Okumidori, Sayamakaori, Yabukita, and Yutakamidori. But growers tend to favor the Yabukita variety, which accounts for ~80% of all the tea cultivars planted.
Camellia sinensis var. cambodi (Java bush)
This is the tea plant of choice for growing areas that are tropical, rugged, and often mountainous. The Java bush is arguably a close relative of the Assam bush, sharing many similarities. It is the variety on which many hybrids are based. Java bush is found in the regions of SE Asia, especially Indonesia, where it is used for the higher volume-lower quality tea production need for local consumption.
The spring bud break is known generally as the "first flush" and signals the start of the growing period for new leaf. As the first flush is almost universally the finest crop of the year's production, it is picked carefully and thoroughly. In most tea-growing locations, there is a rainy season that separates the first and second flushes that provides respite and renewal for the plants after the heavy picking done during the first pluck.
If a growing area is particularly either rainy or dry throughout the year, the finished tea produced will tend to be inconsistent but will have "vintages": occasional years of exceptional quality tempered by many years of mediocrity.
White = Green
Yellow = Oolong
Green = Black
Red = Scented
Black = Bricked
Green, Yellow - No oxidiation
White - Very slight oxidation (<8%)
Oolong - Partial oxidation (20-80%)
Black - Complete oxidation
Pu-erh - Always fermented, not always oxidized
There are reputed to be more than 3,000 types of green tea in China alone, so it rivals wine in diversity.
One of the Ten Famous Teas, Tai Ping Hou Kui, from Anhui Province in central China, is most unusual and worth searching out.
Steaming changes the nature of the chlorophyll in the leaf. Steamed-leaf tea presents a more vegetal, sometimes kelpy character, often likened to the flavor of spinach or other leafy greens. Steamed green tea is the tea taste of choice in Japan. Steamed green tea that has been finely powdered is called matcha. The inherent sweetness of high-quality Japanese green tea can become bitter if the brewing water temperature is too hot. A controlled tasting of several sencha teas from Japan is a wonderful way to experience craft rather than terroir--how a tea blender can combine the leaf of several varietals from one or more producers to create a signature taste. This type of comparison is difficult to do with Chinese green teas, however, as the style of leaf preparation nearly always changes with the geography.
Yellow Tea
It is made from either vary early spring buds or a mao feng pluck and then processed by the same methods as green tea, up to the point of the initial firing. Following the initial drying, just before the first firing, yellow tea undergoes a significant, additional step called men huan, during which yellow tea leaf is lightly and slowly steamed, then covered with a cloth to allow the leaves to breath (in this case they reabsorb their own aromatics). Less apt to develop a grassy or assertive flavor, yellow tea is reliably smooth and lush in the cup. Astringency is rare, as the smothering procedure inhibits development of those flavor components in the finished tea.
White Tea
White tea in its original, pure form consists of only the tender, unopened budsets of particular varieties of China bush tea plants that are cultivated especially for this class of tea in Fujian Province on the eastern coast of China. Like other famous place-specific teas, such as Hangzhou's Longjing and Tieguanyin from Anxi, white tea has a specific geographic terroir, style, flavor, and definition.
Oolong Tea
Oolong teas possess a diverse and appealing range of sophisticated, complex, and richly rewarding flavors and aromas, such as peach, apricot, honey, orchid, melon, leather, amber, and sandalwood. Their finish is long and sweet, with just a suggestion of astringency. Although most green teas yield a second and sometimes third infusion, because oolongs are made from large mature leaves, they do not open to their full, original size until the third or fourth infusion. Oolongs can commonly be infused several more times once fully open, for a total of as many as eight or nine infusions. The degree of partial or semioxidation in oolong tea can range from 10-80% and is determined during manufacture. Oolongs on the low end of the oxidation scale bear a resemblance to the tightly curled, tipy midseason green teas, and on the high end they look just like a super-large, individual-leaf orthodox black tea.
Pu-ehr Tea
Pu-erh can be made from either oxidized "cooked" (shou) or nonoxidized "raw" leaf (sheng).
"It's liquor is like the sweetest dew of Heaven."
