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Tea sommelier
Il tè è un'occasione di condivisione, un modo per creare pace e armonia, un simbolo di convivialità e ospitalità, una questione di gusto. Ed è anche una forma di meditazione: sorbire il tè in solitudine significa fermare il tempo, concedersi un attimo di profonda spiritualità. Questo volume illustrato offre una nuova prospettiva sull'apprezzamento della nobile bevanda, descrivendo gli utensili "rituali" per prepararla e fornendo gli strumenti di base per una corretta analisi sensoriale, oltre a un pratico glossario. Il libro condurrà gli appassionati attraverso millenni di storia, aiutandoli a orientarsi tra 50 pregiati tipi di tè: un'autentica iniziazione all'arte della degustazione, una chiave per entrare in un mondo straordinariamente ricco e vario. Una selezione di ricette esclusive, infine, suggerirà gli abbinamenti ideali fra cibo e tè.
239 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
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181 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
July 19, 2016
A great book to display and look through. There's a ton of good information about the types of teas, how to brew each type, preferred methods for eastern and western culture, and recommended teaware. But what's even nicer is the amazing photography on nearly every page. I noticed a few typos towards the beginning which I found interesting, that such a beautifully printed book didn't have a good enough translator and editor to catch a few typos. But nonetheless this is proudly on my coffee table for people to glance at. The recipes in the back are creative and fairly difficult and will likely never be prepared by me, though maybe 1 or 2 parts of a dish may be do-able with the type of ingredients I'm able to get easily here in America.
If you're looking for a tea book, this one is a top pick!
If you're looking for a tea book, this one is a top pick!
March 17, 2014
The photography in this book is mind blowingly beautiful. I would buy this for the photography alone. I bought it thinking that it was a reference piece, but it turns out to be half reference, half coffee-table book. As far as *new* information, there isn't much in here. Gabriella writes more about the flavor of each tea than processing methods, appearance, and any other points that make the tea unique. That said, it is a sommelier book so I can appreciate it. The book ends with several tea recipes (cooking).
January 30, 2014
While the book itself was beautiful, there were several typographical errors and it seemed to err on the pretentious side, making it at times unapproachable.
May 26, 2025
Beautiful to look at, but many typographical errors (including an entire sentence left untranslated from Italian). Where was the editor? On the page about evaluating tea leaves and liquor, the information about assessing dry and soaked leaves is repeated verbatim under the heading "with regard to the liquor..." I caught many minor factual errors as well, reducing my confidence in the tasting notes and recommended infusion practices for each tea variety.
The recipes at the end are beautifully photographed, but the methods given are vague and incomplete. Use them for inspiration rather than expecting thorough and well-thought-out explanations.
The recipes at the end are beautifully photographed, but the methods given are vague and incomplete. Use them for inspiration rather than expecting thorough and well-thought-out explanations.
January 4, 2022
Excelente opción para quienes gustan de los tés y quieren aprender más sobre su origen y diferentes tipos. Las fotografías son hermosas, y en general es un libro que, no solo contiene información, sino que visualmente es un deleite.
May 28, 2019
Beautiful photos. Instructions for preparing amazing high quality teas I'd like to try some day. My usual grocery store tea bag in boiled tap water is considered the lowest form of tea! Chuckle...
February 19, 2020
If you want to the world of tea and everything related.... THIS IS THE BOOK !
Want to read
November 29, 2021@2019-03-30 10:17:05
August 3, 2014
Today's tea is not one you drink with your mouth, but one you drink with your mind. Ok, you can drink your tea book if you really want to, but as much as I love the smell of paper, I do not think it tastes the best. The other day when I posted on Twitter that I was thinking about reviewing the tea books I own (and ones I can get at my library) I asked if anyone had any requests...and the response was 'my favorite' which is a challenge in itself!
