The Tea Lover's Companion: The Ultimate Connoisseur's Guide to Buying Brewing and Enjoying Tea

by James Norwood Pratt

Since the discovery of tea as a beverage nearly 5,000 years ago, hundreds of different brews have been perfected, and tea lovers have flourished in nearly every country on Earth. This book is the ultimate connoisseur's guide to tea types, histories, legends, and lore, tea brands throughout the world, retail and mail-order tea companies, and more. Photos, many in color.

Genres: Tea, Nonfiction

176 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1996

Reviews

[Gemma]

This is a fun and interesting little book. The author has a personable tone and a certain level of snobbiness that is somehow really funny. There's a lot of good information about various teas here, all based on the author's personal tasting notes.

The chapter on health benefits you might as well skip. There's no citations and therefore no way to verify the claims. Although it is written with some skepticism, it's still quite misleading without original sources being supplied.

Overall, very enjoyable and a fun read for tea fans. If you're looking for good tea recommendations, you'll also benefit from this book.

[Page Wench]

My first foray into the details and history of my favorite beverage. I learned quite a lot of interesting facts about growing and processing tea that gave me another level of appreciation for what's in my cup. The "proper" way of taking tea according to different cultures was also covered along with an overview of tea ware. I especially benefited from the descriptions of the different types of tea. The glossary of tea-tasting terms will help me when I start my own tea journal. There is also a list of tearooms in the United States and a directory of blenders, wholesalers, and tea shops.

[Kayleen]

Packed full of tea facts. I found the information on making a bedtime cup of tea especially helpful. I didn't realize it was so easy to remove the cafine from tea yourself.

Well written, easy read. Packed with information.