Today, the tea plant is a general term for the several genera [sic] of Camellia sinensis. These include Camellia sinensis var. sinensis (China bush), Camellia sinensis var. assamica (Assam bush), and Camellia sinensis var. cambodi (Java bush), also known as Camellia sinensis subsp. lasiocaly. Each of these genera [sic] has many subdivisions. All together, there are more than a thousand subvarieties of the tea bush Camellia sinensis!
Camellia sinensis var sinensis (China Bush)
Thrives on cool mountainsides with a southern exposure at elevations of 6,500-9,800 feet. Its short growing season generates a small yield of a tender, fine leaf that often has less tannin content than the Assam bush. Because of the seasonality of the climate, China bush has distinct picking times with no more than four to five plucks a year. China bush is grown throughout China, Japan, Taiwan, and some locales in SE Asia, as well as the Himalaya (most notably the half-dozen traditional garden of Darjeeling). This genus [sic], combined with hand-plucking and careful manufacture, is celebrated primarily for the finer, most highly regarded quality leaf for green tea. It is also the plant of choice for producing all the classes of tea in China, particularly the softer-style oolong of Fujian, the smooth black teas of Yunnan Province, and the winey, brisk, and stylish Keemun tea of Anhui Province in central China.
Camellia sinensis var. assamica (Assam bush)
This tea plant prospers in junglelike conditions. Assam bush can be picked every ten days, year-round. Assam bush is the variety preferred for the high-quality black tea production of northeastern India, Sri Lanka, and most of Africa.
Japan has successfully cloned close to 75 cultivars of Camellia sinensis, including Kanayamidori, Okumidori, Sayamakaori, Yabukita, and Yutakamidori. But growers tend to favor the Yabukita variety, which accounts for ~80% of all the tea cultivars planted.
Camellia sinensis var. cambodi (Java bush)
This is the tea plant of choice for growing areas that are tropical, rugged, and often mountainous. The Java bush is arguably a close relative of the Assam bush, sharing many similarities. It is the variety on which many hybrids are based. Java bush is found in the regions of SE Asia, especially Indonesia, where it is used for the higher volume-lower quality tea production need for local consumption.
The spring bud break is known generally as the "first flush" and signals the start of the growing period for new leaf. As the first flush is almost universally the finest crop of the year's production, it is picked carefully and thoroughly. In most tea-growing locations, there is a rainy season that separates the first and second flushes that provides respite and renewal for the plants after the heavy picking done during the first pluck.
If a growing area is particularly either rainy or dry throughout the year, the finished tea produced will tend to be inconsistent but will have "vintages": occasional years of exceptional quality tempered by many years of mediocrity.
White = Green
Yellow = Oolong
Green = Black
Red = Scented
Black = Bricked
Green, Yellow - No oxidiation
White - Very slight oxidation (<8%)
Oolong - Partial oxidation (20-80%)
Black - Complete oxidation
Pu-erh - Always fermented, not always oxidized
There are reputed to be more than 3,000 types of green tea in China alone, so it rivals wine in diversity.
One of the Ten Famous Teas, Tai Ping Hou Kui, from Anhui Province in central China, is most unusual and worth searching out.
Steaming changes the nature of the chlorophyll in the leaf. Steamed-leaf tea presents a more vegetal, sometimes kelpy character, often likened to the flavor of spinach or other leafy greens. Steamed green tea is the tea taste of choice in Japan. Steamed green tea that has been finely powdered is called matcha. The inherent sweetness of high-quality Japanese green tea can become bitter if the brewing water temperature is too hot. A controlled tasting of several sencha teas from Japan is a wonderful way to experience craft rather than terroir--how a tea blender can combine the leaf of several varietals from one or more producers to create a signature taste. This type of comparison is difficult to do with Chinese green teas, however, as the style of leaf preparation nearly always changes with the geography.
Yellow Tea
It is made from either vary early spring buds or a mao feng pluck and then processed by the same methods as green tea, up to the point of the initial firing. Following the initial drying, just before the first firing, yellow tea undergoes a significant, additional step called men huan, during which yellow tea leaf is lightly and slowly steamed, then covered with a cloth to allow the leaves to breath (in this case they reabsorb their own aromatics). Less apt to develop a grassy or assertive flavor, yellow tea is reliably smooth and lush in the cup. Astringency is rare, as the smothering procedure inhibits development of those flavor components in the finished tea.
