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The Tea Enthusiast's Handbook: A Guide to the World's Best Teas
AROUND THE WORLD IN A TEACUPDid you know that tea is the most widely consumed beverage on the planet after water? Or that all of the world’s tea originates from only three varieties of a single plant? While a cup of tea may be a simple pleasure for most of us, there are a dizzying number of tastes from which to choose. And every tea, whether a delicately sweet green tea from Japan or a bracing, brisk Darjeeling black, tells a story in the cup about the land that nurtured it and the tea-making skills that transformed it. In this authoritative guide, veteran tea professionals Mary Lou and Robert J. Heiss provide decades of expertise on understanding tea and its origins, the many ways to buy tea, and how to explore and enjoy the six classes of tea (green, yellow, white, oolong, black, and Pu-erh). Additional advice on steeping the perfect cup and storing tea at home, alongside a gallery of more than thirty-fi ve individual teas with tasting notes and descriptions make The Tea Enthusiast’s Handbook a singular source of both practical information and rich detail about this fascinating beverage.
294 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2010
137 people are currently reading
778 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
June 18, 2010
Most pretentious sentence (that I found) in this book: "Fill your teacups only two-thirds full; leave the remaining space to collect the feelings and emotions of those who have gathered to drink tea with you."
I found this book hilarious, but also potentially useful as a reference. I'll discover if it's armed me with any useful knowledge when I finally go to a real tea shop, sometime in the near future.
I found this book hilarious, but also potentially useful as a reference. I'll discover if it's armed me with any useful knowledge when I finally go to a real tea shop, sometime in the near future.
January 16, 2013
Without a doubt,the most pretentious book I've ever read of the guidebook variety. I'm a little bit of a tea snob, but I get the feeling that the authors of this book would have me crucified for steeping my tea in a $15 thrift store cow-shaped teapot rather than the preferred "unglazed clay pot."
I appreciate the comprehensive nature of this guide and will refer to it when shopping and brewing tea int he future. It sort of makes me want to continue learning more about teas, so I can be equally as pretentious, snobby and insufferable.
I appreciate the comprehensive nature of this guide and will refer to it when shopping and brewing tea int he future. It sort of makes me want to continue learning more about teas, so I can be equally as pretentious, snobby and insufferable.
October 10, 2019
When I saw this book, I thought the author’s names looked familiar. As it turns out, I actually read another book by them – The Story of Tea – last year. I’ve definitely learnt a lot since then, so I decided to read this and see if my opinions on their opinions of tea would have changed.
Unlike The Story of Tea, which is an overview to the world of tea, The Tea Enthusiast’s handbook is focused more on the practice of buying, brewing, drinking, and storing tea. To that end, the book is divided into four chapters:
1. Purchasing Tea: An overview of what to look out for. Given that each tea is going to have a different standard for what’s great in a dry leaf, the overview is very, very general. There is a pretty interesting discussion of single estate vs blended teas, which I thought was interesting.
2. Steeping the Perfect Cup: This chapter looks at the two main ways we make tea – the ‘Western’ method and the Chinese method. Again, the best way to steep a tea depends on the individual tea, so the chapter leans more towards general tips and best practices on how to steep tea rather than exact timings (approximate timings are given, but they are too general to be used)
3. The Six Classes of Tea: This is the longest chapter, where the authors introduce each type of tea and a few famous examples of each type. The examples of each tea come with the region, flavour, steeping instructions, and even pictures of the dry leaf and the tea. I appreciated the fact that they talk about the differences in tea types for each country – terroir really affects the taste of tea so I’m glad they talked about it.
4. Tea Storage and Freshness: This last chapter talks about the best ways to store tea and how to age tea, should you want to try it.
Overall, I thought the book gave helpful information about how different types of tea and how to store it. I do, however, have a few quibbles. They are:
1. Under the purchase of tea, there is advice to shop at a place where (among other recommendations) there is “[a] good cross-section of green, white, oolong, and black teas are available.” Honestly, I don’t agree. Tea is an incredibly broad topic and if you’re shopping from a small shop, it doesn’t really make sense for them to try to carry every tea. I’ve seen smaller shops that focus on one type of tea – Taiwanese Oolongs or Wuyi Yancha. They do have other teas, but the selection for these tend to be smaller because the owner doesn’t have the capacity to go too deep into other types of teas. But this lack of diversity doesn’t mean it’s a bad shop – on the contrary, these shops will be able to provide in-depth knowledge about their area of speciality.