Tea Sommelier by Gabriella Lombardi and Fabio Petroni just might fill that bill. When I first saw this book last Christmas while browsing at Barnes and Noble I knew I had to add it to my collection, I flipped through it every time I visited the bookstore (which is a lot, Ben and my favorite dates always end up with us at a bookstore...we have a thing for books) and waiting till the price on Amazon dropped to something I could afford. I just procured this book for my collection last week, and I am pleased as punch, because it is a beauty!
Looks alone do not make a book, unless it is a book that is specifically about visuals, which this one is not. Even though it has the look and incredible photography of a coffee table book, it is loaded with useful information. Tea Sommelier approaches the art of sipping tea very much so like it is an art and from a professional taster's perspective. Borrowing much of the jargon from the Wine Sommelier world and shaping it to fit the world of tea.
The book is divided into a typical brief introduction on the history of tea, the tea plant itself, various methods of preparing tea, a decent sized section on professional tea tasting (including ISO cupping standards) a whopping 135 pages devoted to different kinds of tea, and lastly a colorful selection of gourmet recipes.
There are some things about this book that I absolutely love. It is beautiful, a work of art showcasing fantastic teas, tea gear, and photography. The history of tea mentioning all three of the myths concerning the creation of tea was especially amusing, too many books skip over Bodhidharma (Daruma) tearing off his eyelids in a fit of rage after falling asleep and said eyelids growing into tea trees. It is a weird myth but everything concerning Daruma is a little quirky. I love how it pairs each tea with foods that it tastes good with, as the person who is always in charge of matching tea to whatever foods and people's tastes at family events...it is very nice to have a handy guide to turn to.
There are, however, some things that make me go 'eh' as well, nothing is ever perfect and I tend to be picky with books. For all that the photos in this book are fantastic works of art, I really get annoyed with lightbox photography. Some of the colors of the tea just seem wrong, either too dark or too vibrantly green, I have never seen some of the delicate Chinese green teas in that shade of green either in my own sipping experience or online, it is really a minor gripe, it just weirds me out a bit. My big gripe is the whole language and approach to tea in this book seems, well, unapproachable, similar to the way gourmet cuisine and wine tasting can seem very unapproachable to someone not already in the know. This is not necessarily a bad thing, especially for someone who is already well into tea world, but if you are new to the tea world it might seem a but imposing. I suppose this is part of a greater rant that certain aspects of the tea world (lovingly and not so lovingly at times call tea snobbery) tend to come off as unwelcoming to newcomers, which is something I am strongly against. I am very much so in the 'oh hey, want to try tea, let me shower you with yummies until you find your favorite' mindset.
One thing about this book that has sent me into a near tizzy researching is the approach to the tea Huang Shan Huo Ya. Everywhere on the internet and every book I have read has called it a Yellow Tea, Tea Sommlier calls it a green tea that commonly gets labeled as a yellow tea due to poor translation. Since I was unable to find any other factual inconsistencies anywhere else in the book I really find myself wanting to know. So far, no luck.
So, why is this book still my favorite? Because it is beautiful, because it treats tea as an art, because I still dream of one day being a Tea Sommelier. Do I recommend it? Heck yes! If you are a newbie to tea just approach with caution...the tea world is not all fancy teas, elegant teapots, and lofty concepts...we are also lovers of quirky blends, teabags, herbal teas, and re-purposed coffee mugs. Don't feel intimidated by tasting terms and Grand Cru teas. If you are a well seasoned sipper (or a well seasoned Yixing Teapot that has gained sentience) then this book is a great reference tool. Either way, the overwhelming prettiness of this book is certainly a plus!
This can also be found on my blog: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blog...
Tea Sommelier by Gabriella Lombardi and Fabio Petroni just might fill that bill. When I first saw this book last Christmas while browsing at Barnes and Noble I knew I had to add it to my collection, I flipped through it every time I visited the bookstore (which is a lot, Ben and my favorite dates always end up with us at a bookstore...we have a thing for books) and waiting till the price on Amazon dropped to something I could afford. I just procured this book for my collection last week, and I am pleased as punch, because it is a beauty!
