What do you think?
How to Drink Tea
Can’t we all just get oolong?
We are a nation of tea drinkers. 84% of Brits drink tea every day, and we get through 100 million cups daily. When a survey asked us what the country’s national emblem should be, the most resounding answer, with 32 per cent of the vote, was a cup of tea.
And yet… most of us are doing it wrong.
Enter tea-drinking expert and infusion connoisseur, Stephen Wildish. His complete guide to the fine art of tea includes: brewing guides for the proportionally challenged; simple to follow but desperately important rules (such as: the tea-bag and milk should never touch); cooling guides (charting the exact millisecond when the temperature of tea goes from hotter than the sun to stone cold); taxonomies of tea and much more. It is the perfect gift for every tea lover.
We are a nation of tea drinkers. 84% of Brits drink tea every day, and we get through 100 million cups daily. When a survey asked us what the country’s national emblem should be, the most resounding answer, with 32 per cent of the vote, was a cup of tea.
And yet… most of us are doing it wrong.
Enter tea-drinking expert and infusion connoisseur, Stephen Wildish. His complete guide to the fine art of tea includes: brewing guides for the proportionally challenged; simple to follow but desperately important rules (such as: the tea-bag and milk should never touch); cooling guides (charting the exact millisecond when the temperature of tea goes from hotter than the sun to stone cold); taxonomies of tea and much more. It is the perfect gift for every tea lover.
- GenresNonfiction
128 pages, Hardcover
Published June 1, 2021
About the author
Stephen Wildish
18 books21 followersBorn in 1887 on horseback in the midst of a terrible storm, Stephen grew up to be a prize prat. Loved by all and hated also by all. It's very confusing.
He loves to read your one-star reviews of his claptrap. His ego doubles every time someone tells him his books are a waste of paper. He writes about himself in the third person. He can bend his thumbs back further than you might imagine.
Stephen has a degree in Fine Art and it has proved indispensable in everyday life. He is autistic and 9 years sober.
Stephen currently has very poor mental health, but is hoping to improve this by going on an epic journey to the forbidden mountain of Imhotep (the doctors) to slay the beast of eternal fire (suicidal ideation) using the mystical charmed sword of Numasanah (take anti-depressants).
If you have read this far, well done.
He loves to read your one-star reviews of his claptrap. His ego doubles every time someone tells him his books are a waste of paper. He writes about himself in the third person. He can bend his thumbs back further than you might imagine.
Stephen has a degree in Fine Art and it has proved indispensable in everyday life. He is autistic and 9 years sober.
Stephen currently has very poor mental health, but is hoping to improve this by going on an epic journey to the forbidden mountain of Imhotep (the doctors) to slay the beast of eternal fire (suicidal ideation) using the mystical charmed sword of Numasanah (take anti-depressants).
If you have read this far, well done.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 8, 2021
How to Drink Tea is so funny that you probably shouldn't be drinking tea when reading it as there's a good chance that your tea will go spurting everywhere and there's nothing that makes tea lovers more upset than wasting good tea! I received a copy of this wonderful book for Christmas and I read it cover to cover on Boxing Day, giggling and laughing throughout.
The Venn Diagram made of tea stains on the cover is just fabulous and that's not all...there's a tea colour chart on the back cover to help you make the perfect cup of tea. It reminded me how one of my former work colleagues used to ask if she had made my tea in the right Pantone so the tea colour chart would have been very handy if I'd had it back then! If the cover appeals to you then you will love what's inside the book. Full of fascinating facts, humourous illustrations, famous quotes and handy tips, How to Drink Tea is just my cup of tea.
After a fact-filled introduction where I was delighted to discover the origin of the phrase 'a cup of cha', there are four main sections in the book: How to brew, Types of tea, Tea occasions and Tea with food. I really enjoyed the How to brew section, despite discovering that I am a total tea drinking rule breaker. Call myself a tea lover! I should be ashamed of myself! I am a tea lover, however, I don't agree that there is a right way and a wrong way to make tea; tea is a personal preference and if it tastes good to you then it can't have been made wrong. What this book does is give you the tools to make the perfect cup of tea and I certainly learnt a thing or two when reading it. I'll definitely never squeeze a teabag again!
I loved Stephen Wildish's sense of humour, especially when added to his fantastic selection of illustrations. Laughs exploded out of me when I least expected it, such as reading a pie chart of why your tea went cold at work or following a flow chart of how to microwave tea (which I admit I used to do when my tea went cold at work - clearly, I should be banned from ever drinking tea again!). You would need to have no sense of humour for this book not to make you laugh.
Hilarious and informative, every book loving tea drinker needs a copy of How to Drink Tea in their bookcase. I absolutely loved it. How to Drink Tea is a delightful little book and I'll be keeping it handy so I can pick it up again when I need a good laugh.
The Venn Diagram made of tea stains on the cover is just fabulous and that's not all...there's a tea colour chart on the back cover to help you make the perfect cup of tea. It reminded me how one of my former work colleagues used to ask if she had made my tea in the right Pantone so the tea colour chart would have been very handy if I'd had it back then! If the cover appeals to you then you will love what's inside the book. Full of fascinating facts, humourous illustrations, famous quotes and handy tips, How to Drink Tea is just my cup of tea.
