The New Tea Book: A Guide to Black, Green, Herbal, and Chai Tea

by Sara Perry, Alison Miksch (Photographer)

Tea is hot and getting hotter. In the New Tea Book, no leaf is left unturned. Discover the wide variety of teas that are available and their myriad health benefits, as well as over 50 recipes for cooking with beverages, savories, and delectable sweets. This strikingly photographed volume takes readers on a visual journey exploring the riches of black, green, oolong, and herbal teas, from the fragrant, full-bodied Assam to the spirited and spicy Yunnan. An exciting addition is the completely new Personal Spa section, introducing a host of aromatherapy touches for the home with recipes for tea bath sachets, eye pillows, beauty soaps, and potpourris. Finally, a list of resources gives information on where to find interesting tea blends and equipment, not to mention author Sara Perry's favorite international teahouses. Here's just the right cup o' tea.

Genres: Tea, Cookbooks, Reference, Nonfiction, Cooking, Food

120 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2001

Reviews

[Faye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of interesting information for the tea lover.

[Pamela Hamon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would divide this book in to two sections: tea context (including some historical notes, tea taxonomy, and enjoyment guide) and recipes.

I read the abridged version of this book (The Tea Deck) as an ebook recently and a friend happened to have the fullsize paperback, so I borrowed it to compare notes. The text was mostly the same, minus a few quips and stories and minus a few recipes. As an aside, I prefer baking recipes that are written by weight, as opposed to as this book has them by volume. The results are always easier to control.

To be frank, I've read several better tea history books, better tea enjoyment guides, and better tea taxonomy texts. This book does not really shine in these areas. Some of the recipes are interesting, though only a few of them involved using tea itself, which was my complaint about the abridged guide.

One note about this edition is that the photographs are MUCH nicer than The Tea Deck that I read. The colors and quality of loose tea are much closer to as they should be presented.

[Xan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is more like tea for beginners. While I would not say I am a tea snob, I have been drinking tea for years, I buy many kinds loose and blend my own, and have an entire cupboard dedicated strictly to the care and keeping of my tea. Okay, so yeah, I take it pretty seriously. I did learn a few interesting things from this book, some dates and history, and there were some nice recipes in the back for backed goods, and an interesting looking chai blend I may try, but as for the tea itself, there was nothing new here. But there were pictures. I like pictures. So 3 stars and I would hand this to someone who didn't know much about tea, a true tea-tottler might be slightly offended.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives a good overview of tea: what differentiates blacks, oolongs, and greens, how they are made, how to brew them, an introduction to herbals and chais, tea paraphernalia, and finally recipes for tea beverages as well as cakes, savories, and desserts. The photos illustrating it are well-done. The author appreciates that what is really important about tea is the aesthetic experience!

[Preethi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it!

[Rachel Nabors · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute introduction to tea with handy tea recipes. Alas, I was left wanting to know more about tea, and I felt mroe of the book could have been devoted to that and less to recipes.

[Michele]

One of the many books on making teas that are part of my collection.