Product DescriptionMore and more people are turning to tea as their primary hot beverage, and connoisseurs are discovering the wondrous range of flavors to be found in different varieties from around the globe--some of which command fantastic prices and are in great demand. This comprehensive, authoritative guide to understanding, purchasing, and serving the world's finest teas is beautifully illustrated with full-color photographs of a variety of tea leaves and herbs, as well as their countries of origin. Learn how to store tea so its aromas last, brew it properly for fullest enjoyment, and appreciate the many nuances of flavor to be found in this extraordinary drink.
What Others Say
Look for newer edition
The 2008 updated edition is now available with 30 new teas photographed and reviewed. The world of tea information has changed tremendously over the past four years and the 2008 edition is more up-to-date than the 04 and 05 editions.The New Tea Companion
Best tea book I've seen
This tea guide has a comprehensive history of tea and general preparation instructions. But the most valuable part is the Global Tea Directory, a region-by-region guide to the teas of the world by country, by variety, detailing the characteristics of each, the exact brewing times and temperatures, and recommendations.
The Addresses pages provide mail-order and online sources for high-quality tea.
If you only get one tea reference, this would be the one.
Great Beginner Tea Book
I ordered both The Tea Companion (Connoisseur's Guides) and Tea Basics: A Quick and Easy Guide by Wendy Rasmuseen. The Tea Companion (Connoisseur's Guides) is by far the better book. While Tea Basics had a little more information about the history of tea, Tea Companion still covers the highlights. Also, Tea Companion is filled with great images on high quality pages. But my favorite part of the book by far was the last section which had recommended types of tea with images of the tea as well as a description and suggestions for brewing (time, temp, with/without milk, etc) and use (morning tea, special occasion, evening, etc). That is a section I know I will be flipping through again and again, at the very least to make sure my tea "wish list" always has some goodies on it!
Wonderful!
Hands down, this is one of my favorite Tea books. It is easy to read and the information is extremely helpful to those just beginning their Tea journey like myself. I highly recommend The Tea Companion (Connoisseur's Guides) to anyone who wants to learn more about the history, process, and types of Tea.
Superb Tea Primer
I recently have fallen in love with loose-leaf tea. It has become so much of an obsession that I have given my coffee maker away, and designated a space on our kitchen counter the "Tea Zone".
In my quest for more knowledge about tea, I found the Tea Companion. It has a great concise introduction to tea, including history, production and appreciation. The second part of the book contains regional information, which I found very interesting.
The Tea Companion (Connoisseur's Guides) is a must read for anybody who is interested in loose-leaf teas. Gotta Run; My Russian Caravan awaits.