White Tea
White tea in its original, pure form consists of only the tender, unopened budsets of particular varieties of China bush tea plants that are cultivated especially for this class of tea in Fujian Province on the eastern coast of China. Like other famous place-specific teas, such as Hangzhou's Longjing and Tieguanyin from Anxi, white tea has a specific geographic terroir, style, flavor, and definition.
Oolong Tea
Oolong teas possess a diverse and appealing range of sophisticated, complex, and richly rewarding flavors and aromas, such as peach, apricot, honey, orchid, melon, leather, amber, and sandalwood. Their finish is long and sweet, with just a suggestion of astringency. Although most green teas yield a second and sometimes third infusion, because oolongs are made from large mature leaves, they do not open to their full, original size until the third or fourth infusion. Oolongs can commonly be infused several more times once fully open, for a total of as many as eight or nine infusions. The degree of partial or semioxidation in oolong tea can range from 10-80% and is determined during manufacture. Oolongs on the low end of the oxidation scale bear a resemblance to the tightly curled, tipy midseason green teas, and on the high end they look just like a super-large, individual-leaf orthodox black tea.
Pu-ehr Tea
Pu-erh can be made from either oxidized "cooked" (shou) or nonoxidized "raw" leaf (sheng).
March 17, 2023
I don't know how I grew up in Northampton and never knew that there was some sort of high end specialty tea store in town. I am a big tea drinker now, though I think I wasn't so much when I lived there.
I was kind of more hoping for a Salt: A World History overview of the history of tea (like For All the Tea in China ), but this was more of a book about different types of teas and their individual histories, which I find somewhat less interesting. There was also a lot of personal information about the Heisses and their trips around looking for good teas that I didn't care about.
There was a ton of information in here about different tea blends, how to seep them, how many infusions, etc, and honestly I'm not really sure what to do with that. If I go to a professional tea place known for their tea, it usually tastes approximately as good as the tea that I make at home, and I pay approximately zero attention to seeping time (I usually just leave the tea bag in) and I only recently even got a device that lets you choose the temperature of the tea — which I mainly choose based on how likely it is that I'll want to drink it right away and thus not want my mouth burned.
The big things I took away from this book: 1. a lot of teas can and maybe should be infused multiple times and 2. tea balls are apparently a not-great way to make tea because they bunch up the tea in a way that makes it harder for the water to infuse through the tea.
I'm also interested in trying a yellow tea at some point, since I'm not sure I've ever had one.
I was kind of more hoping for a Salt: A World History overview of the history of tea (like For All the Tea in China ), but this was more of a book about different types of teas and their individual histories, which I find somewhat less interesting. There was also a lot of personal information about the Heisses and their trips around looking for good teas that I didn't care about.
There was a ton of information in here about different tea blends, how to seep them, how many infusions, etc, and honestly I'm not really sure what to do with that. If I go to a professional tea place known for their tea, it usually tastes approximately as good as the tea that I make at home, and I pay approximately zero attention to seeping time (I usually just leave the tea bag in) and I only recently even got a device that lets you choose the temperature of the tea — which I mainly choose based on how likely it is that I'll want to drink it right away and thus not want my mouth burned.
The big things I took away from this book: 1. a lot of teas can and maybe should be infused multiple times and 2. tea balls are apparently a not-great way to make tea because they bunch up the tea in a way that makes it harder for the water to infuse through the tea.
I'm also interested in trying a yellow tea at some point, since I'm not sure I've ever had one.
May 15, 2021
This is a better encyclopedia of tea than a reading book. The information is excellent but I found the writing style rather dull. This book dives deeply into detail which is both its strength and weakness--if you want information about various processes this is a good place to look. If you want to read the whole thing it's a slog.
Best is the category of teas and the discussion of flavors, colors and types. Sadly I found myself unsure if just one species or many varietals are actually grown for tea and exactly how tea trees specifically differ from the more commercially grown bushes--are they exactly the same species but older? I'd have liked a side by side study of the two.