2. In chapter two, there is a mention that tea-producing countries “[develop] unique teapots and methods of steeping their teas that extracted the best flavour from the tea leaves and suited their taste preferences”, which implies that the larger Western teapot was developed in the West. While the West did eventually have their own teaware industries, we must ask the question: what reference did they use when making their teapots? The answer is: China. Tea (and teaware) first arrived in the West during the Ming dynasty, when the teapot sizes were larger, hence the larger teapot sizes that have persisted in the West. Whether they brew good tea is another argument, but I wanted to point out that there is a reason why these larger teapots exist and that the West didn’t come up with large teapots just to ‘ruin’ the flavour of tea (although if I misread the line, my apologies!)
3. In the Gallery of Green teas in Chapter two, the picture of the matcha seems a bit off. It doesn’t have any foam and is a bit cloudy so it actually reminds me a lot of funmatsucha. I’m not sure if it’s my tablet but the colour of the matcha was a bit dull too.
4. In the last chapter on storing tea, they mention never to store tea in the fridge or freezer. While I definitely agree that you shouldn’t store tea in a freezer, I was actually taught by a Taiwanese oolong specialist that you can store green, yellow, and white teas in the fridge. Of course, you should make sure they are properly sealed and away from foodstuff that have strong smells, but other than that it should be fine. I’m not too sure who is right but I wanted to put it out there that there are experts who are saying something else.
5. The book only talks about oolongs, black, and pu-erh teas when it comes to aging, but you can also age white teas as well! You can actually find white tea cakes and age them the same way you’d age a sheng pu. And on the other hand, I’m not too sure how much aging will change a black tea because it’s already highly oxidised.
6. In the glossary, the phrase “ten famous teas” is defined as “teas formerly held in reserve for the Chinese emperors, these teas today represent premium growth and productions in their style”. This definition about the teas for emperors is actually more accurate when describing tribute teas. While China has always had famous teas, the earliest top ten list that I could find is the 1915 one for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. From what I understand of the matter, I would argue that the top ten teas are teas that have a great rep and may also be tribute teas, but the two terms are not synonyms.
The disagreement list looks pretty long now that I’ve written it out, but that’s only because I didn’t bother writing about what I agreed with – that’s most of the book. These are just a few things that made me pause while reading, and that I would not have known if I haven’t been learning about tea outside of books.
Overall, I thought this was a pretty helpful book! Chapter three, in particular, is my favourite because it goes into detail on each type of tea, including recommended brewing temperatures and instructions. While I disagree with the book on a few points, I think that if you’re navigating the world of tea by yourself, this would be quite handy as a reference.
This review was first posted at Eustea Reads
Unlike The Story of Tea, which is an overview to the world of tea, The Tea Enthusiast’s handbook is focused more on the practice of buying, brewing, drinking, and storing tea. To that end, the book is divided into four chapters:
1. Purchasing Tea: An overview of what to look out for. Given that each tea is going to have a different standard for what’s great in a dry leaf, the overview is very, very general. There is a pretty interesting discussion of single estate vs blended teas, which I thought was interesting.
2. Steeping the Perfect Cup: This chapter looks at the two main ways we make tea – the ‘Western’ method and the Chinese method. Again, the best way to steep a tea depends on the individual tea, so the chapter leans more towards general tips and best practices on how to steep tea rather than exact timings (approximate timings are given, but they are too general to be used)
3. The Six Classes of Tea: This is the longest chapter, where the authors introduce each type of tea and a few famous examples of each type. The examples of each tea come with the region, flavour, steeping instructions, and even pictures of the dry leaf and the tea. I appreciated the fact that they talk about the differences in tea types for each country – terroir really affects the taste of tea so I’m glad they talked about it.
4. Tea Storage and Freshness: This last chapter talks about the best ways to store tea and how to age tea, should you want to try it.
Overall, I thought the book gave helpful information about how different types of tea and how to store it. I do, however, have a few quibbles. They are:
1. Under the purchase of tea, there is advice to shop at a place where (among other recommendations) there is “[a] good cross-section of green, white, oolong, and black teas are available.” Honestly, I don’t agree. Tea is an incredibly broad topic and if you’re shopping from a small shop, it doesn’t really make sense for them to try to carry every tea. I’ve seen smaller shops that focus on one type of tea – Taiwanese Oolongs or Wuyi Yancha. They do have other teas, but the selection for these tend to be smaller because the owner doesn’t have the capacity to go too deep into other types of teas. But this lack of diversity doesn’t mean it’s a bad shop – on the contrary, these shops will be able to provide in-depth knowledge about their area of speciality.
2. In chapter two, there is a mention that tea-producing countries “[develop] unique teapots and methods of steeping their teas that extracted the best flavour from the tea leaves and suited their taste preferences”, which implies that the larger Western teapot was developed in the West. While the West did eventually have their own teaware industries, we must ask the question: what reference did they use when making their teapots? The answer is: China. Tea (and teaware) first arrived in the West during the Ming dynasty, when the teapot sizes were larger, hence the larger teapot sizes that have persisted in the West. Whether they brew good tea is another argument, but I wanted to point out that there is a reason why these larger teapots exist and that the West didn’t come up with large teapots just to ‘ruin’ the flavour of tea (although if I misread the line, my apologies!)