After a fact-filled introduction where I was delighted to discover the origin of the phrase 'a cup of cha', there are four main sections in the book: How to brew, Types of tea, Tea occasions and Tea with food. I really enjoyed the How to brew section, despite discovering that I am a total tea drinking rule breaker. Call myself a tea lover! I should be ashamed of myself! I am a tea lover, however, I don't agree that there is a right way and a wrong way to make tea; tea is a personal preference and if it tastes good to you then it can't have been made wrong. What this book does is give you the tools to make the perfect cup of tea and I certainly learnt a thing or two when reading it. I'll definitely never squeeze a teabag again!
I loved Stephen Wildish's sense of humour, especially when added to his fantastic selection of illustrations. Laughs exploded out of me when I least expected it, such as reading a pie chart of why your tea went cold at work or following a flow chart of how to microwave tea (which I admit I used to do when my tea went cold at work - clearly, I should be banned from ever drinking tea again!). You would need to have no sense of humour for this book not to make you laugh.
Hilarious and informative, every book loving tea drinker needs a copy of How to Drink Tea in their bookcase. I absolutely loved it. How to Drink Tea is a delightful little book and I'll be keeping it handy so I can pick it up again when I need a good laugh.
January 20, 2021
This book is a gem. Though I don’t fully agree with the authors taste, it was funny as hell to read and boosted my already quite big thirst for the drink. This man knows his tea, sir.
April 26, 2021
温馨提示：咖啡爱好者慎入 + 文末附彩蛋
《How to Drink Tea》一书，购于东伦敦Broadway Market的Artwords Bookshop. 店内大多为艺术相关书籍与杂志；小部分是童书，新人作者的作品，以及各式指南 （之前买过一次伦敦素食餐厅指南）。
这本书于2020年出版，由Stephen Wildish所著。除了这本饮茶指南，作家还有另外三本指南书 《How to Adult》，《How to Vegan》，《How to Swear》, 在Goodreads上的评价都不错。
根据企鹅出版社的介绍，84%的英国人每天喝茶，国民每日喝茶一亿杯。论英国的象征，32%的人投票给 – A cup of tea.
本书主要由四部分构成 – 如何泡茶，茶的种类，喝茶场合，配茶食物。
第一部分：如何泡茶
（以下为日常简易版，精致版还请移步图书 ）
1. 先给茶杯预热 2. 将茶包放入杯中 3. 加入热水 （自来水烧开后，静置1-2分钟，待温度降至95℃左右）4. 茶包浸泡 4-5分钟 （或根据包装指示）5. 拿开茶包 6. 加牛奶
第二部分：茶的种类：
本书对红茶，建筑工人茶 （Builder’s Tea），伯爵茶，平水珠茶 （Gunpowder），乌龙茶，印度奶茶，普洱茶，冷泡茶，水果茶，草本茶，薄荷茶（属于草本茶，但有自己的一套文化，因此单独介绍），正山小种（Lapsang Souchong），以及白，黄，绿茶都做了简单介绍。包含不同茶的风味，强烈程度，冲泡方式，饮用者类型（赶时髦的，茶迷，贵妇等），所用茶叶。
第三部分：喝茶场合
无论何时，无论何地！
早起一杯茶 – 注意力更集中，降低心率，Make you a better lover (作家开车)
办公室社交之道 – 喝茶的同事们轮流泡茶
如果茶凉了，怎么办？ - 直接倒掉 ！！！（作家无情吐槽用微波炉加热茶的人）
第四部分：配茶食物
配茶的选择很多，可闲可甜 ：饼干，蛋糕，司康，三明治
有些人喝茶时，喜欢将饼干在茶里泡一下 （Dunk ）。为了保持饼干的完整程度，茶内没有饼干渣，建议选择 Hobnob 与 Digestive 牌的饼干。
***文末彩蛋：
虽然作者在书里把咖啡贬得一无是处，但他私下里也爱喝C**fee！
《How to Drink Tea》一书，购于东伦敦Broadway Market的Artwords Bookshop. 店内大多为艺术相关书籍与杂志；小部分是童书，新人作者的作品，以及各式指南 （之前买过一次伦敦素食餐厅指南）。
这本书于2020年出版，由Stephen Wildish所著。除了这本饮茶指南，作家还有另外三本指南书 《How to Adult》，《How to Vegan》，《How to Swear》, 在Goodreads上的评价都不错。
根据企鹅出版社的介绍，84%的英国人每天喝茶，国民每日喝茶一亿杯。论英国的象征，32%的人投票给 – A cup of tea.
本书主要由四部分构成 – 如何泡茶，茶的种类，喝茶场合，配茶食物。
第一部分：如何泡茶
（以下为日常简易版，精致版还请移步图书 ）
1. 先给茶杯预热 2. 将茶包放入杯中 3. 加入热水 （自来水烧开后，静置1-2分钟，待温度降至95℃左右）4. 茶包浸泡 4-5分钟 （或根据包装指示）5. 拿开茶包 6. 加牛奶
第二部分：茶的种类：
本书对红茶，建筑工人茶 （Builder’s Tea），伯爵茶，平水珠茶 （Gunpowder），乌龙茶，印度奶茶，普洱茶，冷泡茶，水果茶，草本茶，薄荷茶（属于草本茶，但有自己的一套文化，因此单独介绍），正山小种（Lapsang Souchong），以及白，黄，绿茶都做了简单介绍。包含不同茶的风味，强烈程度，冲泡方式，饮用者类型（赶时髦的，茶迷，贵妇等），所用茶叶。
第三部分：喝茶场合
无论何时，无论何地！
早起一杯茶 – 注意力更集中，降低心率，Make you a better lover (作家开车)
办公室社交之道 – 喝茶的同事们轮流泡茶
如果茶凉了，怎么办？ - 直接倒掉 ！！！（作家无情吐槽用微波炉加热茶的人）
第四部分：配茶食物
配茶的选择很多，可闲可甜 ：饼干，蛋糕，司康，三明治
有些人喝茶时，喜欢将饼干在茶里泡一下 （Dunk ）。为了保持饼干的完整程度，茶内没有饼干渣，建议选择 Hobnob 与 Digestive 牌的饼干。
***文末彩蛋：
虽然作者在书里把咖啡贬得一无是处，但他私下里也爱喝C**fee！
December 25, 2020
The perfect combination of informative and comedic
December 26, 2020
Så rolig och underbart nördig om te och oss som dricker te.
April 23, 2021
I wanted to give it 5 stars because the book is really wonderful but... Marking Baltic states as "Cha" countries on the map? The level of ignorance is killing me.
March 24, 2026
guys. let's all drink a large cuppa and read this phenomenal book whilst hating on coffee drinkers!!!!!!! YESSS!!! #DreamDay #BloodyYes!!!!!!!!!!!
January 6, 2026
I should brew some Tea 🍵
March 16, 2021
This is just funny and a must-have for every tea-lover.
March 28, 2021
"How To Drink Tea" is a delightful treat to tea enthusiasts and worst nighmare of Coffee drinkers. History of tea, Benefits and brewing tips for a variety of teas , snack combination for each tea accompanied with illustrations thats going to make you do loud laughter is guaranteed from the book.
TW : hilarious dark humour directed towards coffee lovers, beware. Stay away
It was at the time of Kindergarten i started noticing people around me falling prey to dark murky liquid they called as coffee. My curious mind wanted to know the taste of it but Dad scrunched his face and said it tasted yuck . Will you believe that 30 yrs on earth and for the life of me i cant attempt to taste the coffee? So whoever is loading their gun to aim at me remember you are fighting a human who never drank coffee and cant even if she tries to. Welcome to the discovery that this kind of things works on kids and i'm a living example of it
COFFEE IS NOT MY CUP OF TEA CANT WE ALL JUST GET "OOLONG"?
I found my solace in tea when my brother first got me Green Tea from UK . It was love at first sip. Guilt laden heavy afternoon meals were shamelessly diluted with my cup of green tea , stomach cramps disappeared with a cup of Chamomile tea , a good lift-me-up was felt with a cup of Rose tea, headaches were cured with a cup of Black Tea, felt fancy with a cup of Rooibos tea , sought companionship with a book and cup of oolong tea and felt the smile lines of grandpa's booming chuckle in a expensive white Tea . A slice of lemon/some mint leaves /cardamom /cinnamon/ clove each adds its own taste and benefit to each cup of tea. Simply put its a hug in mug , my constant companion i never want to get rid off
TW : hilarious dark humour directed towards coffee lovers, beware. Stay away
It was at the time of Kindergarten i started noticing people around me falling prey to dark murky liquid they called as coffee. My curious mind wanted to know the taste of it but Dad scrunched his face and said it tasted yuck . Will you believe that 30 yrs on earth and for the life of me i cant attempt to taste the coffee? So whoever is loading their gun to aim at me remember you are fighting a human who never drank coffee and cant even if she tries to. Welcome to the discovery that this kind of things works on kids and i'm a living example of it
COFFEE IS NOT MY CUP OF TEA CANT WE ALL JUST GET "OOLONG"?
I found my solace in tea when my brother first got me Green Tea from UK . It was love at first sip. Guilt laden heavy afternoon meals were shamelessly diluted with my cup of green tea , stomach cramps disappeared with a cup of Chamomile tea , a good lift-me-up was felt with a cup of Rose tea, headaches were cured with a cup of Black Tea, felt fancy with a cup of Rooibos tea , sought companionship with a book and cup of oolong tea and felt the smile lines of grandpa's booming chuckle in a expensive white Tea . A slice of lemon/some mint leaves /cardamom /cinnamon/ clove each adds its own taste and benefit to each cup of tea. Simply put its a hug in mug , my constant companion i never want to get rid off
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews