Good & Proper Tea: How to make, drink and cook with tea

by Emilie Holmes, Ben Benton

Everyone knows that nothing can beat a good cup of tea. But with so many of us relying on our daily brew, isn't it time we started giving it the attention and credit it deserves? Emilie Holmes started Good & Proper Tea with the intention of changing the tea market one cup at a time, and in this gorgeously presented book she and Ben Benton share their passion for tea with tips, techniques and recipes.




Discover how to brew the perfect cup of tea, considering water type and temperature, timings and strength. Learn the difference between oolong and jasmine tea, and how to make your own blends and tisanes. The book also includes recipes for different tea-based drinks and cocktails, including Darjeeling and Vanilla Ice Tea, Turmeric and Lemongrass Latte, and an Oolong Mojito. There's also a selection of tempting ways to cook with tea, such as a Rooibos, Orange and Poppyseed Cake, and Earl Grey and Cardamom Sugar Buns.




From a cup of classic builder's to a fragrant floral blend, this is a celebration of the ritual and joy of tea.

Genres: Nonfiction, Food

208 pages, Hardcover

Published November 5, 2019

Reviews

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes. Thank you! It is a struggle to a decent tea. And I have often mentioned to my wife that cafes spend some much time getting their coffee right that tea is ignored. Sometimes it's just a teabag in hot water. Hello bitterness (and I don't mean me! Haha).

This is quite informative but I would have liked more about what she does at her shop, menu etc.

She did get me offside in regards to the matcha lattes being a novelty drink. I love matcha (and Japanese teas are my preferred teas) and sometimes a matcha latte is a far as they (cafes) are prepared to go with it. And they may call it a matcha latte but it's matcha chai which I don't care for or it's full of sugar (Starbucks, I'm looking at you.) Some folk aren't prepared to understand matcha to make it properly and calling what few matcha drinks are available (without making it at home myself) a novelty isn't helpful. Hojicha only got the briefest of mentions (as a latte mind you).

The recipes, both drink and food, look amazing but following my reviews know I'm never actually going to cook any of them.

[Cassie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting cookbook not only containing recipes but plenty of information regarding types of tea, where they're from, how they're best made, etc. I didn't enjoy this book as much as I wanted to because it was a bit advanced for my understanding. As an American, we often boil or microwave a cup of tap water and dunk a tea bag into it, so though I was hoping to learn to make a better and more delicious cup, I was left feeling a bit defeated and more that I wanted to just travel to this tea shop and try theirs. Essentially, I was feeling overwhelmed regarding where to start. I would have appreciated a bit more step by step information for the novice tea lover.

[Eustacia Tan · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I don’t actually need to keep re-reading the basics of tea, I just cannot resist tea books. When I saw Good & Proper Tea, I was unable to stop myself from borrowing it. It’s a book about tea! I don’t really need more motivation to read it.

Good & Proper Tea contains the usual introduction to the world of tea and recommendations for brewing parameters, but what makes it stand out are its recipes for making tea lattes, cocktails, baking with tea, and even how to make ice cream with tea.

The information about tea is good, although it’s a bit disappointing to see that dark teas that are not puer are not mentioned. I also wished that in the brewing parameters, the recommendations for gongfu brewing were also included. There were quite a few Chinese teas inside, and since gaiwans and yixing pots were included in the teaware section, it would have been nice for the book to include the gongfu brewing parameters. I do brew Western-style now and then, but for Chinese teas, brewing gongfu-style (short infusions with high leaf to water ratio) can make a huge difference.

As for the recipes in the book, they all sounded delicious! I tried the recipe for iced green tea and apple and I really liked the flavour combination. I ended up brewing it two ways – once was the way recommended (which is to brew it for longer, probably because you’ll be adding ice to cool it down and hence dilute the tea) and once was a much longer cold brew where the tea and apples were infused from the start. I liked how the sweetness of the apple worked to really enhance the sweetness of the green tea without being overbearing. I’ll have to remember this for when guests come!

Overall, I found this to be an interesting introduction to tea. I personally liked the recipe section the best and might go back to this book if I ever want to try to work tea into more drinks and dishes.

This review was first posted at Eustea Reads

[Isabelle Wilkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully presented, the pages of Good & Proper Tea are packed with gorgeous images and tea facts in equally measure. The ultimate beginners guide to tea, Emilie has encapsulated her years of experience changing perceptions on the power of a cup of tea and created the ultimate coffee (read: tea) table book.

[Nicole Magolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just looooove teeeeeaaaaaa......I can't wait to try the recipes in here! I thoroughly enjoyed reading through the informational section of this book on tea production, though it was a very light overview. I think it's a great place for beginners though, and the production quality of the book itself is delightful.
Highly recommend if you want to get more from your tea!