3. In the Gallery of Green teas in Chapter two, the picture of the matcha seems a bit off. It doesn’t have any foam and is a bit cloudy so it actually reminds me a lot of funmatsucha. I’m not sure if it’s my tablet but the colour of the matcha was a bit dull too.
4. In the last chapter on storing tea, they mention never to store tea in the fridge or freezer. While I definitely agree that you shouldn’t store tea in a freezer, I was actually taught by a Taiwanese oolong specialist that you can store green, yellow, and white teas in the fridge. Of course, you should make sure they are properly sealed and away from foodstuff that have strong smells, but other than that it should be fine. I’m not too sure who is right but I wanted to put it out there that there are experts who are saying something else.
5. The book only talks about oolongs, black, and pu-erh teas when it comes to aging, but you can also age white teas as well! You can actually find white tea cakes and age them the same way you’d age a sheng pu. And on the other hand, I’m not too sure how much aging will change a black tea because it’s already highly oxidised.
6. In the glossary, the phrase “ten famous teas” is defined as “teas formerly held in reserve for the Chinese emperors, these teas today represent premium growth and productions in their style”. This definition about the teas for emperors is actually more accurate when describing tribute teas. While China has always had famous teas, the earliest top ten list that I could find is the 1915 one for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. From what I understand of the matter, I would argue that the top ten teas are teas that have a great rep and may also be tribute teas, but the two terms are not synonyms.
The disagreement list looks pretty long now that I’ve written it out, but that’s only because I didn’t bother writing about what I agreed with – that’s most of the book. These are just a few things that made me pause while reading, and that I would not have known if I haven’t been learning about tea outside of books.
Overall, I thought this was a pretty helpful book! Chapter three, in particular, is my favourite because it goes into detail on each type of tea, including recommended brewing temperatures and instructions. While I disagree with the book on a few points, I think that if you’re navigating the world of tea by yourself, this would be quite handy as a reference.
This review was first posted at Eustea Reads
Read
December 31, 2011Informative, but dreadfully dull.
June 7, 2019
If you're a tea lover, tea nerd, or tea amateur, this is a wonderful resource to keep on hand. It's small but packed full of info on brewing the perfect cup of tea, discovering high quality loose leaf, tea from different regions of the world, and how to buy and store tea - which, once you start buying the expensive stuff, is important info to have! I found my copy used online and it's been a delightful companion to discovering more in the world of tea.
August 19, 2023
Looking for detailed information on buying, steeping, and storing tea? This book explores what to look for and how to get the most out of your tea. I particularly appreciated the detailed steeping temperatures and times for each type of tea. I don't think this book was meant to be read from cover to cover, but I found it immensely helpful as I consider improving my tea-brewing skills.
January 8, 2018
page 16 | location 243-245 | Added on Thursday, 19 March 2015 17:03:58
It is not possible to love every tea one tastes, but there is as much to learn from tasting tea that you don’t like as there is from tea that you do like.
page 25 | location 380-381 | Added on Thursday, 19 March 2015 17:10:45
Chinese tea masters refer to water as a friend to tea: water heated to the right temperature for a tea will yield a cup that reveals the subtle flavors and character of that tea.
page 25 | location 382-385 | Added on Thursday, 19 March 2015 17:11:05
the three most common mistakes of tea steeping: • Using too much or not enough tea • Improper water temperature • Oversteeping
page 28 | location 417-420 | Added on Thursday, 19 March 2015 17:14:00
The most common sizes for English teapots are six cups (thirty-six ounces) or eight cups (forty-eight ounces); in Asia, teapots are often designed to steep six ounces of tea or less. The need to drink a quantity of tea from a large cup or mug is strictly a Western habit. Large cups require more tea to fill them, and that means bigger teapots.
page 34 | location 512-514 | Added on Thursday, 19 March 2015 17:22:06
The easiest way to measure leaf tea is to weigh it on a small inexpensive kitchen scale that is calibrated in grams. The ideal ratio of leaf to water for most tea is two to three grams of tea leaf for six ounces of water.
page 38 | location 579-583 | Added on Thursday, 19 March 2015 17:26:52
When tasting a tea that is new to you, start with a two-minute steep, taste it, and taste it again every thirty seconds. Jot down the results. Green, yellow, and white teas are rarely left in the water for longer than two minutes (and often less). Oolong teas can steep from one to five minutes, depending on whether the leaf is a semiball-rolled style or a long, strip-style leaf, and whether the tea is being steeped Asian or Western style. Green, yellow, white, and oolong teas can always be steeped again, at least once but sometimes three times or more, depending on the tea.
page 39 | location 588-590 | Added on Thursday, 19 March 2015 17:27:51
Always cover your tea when steeping; the tea leaves will unfurl more uniformly and the finished tea will taste better if the teapot or gaiwan has been covered.
page 40 | location 613-615 | Added on Thursday, 19 March 2015 17:30:11
Green tea offers many different leaf styles and singular flavor characteristics. In the cup, a sip of green tea can be reminiscent of honey, a lightly salty sea spray, a gentle breeze passing through a stand of pines, or pure water washed over stones in a stream. These transitory tastes are accompanied by sweet-smelling aromas that are refreshing, delicious, and uncomplicated.
page 56 | location 849-852 | Added on Thursday, 19 March 2015 17:36:17
Without clear and consistent grades, it can be difficult for a tea enthusiast to know whether a certain tea is more expensive than another because it is overpriced or because it is a higher grade. There will be no resolution of this because the tea industry cannot possibly codify the thousands of green teas available, so it is necessary to cultivate a relationship with a tea vendor whom you trust.
page 63 | location 959-962 | Added on Thursday, 19 March 2015 17:41:11
In 2007, China produced 1,165 metric tons of tea, surpassing the production of India for the first time in many years. Of this, approximately 70 percent of China’s yearly output of tea was green tea. And of this, only 10 to 12 percent was premium, artisan, spring-plucked green tea. It is believed that there are almost ten thousand distinctions of green tea produced in China’s eastern provinces of Anhui, Henan, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang and the western provinces of Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan.
page 73 | location 1109-1112 | Added on Thursday, 19 March 2015 17:49:42
When the fresh leaf reaches the tea factory, workers quickly shape and dry the leaf. The leaf is put into a cylindrical machine (de-enzymer) that lightly heats the leaf (or it is put into a tea-firing pan) to drive off some initial moisture. This heat is only enough to dry the surface of the leaf so that it becomes pliable, and it kills any bacteria on the leaf that might encourage the development of mold. Most important, this process destroys oxidative enzymes in the leaf that would allow oxidation to begin.
page 91 | location 1392-1394 | Added on Thursday, 19 March 2015 18:04:27
The flavor of white tea is not as sweet or astringent as a green tea’s variously can be, nor does it have the vegetal flavors often associated with green tea. Rather, white tea is soft and rich, with subdued aromas and flavors that suggest honey, chestnuts, toast, apricots, and brown rice.
page 92 | location 1407-1408 | Added on Thursday, 19 March 2015 18:05:37
Chinese and Taiwanese tea experts say that Pu-erh tea is the most complicated tea to study and learn (but relatively straightforward to manufacture), but that oolong tea is the most intricate and complex tea to manufacture.
page 92 | location 1408-1411 | Added on Thursday, 19 March 2015 18:06:04
This is due to the fact that oolong teas are partially oxidized and can be made within a range of 12 to 80 percent oxidation that will vary with the type of oolong tea being manufactured. To put these percentages into perspective, green tea has zero oxidation, and black tea is 100 percent oxidized. This difference encompasses a big swing, and within it lies all of the complexity, nuance, and enticing flavor and aroma that has made oolong tea so enduringly popular.
page 93 | location 1413-1415 | Added on Thursday, 19 March 2015 18:06:29
Production time for oolong tea can be as long as thirty-six to forty hours, making these teas both labor-intensive and challenging for tea makers. The reward for this work is strikingly flavorful tea with aromas that are redolent of melons, apricots, honey, leather, wood, spice, and orchids.
page 115 | location 1759-1760 | Added on Thursday, 19 March 2015 18:13:54
The most complicated tea manufacture is oolong. While green tea can be made in one day, oolongs, properly and carefully made, can take as many as four days to be completed.
page 177 | location 2704-2709 | Added on Saturday, 21 March 2015 18:07:43
Tea, like freshly roasted coffee and aromatic spices, possesses delicate aromatics that will deteriorate when exposed to the flavor-robbing influences of air, heat, and humidity. For the best protection, store tea in a clean glass or tin container to preserve its flavor and soundness. Depending on the type of tea, most properly stored tea will keep for a minimum of one year; the same tea stored carelessly may lose its goodness in just two or three months. Of course, some oolong, black, and Pu-erh teas store well for longer than one year, but for the majority of green, yellow, and white teas, it is best to replenish with fresh tea once the seasonal harvest brings new tea to market.