Looks alone do not make a book, unless it is a book that is specifically about visuals, which this one is not. Even though it has the look and incredible photography of a coffee table book, it is loaded with useful information. Tea Sommelier approaches the art of sipping tea very much so like it is an art and from a professional taster's perspective. Borrowing much of the jargon from the Wine Sommelier world and shaping it to fit the world of tea.
The book is divided into a typical brief introduction on the history of tea, the tea plant itself, various methods of preparing tea, a decent sized section on professional tea tasting (including ISO cupping standards) a whopping 135 pages devoted to different kinds of tea, and lastly a colorful selection of gourmet recipes.
There are some things about this book that I absolutely love. It is beautiful, a work of art showcasing fantastic teas, tea gear, and photography. The history of tea mentioning all three of the myths concerning the creation of tea was especially amusing, too many books skip over Bodhidharma (Daruma) tearing off his eyelids in a fit of rage after falling asleep and said eyelids growing into tea trees. It is a weird myth but everything concerning Daruma is a little quirky. I love how it pairs each tea with foods that it tastes good with, as the person who is always in charge of matching tea to whatever foods and people's tastes at family events...it is very nice to have a handy guide to turn to.
There are, however, some things that make me go 'eh' as well, nothing is ever perfect and I tend to be picky with books. For all that the photos in this book are fantastic works of art, I really get annoyed with lightbox photography. Some of the colors of the tea just seem wrong, either too dark or too vibrantly green, I have never seen some of the delicate Chinese green teas in that shade of green either in my own sipping experience or online, it is really a minor gripe, it just weirds me out a bit. My big gripe is the whole language and approach to tea in this book seems, well, unapproachable, similar to the way gourmet cuisine and wine tasting can seem very unapproachable to someone not already in the know. This is not necessarily a bad thing, especially for someone who is already well into tea world, but if you are new to the tea world it might seem a but imposing. I suppose this is part of a greater rant that certain aspects of the tea world (lovingly and not so lovingly at times call tea snobbery) tend to come off as unwelcoming to newcomers, which is something I am strongly against. I am very much so in the 'oh hey, want to try tea, let me shower you with yummies until you find your favorite' mindset.
One thing about this book that has sent me into a near tizzy researching is the approach to the tea Huang Shan Huo Ya. Everywhere on the internet and every book I have read has called it a Yellow Tea, Tea Sommlier calls it a green tea that commonly gets labeled as a yellow tea due to poor translation. Since I was unable to find any other factual inconsistencies anywhere else in the book I really find myself wanting to know. So far, no luck.
So, why is this book still my favorite? Because it is beautiful, because it treats tea as an art, because I still dream of one day being a Tea Sommelier. Do I recommend it? Heck yes! If you are a newbie to tea just approach with caution...the tea world is not all fancy teas, elegant teapots, and lofty concepts...we are also lovers of quirky blends, teabags, herbal teas, and re-purposed coffee mugs. Don't feel intimidated by tasting terms and Grand Cru teas. If you are a well seasoned sipper (or a well seasoned Yixing Teapot that has gained sentience) then this book is a great reference tool. Either way, the overwhelming prettiness of this book is certainly a plus!
This can also be found on my blog: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blog...
Read
January 30, 2017Amazing book that gives a lot of great information about tea making. Gorgeous illustrations and a bonus section of really intriguing recipes in the back of the book. Great coffee table book but even more than that ---great resource for anyone who loves tea or wants to learn more it.
Read
May 13, 2017I might have ordered the last copy on the planet...after two weeks it's still being processed...:|
March 19, 2015
Beautiful tea, beautiful photographs. Elegant, with useful information.
November 20, 2022
Beautiful photography is full of information. Éasy to understand the process of making tea.
I probably will not try all types of tea but is a good inspiration.
I probably will not try all types of tea but is a good inspiration.
January 11, 2019
Nice overview on tea history, covering a bit of everything.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews