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Silver Spoons, Mad Baboons, and Other Tales of Tea
Filled to the brim with stories of adventure in search of "two leaves and a bud," this book could only come from a man who's actually lived those events. Barry Cooper began his lifelong romance with tea at an early age, being raised amongst the tea fields of Kenya, East Africa. In this book, he chronicles his ensuing forty-year quest for the perfect cup of tea. Cooper shares lessons learned while being trained in England's most esteemed tea house. He lays bare truths of the tea industry, including the unreported struggles between tea growers, buyers, blenders, and merchants around the world. Cooper reveals the crazy adventures and hair-raising situations encountered in his determination to discover previously unknown sources of herbs. And finally, he tells the inside story of the gambles he took to develop his signature teas.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 3, 2018
Awesome background on the tea industry told by an industry legend. What an incredible life and primer to the tea industry for a novice like me.
July 12, 2009
For as many fine wines as there are in the world, there are as many fine teas. The knowledge of how tea grows in different countries, how it is picked, how the tea leaves look, how it is processed, and tastes, is imparted to the reader by Barry Cooper, an international tea master.
Barry grew up in Kenya, where even as a young child, he became fascinated with the tea bushes he would encounter. As a young adult, Barry moved to London and worked for Lipton Tea for years, starting as a master tea taster. Lipton sent Barry all over the world to observe how tea was picked and processed, and he would taste them, making his recommendations to Lipton. Barry brilliantly describes the landscapes and political tensions in the countries he visits. In Mozambique, because of the political strife, he had to jump a fence and board a private airplane to escape the country in 1974!
Throughout this book, Barry displays beautiful maps of the places he has traveled along with colored pictures of people and places. Barry also includes "information bars" in his book to explain fascinating facts about countries' local lore and tea tales.
At one time Barry bought a company called Simpson and Vail. He worked hard to make a tea catalogue to promote the wonderful tea products, but he did not have the money to continue to make all of the changes he wanted to make. He sold the company, and Simpson and Vail is prospering. I looked at the site to buy some tea from all over the world that Barry recommends: www.svtea.com/
Barry continued to work for Lipton. Today he owns his own company called the Cooper Tea Company:
www.coopertea.com/ The website is fascinating, reflecting its owner, Barry Cooper!
I would give this book ten stars! It reads like a novel. I learned so much information about the animals in Africa, countries around the world, people, tea blends, business workings, and the makings of an entrepreneur extraordinaire who loves his job with all of his heart.
Barry grew up in Kenya, where even as a young child, he became fascinated with the tea bushes he would encounter. As a young adult, Barry moved to London and worked for Lipton Tea for years, starting as a master tea taster. Lipton sent Barry all over the world to observe how tea was picked and processed, and he would taste them, making his recommendations to Lipton. Barry brilliantly describes the landscapes and political tensions in the countries he visits. In Mozambique, because of the political strife, he had to jump a fence and board a private airplane to escape the country in 1974!
Throughout this book, Barry displays beautiful maps of the places he has traveled along with colored pictures of people and places. Barry also includes "information bars" in his book to explain fascinating facts about countries' local lore and tea tales.
At one time Barry bought a company called Simpson and Vail. He worked hard to make a tea catalogue to promote the wonderful tea products, but he did not have the money to continue to make all of the changes he wanted to make. He sold the company, and Simpson and Vail is prospering. I looked at the site to buy some tea from all over the world that Barry recommends: www.svtea.com/
Barry continued to work for Lipton. Today he owns his own company called the Cooper Tea Company:
www.coopertea.com/ The website is fascinating, reflecting its owner, Barry Cooper!
I would give this book ten stars! It reads like a novel. I learned so much information about the animals in Africa, countries around the world, people, tea blends, business workings, and the makings of an entrepreneur extraordinaire who loves his job with all of his heart.
August 16, 2009
I stumbled on this book on line and decided to order it without really knowing much about it. When it arrived I realized it was self-published (I can only assume that Cooper Publishing is in fact Barry Cooper?) which seemed like a red flag to me - I've never read a self published book before but I'd always assumed it meant that the book wasn't good enough to be published "for real" (I know, I'm a snob!) The copy I received was nicely bound and printed on thick glossy paper. Every few pages there are pictures of tea estates or paintings of a maps to show where tea originates. It seems like it was put together with care and so I decide to read it.
You know the game where you pick a person living or dead that you would like to have dinner with? My new answer is Barry Cooper! This guy has not only lived a fascinating life, but he also seems like a really charming guy who would entertain you all night with his stories of adventure in tea buying, blending and growing. You definitely have to be interested in tea to enjoy this book (which I am) but if you love tea you will love all the little Tea Tale side bars that Cooper sprinkles throughout the book. Cooper never gets bogged down in any one adventure or country. Each chapter is only a few pages long so the stories move at brisk pace which was perfect for me.
Again, this book is not for everyone. If you don't drink tea or care about where tea comes from I'm not sure you will be as interested in Barry's story but for anyone who wants to know the difference between Darjeeling and Orange Pekoe, this is for you.
You know the game where you pick a person living or dead that you would like to have dinner with? My new answer is Barry Cooper! This guy has not only lived a fascinating life, but he also seems like a really charming guy who would entertain you all night with his stories of adventure in tea buying, blending and growing. You definitely have to be interested in tea to enjoy this book (which I am) but if you love tea you will love all the little Tea Tale side bars that Cooper sprinkles throughout the book. Cooper never gets bogged down in any one adventure or country. Each chapter is only a few pages long so the stories move at brisk pace which was perfect for me.
Again, this book is not for everyone. If you don't drink tea or care about where tea comes from I'm not sure you will be as interested in Barry's story but for anyone who wants to know the difference between Darjeeling and Orange Pekoe, this is for you.
June 10, 2009
Fun, adventurous story of how Cooper became a tea taster and tea company owner
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews