Jane Pettigrew’s World of Tea
Jane Pettigrew is director of studies at the UK Tea Academy and, in 2016, was awarded the British Empire Medal for Services to Tea Production and Tea History. This book covers more than 60 tea-producing countries, explaining their history, terroirs, various cultivars, manufacturing processes, types, local tea culture, and rituals.
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.
$59.95 | www.barnesandnoble.com
Kevin Gascoyne | Tea: History, Terroirs, Varieties
Considered a basic for a tea book library, this gorgeous volume is by the chef-owners of Quebec’s Camellia Sinensis Tea House. It covers history, farming techniques, and tea culture, among other subjects. You can buy it directly from the Tea House’s website, which is in French, under “Cadeaux Pour Debutants” (Gifts for Beginners).
About the author: “My introduction to tea was unspoken and visceral. Humble mugs of the strong, milked ‘builder’s tea’ of my youth in the North of England still fill me with nostalgic pleasure whenever I’m in the U.K. My body chemistry has never been without the magic nectar.” Taster Sensation Kevin Gascoyne
$20.29 | Barnes & Noble | www.camellia-sinensis.com
Roy Fong | The Great Teas of China
The new edition of Roy Fong’s classic book is far from being just a reprint. As Fong points out in the preface, not only has the tea industry in China changed dramatically in the ten years since the first edition was published, but, inspired by input from readers worldwide, much more is included about water, teaware, and the brewing process.
About the author: At age 6, on his way to school, Roy Fong would linger at a Hong Kong food stand where day laborers were making gongfu cha. Sometimes someone would offer him a cup, and he never forgot the wonderful aroma and taste. Roy Fong: A Chinese-American Journey
$19.95 | www.imperialtea.com
Virginia Utermohlen | Tea: A Nerd’s Eye ViewThis 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.
$27.53 | www.amazon.com
Harney Sons Guide to Tea
The Harney & Sons | Guide to Tea
This highly rated 2008 volume by Michael Harney, tea buyer and blender at the family firm for more than 20 years, discusses the range of teas, how each tea has its particular tastes and qualities, and how geography, cultivation, and production techniques influence these. Brewing instructions for many types of teas are featured.
About the author: In 1998, Michael Harney became the tea taster for Harney & Sons. This book is what he has learned. The Harney & Sons Guide to Tea transforms tea drinkers into tea experts. Written by Michael Harney, The Harney & Sons Guide to Tea is an illuminating resource for tea drinkers interested in developing and refining their palate and understanding of the complex agricultural, historical, and cultural significance.
$48.55 | www.harney.com
M Ravindran and S Aggarwall | An Elephant Kissed My Window
An Elephant Kissed my Window and other stories from the tea plantations of South India by Saaz Aggarwal and M Ravindran. This book is part memoir, part history of life spent as a tea planter in the Nilgiri hills in south India. Written by veteran planter M Ravindran and Saaz Aggarwal, a daughter of a planter, it’s one of the few books set in this part of the world of tea.
INR 500 ($6.78) | www.amazon.in
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 your pencils’ artistic touch.
About the author: Okakua Kakuzo (1862-1913) devoted his life to teaching, art, Zen, and the preservation of Japanese art and culture, working as an ambassador, teacher, writer, and, at the time of his death, as the Curator of Chinese and Japanese Art at the Boston Museum.
$7.95 | www.chapters.indigo.ca