It is not possible to love every tea one tastes, but there is as much to learn from tasting tea that you don’t like as there is from tea that you do like.
page 25 | location 380-381 | Added on Thursday, 19 March 2015 17:10:45
Chinese tea masters refer to water as a friend to tea: water heated to the right temperature for a tea will yield a cup that reveals the subtle flavors and character of that tea.
page 25 | location 382-385 | Added on Thursday, 19 March 2015 17:11:05
the three most common mistakes of tea steeping: • Using too much or not enough tea • Improper water temperature • Oversteeping
page 28 | location 417-420 | Added on Thursday, 19 March 2015 17:14:00
The most common sizes for English teapots are six cups (thirty-six ounces) or eight cups (forty-eight ounces); in Asia, teapots are often designed to steep six ounces of tea or less. The need to drink a quantity of tea from a large cup or mug is strictly a Western habit. Large cups require more tea to fill them, and that means bigger teapots.
page 34 | location 512-514 | Added on Thursday, 19 March 2015 17:22:06
The easiest way to measure leaf tea is to weigh it on a small inexpensive kitchen scale that is calibrated in grams. The ideal ratio of leaf to water for most tea is two to three grams of tea leaf for six ounces of water.
page 38 | location 579-583 | Added on Thursday, 19 March 2015 17:26:52
When tasting a tea that is new to you, start with a two-minute steep, taste it, and taste it again every thirty seconds. Jot down the results. Green, yellow, and white teas are rarely left in the water for longer than two minutes (and often less). Oolong teas can steep from one to five minutes, depending on whether the leaf is a semiball-rolled style or a long, strip-style leaf, and whether the tea is being steeped Asian or Western style. Green, yellow, white, and oolong teas can always be steeped again, at least once but sometimes three times or more, depending on the tea.
page 39 | location 588-590 | Added on Thursday, 19 March 2015 17:27:51
Always cover your tea when steeping; the tea leaves will unfurl more uniformly and the finished tea will taste better if the teapot or gaiwan has been covered.
page 40 | location 613-615 | Added on Thursday, 19 March 2015 17:30:11
Green tea offers many different leaf styles and singular flavor characteristics. In the cup, a sip of green tea can be reminiscent of honey, a lightly salty sea spray, a gentle breeze passing through a stand of pines, or pure water washed over stones in a stream. These transitory tastes are accompanied by sweet-smelling aromas that are refreshing, delicious, and uncomplicated.
page 56 | location 849-852 | Added on Thursday, 19 March 2015 17:36:17
Without clear and consistent grades, it can be difficult for a tea enthusiast to know whether a certain tea is more expensive than another because it is overpriced or because it is a higher grade. There will be no resolution of this because the tea industry cannot possibly codify the thousands of green teas available, so it is necessary to cultivate a relationship with a tea vendor whom you trust.
page 63 | location 959-962 | Added on Thursday, 19 March 2015 17:41:11
In 2007, China produced 1,165 metric tons of tea, surpassing the production of India for the first time in many years. Of this, approximately 70 percent of China’s yearly output of tea was green tea. And of this, only 10 to 12 percent was premium, artisan, spring-plucked green tea. It is believed that there are almost ten thousand distinctions of green tea produced in China’s eastern provinces of Anhui, Henan, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang and the western provinces of Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan.
page 73 | location 1109-1112 | Added on Thursday, 19 March 2015 17:49:42
When the fresh leaf reaches the tea factory, workers quickly shape and dry the leaf. The leaf is put into a cylindrical machine (de-enzymer) that lightly heats the leaf (or it is put into a tea-firing pan) to drive off some initial moisture. This heat is only enough to dry the surface of the leaf so that it becomes pliable, and it kills any bacteria on the leaf that might encourage the development of mold. Most important, this process destroys oxidative enzymes in the leaf that would allow oxidation to begin.
page 91 | location 1392-1394 | Added on Thursday, 19 March 2015 18:04:27
The flavor of white tea is not as sweet or astringent as a green tea’s variously can be, nor does it have the vegetal flavors often associated with green tea. Rather, white tea is soft and rich, with subdued aromas and flavors that suggest honey, chestnuts, toast, apricots, and brown rice.
page 92 | location 1407-1408 | Added on Thursday, 19 March 2015 18:05:37
Chinese and Taiwanese tea experts say that Pu-erh tea is the most complicated tea to study and learn (but relatively straightforward to manufacture), but that oolong tea is the most intricate and complex tea to manufacture.
page 92 | location 1408-1411 | Added on Thursday, 19 March 2015 18:06:04
This is due to the fact that oolong teas are partially oxidized and can be made within a range of 12 to 80 percent oxidation that will vary with the type of oolong tea being manufactured. To put these percentages into perspective, green tea has zero oxidation, and black tea is 100 percent oxidized. This difference encompasses a big swing, and within it lies all of the complexity, nuance, and enticing flavor and aroma that has made oolong tea so enduringly popular.
page 93 | location 1413-1415 | Added on Thursday, 19 March 2015 18:06:29
Production time for oolong tea can be as long as thirty-six to forty hours, making these teas both labor-intensive and challenging for tea makers. The reward for this work is strikingly flavorful tea with aromas that are redolent of melons, apricots, honey, leather, wood, spice, and orchids.
page 115 | location 1759-1760 | Added on Thursday, 19 March 2015 18:13:54
The most complicated tea manufacture is oolong. While green tea can be made in one day, oolongs, properly and carefully made, can take as many as four days to be completed.
page 177 | location 2704-2709 | Added on Saturday, 21 March 2015 18:07:43
Tea, like freshly roasted coffee and aromatic spices, possesses delicate aromatics that will deteriorate when exposed to the flavor-robbing influences of air, heat, and humidity. For the best protection, store tea in a clean glass or tin container to preserve its flavor and soundness. Depending on the type of tea, most properly stored tea will keep for a minimum of one year; the same tea stored carelessly may lose its goodness in just two or three months. Of course, some oolong, black, and Pu-erh teas store well for longer than one year, but for the majority of green, yellow, and white teas, it is best to replenish with fresh tea once the seasonal harvest brings new tea to market.
July 22, 2012
Straightforward and factual, it wasn't terribly interesting to read front-to-back, but is helpful as a reference source while exploring the world of tea. I followed the instructions in the book and finally managed to brew a decent oolong (fussy, fussy oolongs).
This review is based on a copy I got from my library, but I think I might pick up my own copy to refer to as needed.
This review is based on a copy I got from my library, but I think I might pick up my own copy to refer to as needed.
March 13, 2016
Detailed information here for those wanting to broaden their understanding of true tea (Camellia sinensis) and know where (exactly where!) it comes from. A little bit of history peppered throughout, but mostly this reads like a textbook for becoming a tea connoisseur and would make an excellent pairing with a tea journal for the serious taster.
February 25, 2019
I've been a tea-lover since I was in college in the UK many, many years ago. Consequently, I have taught many people how to properly steep tea and use quality tea pots, water and steep timing.
This books was a joy to read, so full of intricate details about tea.
I grew rather excited, because I might have zeroed in on the best tea I have ever drunk. While serving in the Navy, we stopped in Hong Kong (before it transferred back to China) and I went to a department store to buy a tea pot. I asked for their strongest and best tea and the sales man handed me a Frisbee style disk of tea in a shrink wrap.
I was going to give it as a gift to a dear friend, but my son ripped the packaging and so we didn't feel we could give it -- it appeared tainted. So we added it to our tea caddy in a ceramic tea container.
My husband and I were startled at the deep color and the huge leaves that unfurled during the steeping process. We served it in our finest tea cups.
It was like drinking liquid silk and gold with the smoothest non-acidic after taste. We savored and hovered over the tea. We couldn't get enough. I wanted to order it again. We'd thrown the packaging away and the only slip I had left was in Chinese. I tried calling the store in Hong Kong but they were under renovation at the time and would not be open for several months.
Stymied at every turn, I finally gave up when the bottom dropped out of the economy and we didn't have the disposable income to pay $100+ for a pound of tea.
But reading this book made me renew my search. I think I have a couple of clues to find something like it, since she writes with such specific detail. I am stoked and no doubt will re-read this dozens of times in order to make the knowledge my own.
This books was a joy to read, so full of intricate details about tea.
I grew rather excited, because I might have zeroed in on the best tea I have ever drunk. While serving in the Navy, we stopped in Hong Kong (before it transferred back to China) and I went to a department store to buy a tea pot. I asked for their strongest and best tea and the sales man handed me a Frisbee style disk of tea in a shrink wrap.
I was going to give it as a gift to a dear friend, but my son ripped the packaging and so we didn't feel we could give it -- it appeared tainted. So we added it to our tea caddy in a ceramic tea container.
My husband and I were startled at the deep color and the huge leaves that unfurled during the steeping process. We served it in our finest tea cups.
It was like drinking liquid silk and gold with the smoothest non-acidic after taste. We savored and hovered over the tea. We couldn't get enough. I wanted to order it again. We'd thrown the packaging away and the only slip I had left was in Chinese. I tried calling the store in Hong Kong but they were under renovation at the time and would not be open for several months.
Stymied at every turn, I finally gave up when the bottom dropped out of the economy and we didn't have the disposable income to pay $100+ for a pound of tea.
But reading this book made me renew my search. I think I have a couple of clues to find something like it, since she writes with such specific detail. I am stoked and no doubt will re-read this dozens of times in order to make the knowledge my own.
