Tea Books for Gifting

Whether it’s gorgeous coffee table books, intimate tea memoirs, or comprehensive volumes on the different tea regions of the world, tea lovers love books about tea. Make the tea enthusiasts in your life happy by finding the perfect gift they can enjoy with an afternoon cup of tea.

A Chronicle of Success: JT Ronnefeldt Tea

Christiane Borchert and Stina Barrenscheen  | Chronicle of Success

The book traces two centuries of Ronnefeldt, a family owned tea importer located in the unlikely city of Frankfurter am Main, far from Germany’s seaports. It includes the history of the Ronnefeldt and Holzapfel families, the challenges of the tea trade, and the development of the leading tea brand in the upmarket hotel industry. With numerous stories, recipes, historical photos, and an exciting design, the book invites you on a journey for the mind and senses.

$60.25 | 256-pages | hardbound | www.amazon.com

Infused – Adventures in Tea

Henrietta Lovell | Infused – Adventures in Tea

A tea book unlike most, this is the very personal story of Henrietta’s adventures with tea, in tea, and all-around tea. With her first fledgling sips out of dainty China Cups at her childhood home, we are taken along on a ride of reminiscence. From trips to far-flung tea fields swathed in mist punctuated by the odd lightning strike or two, we zip off to tea tastings with chefs at some of the best restaurants in the world and strange meetings on trains. Henrietta journeys to all her adventures accompanied by her little yellow suitcase. This is the ideal choice for the person who likes essays and philosophical approaches to tea drinking.

£19.99 | www.rareteacompany.com 

Mariëlla Erkens | Tea: Wine’s Sober Sibling

Reviewed by Kyle Whittington | TeaBookClub (published February 13, 2023).
Read and listen to the Full Review.

One of the best things about this book is Mariëlla’s consideration for the reader to get the best possible experience. Indeed, she advises how to use the book to suit your tea pairing path. This book culminates in a decade of research, tasting, and testing countless teas and dishes and how they work together. But more than that, this is a book designed for us. For you. For the chef or restauranteur. Whichever angle one comes to tea service and pairing from, this book has something for you.

$50 | www.accartbooks.com | www.barnesandnoble.com | $48 CAD www.indigo.ca 

Okakura Kakuzo | The Book of Tea

For those who admire all things Japanese, The Book of Tea is considered the definitive book on Japanese tea culture and how it relates to Zen Buddhism, poetry, life, and art.  First published in 1906, it has gone through several editions. The current one contains a wonderful introduction and an extra chapter on America’s obsession with Japanese tea written by Bruce Richardson. Okakura Kakuzo was a fascinating character who traveled the world and influenced many creative thinkers at the dawn of the twentieth century and continues to do so today through his writings.

$26.95 | www.amazon.com 

A Social History of Tea

Jane Pettigrew’s A Social History of Tea

Acclaimed writer and tea historian Jane Pettigrew teamed up with American tea expert Bruce Richardson to chronicle the fascinating way tea has influenced British and American culture, community, and commerce. Pettigrew and Richardson take the reader on a remarkable journey that spans centuries and travels across the globe from Canton to London, Boston, and beyond. Perfect for the person who loves history and tea.

The author is a tea specialist, historian, writer, and consultant. Since 1983, she has been working worldwide to explain and share the fascinating world. Jane has written 17 books on tea’s many and varied aspects, its production, history, and culture, and she writes for tea-related magazines and journals.

 £19.00 | www.janepettigrew.com

Tea: A Nerd’s Eye View

Virginia Utermohlen | Tea: A Nerd’s Eye View

This is the perfect pick for the tea lover who revels in the science behind their favorite brews. Virginia Utermohlen Lovelace is a medical doctor who explains how the tongue perceives classic tastes, how aroma and flavor are linked, and many other intriguing processes of human flavor perception. This title was revised and expanded in October 2020.

$30.00 | www.amazon.com

Lady Patricia Farmer | Tea Under the Palms

If you or your friends have ever fantasized about being invited to tea at Downton Abbey (or Buckingham Palace), this book is for you. Lady Patricia Farmer has described the lush world of formal teas, in the style of the British upper classes, as exemplified by afternoon tea at her cherished Plaza Hotel in New York. This is not a book where tea evokes a sense of serenity and meditation. It is a book about luxuriating in tea and food. The ultimate gift for Afternoon Tea enthusiasts.

$17.59 | www.beaufortbooks.com 

Okakua Kakuzo | Meditations Coloring Book

In the Japanese tea ceremony, making and drinking a tea bowl is an act of respect, gratitude, and interconnectedness. It is about emptying your mind of cares as you enjoy one of life’s simplest pleasures. Meditations on Tea presents an adult coloring experience as soothing as a hot cup of your favorite tea blend. All aspects of Japanese art and culture are connected with tea. These traditions can be explored and enjoyed in a beautiful new coloring book for adults who color more than 90 traditional Japanese images celebrating life and giving it meaning. There are designs to suit every mood- from woodblock prints depicting Japanese life and myth to doodles with color for creative relaxation- all waiting for for your pencils’ artistic touch. This book contains reflections from The Book of Tea (see above) by Okakua Kakuzo (1862-1913), an ambassador, teacher, writer, and, at the time of his death, Curator of Chinese and Japanese Art at the Boston Museum who devoted his life to teaching, art, Zen, and the preservation of Japanese art and culture.

$7.95 | www.chapters.indigo.ca

Tea for Dummies

Lisa McDonald & Jill Rheinheimer | Tea for Dummies

Tea for Dummies is the ideal gift for tea novices. Written in a simple and easy-to-understand style, TFD demystifies the intimidating world of tea. It covers various topics, from the history of tea to the different kinds of teas and regions, as well as how to drink tea like a professional. There are even bonus sections on cooking with tea and tea cocktail recipes. This book will help any beginner develop a deep knowledge of tea and enhance their enjoyment of it.

$16.18 | www.dummies.com