Book Review: Art of Tea

Art of Tea is a readable book that takes us through the author’s journey from despair to recovery and developing a successful tea business. On the first page, he reveals his philosophy: “tea is timeless, and it’s analog. It offers us a simple way to incorporate sensory experience and ritual in our daily lives.”

Schwartz had an idyllic childhood until his parents divorced when he was 12. Both parents refused to support the children, and a nasty divorce caused them to lose everything. He bounced around parents, boarding school and an older brother’s home, learning to earn money by cleaning houses, badly. After high school, he nursed his mother through terminal cancer and discovered yoga. Searching for meaning in his life, he discovered Ayurveda, an ancient holistic medical science from India. He spent the next years at the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque. Now he had a direction in life.

The author is a master storyteller, and the description of his early years is riveting. How many people, after all, go on their honeymoon considering two choices in life: becoming a rabbi or opening a tea business. The story of his early years with his business, Art of Tea, is equally riveting.

So the book is not really about tea, but about running a tea business. We journey with Schwartz through the opening days of his business, blending teas and botanicals in his living room. Then as he expanded the business, we learn about his philosophy of management, which stood him in good stead through COVID. We hear of his journeys sourcing tea, particularly in China. He has a knack for lively descriptions of the people and places he experienced.

If Schwartz is the star of the first part of the book, tea becomes the star in the second part. He describes the “tea mind.” Tea simultaneously enlivens and focuses the mind. He illustrates this principle with a number of interesting anecdotes about tea drinkers, both ancient and modern. He includes a chapter on the types and brewing of teas. Finally, he gives us recipes for drinks, mocktails, treats and desserts, all made with tea blends sourced from his company, Art of Tea.

Overall, this is a charming memoir written by a successful tea entrepreneur.