December 15, 2018
I absolutely loved The Tea Enthusiast's Handbook! I'm not sure why so many people are saying it's "snobby" it pretentious. It's just a very straight-foward book. It's not aimed at beginners or casual tea drinkers. This handbook is for people who have pretty much already dedicated their lives to artisan, loose-leaf tea and are looking for more information. I know quite a lot about Chinese tea, but some of the information about Japanese tea and all of the information about Indian tea was new to me. I can't believe I've been pigeon-holing myself for so long! The only draw back to this book is that it uses volume rather than weight when talking about steeping tea, and it often gives (what appears to be) excessively long steeping times, even for gongfu brewing. For example, the authors suggest two tablespoons of tea and two minutes' steeping time, as opposed to the standard 4-6 grams and 30-45 second steeping times. I definitely wouldn't use this as a brewing guide but because the information about Chinese tea lines up with my research (which includes talking directly with tea farmers) I imagine the other tea information is correct two. This book is a keeper!
December 4, 2018
I borrowed The Tea Enthusiast's Handbook: A Guide to the World's Best Teas from my local awesome library. The Tea Enthusiast's Handbook: A Guide to the World's Best Teas is a decent book for the beginning tea enthusiast.
The Tea Enthusiast's Handbook: A Guide to the World's Best Teas (paperback version) is a small book easily tucked into a bag so that you can take it with you. I doubt the longevity of the paperback version, as it is not a very robust book and fear it will not survive continued abuse. Perhaps a Kindle or hardback version might be better for taking on the road.
The book is easy to follow and is broken into sections, but I would still festoon it with post-its.
There are several general Asian teas mentioned. If you are interested in tasting some of the teas mentioned, try your closest Chinatown or Asian market. Sometimes you can sample different types of teas for free. Beware the caffeine buzz though – sampling a bunch of Asian teas is guaranteed to crank your engine.
The Tea Enthusiast's Handbook: A Guide to the World's Best Teas (paperback version) is a small book easily tucked into a bag so that you can take it with you. I doubt the longevity of the paperback version, as it is not a very robust book and fear it will not survive continued abuse. Perhaps a Kindle or hardback version might be better for taking on the road.
The book is easy to follow and is broken into sections, but I would still festoon it with post-its.
There are several general Asian teas mentioned. If you are interested in tasting some of the teas mentioned, try your closest Chinatown or Asian market. Sometimes you can sample different types of teas for free. Beware the caffeine buzz though – sampling a bunch of Asian teas is guaranteed to crank your engine.
September 13, 2020
This book is drier than un-seeped loose leaf tea. With that said, I do read dry books sometimes; purely for information/ learning. This book is very informative and has some good info in it. 3 stars though, because it comes off a bit pretentious sometimes. Very hipster-y the way it comes off regarding the proper ways to drink.
I enjoyed learning more about the history behind different teas and regions. I also learned a bit more about proper brewing for types of teas, which is useful for me in particular because I used to mainly make herbal teas, which seep differently than black, white, green teas etc. Since then, I definitely noticed improvement in taste when making black and green teas at the best temperatures and seeping times. I was a bit of an amateur when it came to non-herbal tea making, until recently. This book wasn't my only reference, but it's been a great resource on my tea-making journey:)
I enjoyed learning more about the history behind different teas and regions. I also learned a bit more about proper brewing for types of teas, which is useful for me in particular because I used to mainly make herbal teas, which seep differently than black, white, green teas etc. Since then, I definitely noticed improvement in taste when making black and green teas at the best temperatures and seeping times. I was a bit of an amateur when it came to non-herbal tea making, until recently. This book wasn't my only reference, but it's been a great resource on my tea-making journey:)
October 27, 2020
I thought this book was quite well done! Some of the other reviews mentioned it being "pretentious", but I didn't get that at all. (Also, I feel like they were pretty up-front in the title of the book that it's about the "World's Best Teas" - aka, not supermarket teas, so I feel like those reviews are unfair and misleading.)
I think it was a honest, straighforward, and comprehensive source of information about all things tea! I've checked some of the information against other sources as well, and it totally holds up. If you want to know the real deal when it comes to tea, this is the book for you. I'm still drinking my supermarket teas (because, budget!), but I'm also mixing in these really good teas now. It's all about balance! The authors of this book just lay out all the facts, and it's up to you to choose how far you want to take your love for tea. I'm glad this book taught me enough to know what to look for when shopping for my premium teas.
I think it was a honest, straighforward, and comprehensive source of information about all things tea! I've checked some of the information against other sources as well, and it totally holds up. If you want to know the real deal when it comes to tea, this is the book for you. I'm still drinking my supermarket teas (because, budget!), but I'm also mixing in these really good teas now. It's all about balance! The authors of this book just lay out all the facts, and it's up to you to choose how far you want to take your love for tea. I'm glad this book taught me enough to know what to look for when shopping for my premium teas.
September 12, 2018
"Air is the enemy of tea"
This is a very informative book that will appeal to tea lovers. But like the title indicates, it is a handbook - to be used in the process of researching, finding and tasting tea at the same time.
I learnt in-depth about the six varieties of tea, as well as, what makes them unique, how best to steep them and the types to order and get for yourself. The last chapter on proper storage also gave good pointers to making the most out of a good quality of tea leaves.
I look forward to referencing it when I go out to a tea house to choose a new blend of tea.
This is a very informative book that will appeal to tea lovers. But like the title indicates, it is a handbook - to be used in the process of researching, finding and tasting tea at the same time.
I learnt in-depth about the six varieties of tea, as well as, what makes them unique, how best to steep them and the types to order and get for yourself. The last chapter on proper storage also gave good pointers to making the most out of a good quality of tea leaves.
I look forward to referencing it when I go out to a tea house to choose a new blend of tea.
July 3, 2018
An informative, if exaustive and snobby, book about the very precise way you -nay, everyone!- should treat tea. Spoiler: unless you grew up on a tea estate apprenticed to your great-great grandfather, you're probably doing it wrong. And if you did, you probably don't need to read this book. As other reviewers have commented, the photographs of each type of tea (with loose leaf and brewed tea) are lovely.
May 18, 2018
I'm a beginner tea "enthusiast" which means I love the taste of various teas but know nothing outside of the realm of taste. This book was a little bit over my head and I am now on information overload. Side note, I loved all the pictures and charts. The visuals helped me wrap my head around what was being discussed.
July 31, 2019
At the start they say to cultivate a relationship with a tea seller and keep a notebook. Maybe that advice and the time and temp tables for steeping are all I came away with. This is not a criticism of the book: their enthusiasm is palpable and their knowledge seems broad. I don’t think a book can really be written about types of tea. You have to just drink it.
November 12, 2024
A very thorough review of tea. Lots of historical information as well as guidance on how to get the best cup of tea. There was a lot that was interesting, but I think I’m too early in my tea journey to really appreciate this book. The book itself is very high quality with all the information and the way it is written. There were lots of handy tips throughout.
December 24, 2017
Nice concise guide about various tea types and examples of each. I wish there were more examples of teas that can be found outside the country being discussed but this does give a great overview of each of the tea classes.
December 12, 2018
This book has a lot of interesting information on tea-where & how it's grown, the different types of tea, the best places to get tea, etc. The back of the book list quite a few places to order tea from as well as info about each store & what kinds of teas they specialize in.
May 29, 2019
I found that this book contained much more information than I could use, as, living in the U.S. the information given on our packaging is very limited. We have no access to details such as date of harvest (we don't even get the year, let alone the season), location of harvest (we're lucky to have the country, let alone province), details (bud, bud and 1 leaf, etc.). I believe most of our teas are blends. I love tea, but am not sure I have any opportunity to be an enthusiast...
January 15, 2020
If you like tea, you will enjoy this book: a comprehensive introduction into the world of tea including its history, a discussion about the types and origins, cultivation and harvesting, buyer's guide, storage, preparation and serving: everything you will need to understand and appreciate tea!
March 14, 2020
Great Tea Knowledge
I learned a lot about tea, tea tree and plantation, types of tea, tea manufacture, tea terminology and how the to purchase, educate, drink and enjoy tea.
I am buying the hard copy, so that I can easily flip back and forth when I need to find a reference.
I learned a lot about tea, tea tree and plantation, types of tea, tea manufacture, tea terminology and how the to purchase, educate, drink and enjoy tea.
I am buying the hard copy, so that I can easily flip back and forth when I need to find a reference.
April 10, 2020
Not the most engaging read but a great reference book. Particularly handy are the breakdowns of location and “style” (semi-balled, twisted needle, open leaf, etc) and the recommended brewing times for each variety.
December 12, 2020
Inhaltlich stark sowohl als Primer zum Thema Tee als auch als Nachschlagewerk. Vereinzelt mischen sich allerdings sinnlose beinahe esoterische Ausführungen unter, die sich allerdings im Rahmen halten.
November 30, 2017
A good overview but could have a little better organized and less repetitive.
March 20, 2019
The world of tea is more complicated and wondrous than I had previously been aware.
I have a list of things I want to try. And a desire for a particular sort of tea pot.
I have a list of things I want to try. And a desire for a particular sort of tea pot.
January 27, 2020
Excellent summary guide for intermediate hobbyists
The one book to keep at hand before attempting to buy fine tea. Also a great starting point for tasting notes
The one book to keep at hand before attempting to buy fine tea. Also a great starting point for tasting notes
February 3, 2020
Probably more advanced than I will actually take it vantage of, but I still learned several things that I am putting into use immediately.
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