I think this also skipped over mentioning British high tea culture. The book centers on Asian tea customs, specifically China.
The section on world teas beyond Asia was interesting though I'd have liked it to be more....personal? Show me brands, how it's drunk...get more into it on a one to one level. The tone of the discussion of tea consumption in Africa, the Middle East and America could have just been more personal and colorful instead of quick and tepid.
The best information I got from this book was about Pu'erh tea. I've avoided it because it can get a "fishy" taste. This means usually it's cheap, misbrewed or mishandled. I bought a good one, gave it a quick dip/rinse to get rid of potential contaminants that give the bad "fishy" taste and found it was pretty good.
But dammit, I want to try so many more and my tea cabinet is so full already!
Best is the category of teas and the discussion of flavors, colors and types. Sadly I found myself unsure if just one species or many varietals are actually grown for tea and exactly how tea trees specifically differ from the more commercially grown bushes--are they exactly the same species but older? I'd have liked a side by side study of the two.
I think this also skipped over mentioning British high tea culture. The book centers on Asian tea customs, specifically China.
The section on world teas beyond Asia was interesting though I'd have liked it to be more....personal? Show me brands, how it's drunk...get more into it on a one to one level. The tone of the discussion of tea consumption in Africa, the Middle East and America could have just been more personal and colorful instead of quick and tepid.
The best information I got from this book was about Pu'erh tea. I've avoided it because it can get a "fishy" taste. This means usually it's cheap, misbrewed or mishandled. I bought a good one, gave it a quick dip/rinse to get rid of potential contaminants that give the bad "fishy" taste and found it was pretty good.
But dammit, I want to try so many more and my tea cabinet is so full already!
September 12, 2023
This was not exactly what I was expecting. I was looking for a good overview of the history and origins of tea, and I certainly got that. What I wasn't expecting was to get in-depth explanation of tea manufacturing processes, reviews of the leading tea producing countries, and full rundowns of global fair trade practices and organizations, among other things. What I was expecting, but didn't get, was descriptions of herbal teas. I have since looked up some answers myself and learned that apparently what I was thinking were my favorite teas aren't teas at all, but instead tisanes; which is why the authors ignored them entirely. They wrote a tea book, and they honestly did it well. If you are purely looking for information, anyway. The narrative parts at the beginning were fun, and I did enjoy the descriptions of the different tea producing countries. The encyclopedia of teas, and detailed manufacturing processes, though, were things I feel like I didn't need to listen to in an audio format. I think I will probably own a paper copy of this book at some point to use as a reference guide if I ever try collecting true whole leaf teas, but I did have to take some breaks to get through all 17 hours of the audiobook. That said, the narrator, Elizabeth Wiley, was excellent. There were many different languages touched upon when going through varieties of tea and their native locales, and it sounded to me like they were all expertly pronounced.
October 12, 2020
This is part coffee table book, part exhaustive look at tea - it's evolution, use, drinking, style of consumption, various kinds of tea, etc. This is not a book to quickly browse through, but to consider with the same seriousness that you would take to wine or coffee. Worth noting, tea is relatively inexpensive as well. An expensive tea will run only about 15 cents per cup (compared to coffee, it is much cheaper). It was an interesting, but quite a long and at times slow read. But when you are done, will be throughly educated about tea.
March 31, 2022
This book was a Christmas present from my husband as I am known as the tea snob in my husband's family. Each Christmas we give each other one book that we think the other will like. This book is a very exhaustive look at the world of tea. There are definitely parts that I don't think I fully appreciate as I have not tried some of what they described but I enjoyed learning about types of tea I am not familiar with. I also now have some inspiration to consider some new varieties and ways to enjoy them.
October 27, 2022
I think this was the best book on tea I have found so far. It is in depth. Yes, as other reviews mentioned, it is not the most entertaining read. I however see it more as a textbook or reference book than a cover-to-cover book.
My goal reading this book was to become an insufferable tea snob, with the knowledge to back my pretentiousness up. Though I still have much yet to learn, I think I am succeeding!
My goal reading this book was to become an insufferable tea snob, with the knowledge to back my pretentiousness up. Though I still have much yet to learn, I think I am succeeding!
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