Lydia Gautier’s “Tea: Exotic Flavors and Aromas” is the National Geographic of all tea books! It is suitable for any coffee (TEA) table in the world, whether in the breakfast nook of a cottage on Martha’s Vineyard or resting on a foyer table in a manor home in England’s Hertfordshire.
The black and white photographs interspersed with the vividly colored pictures are breathtakingly beautiful – thanks to photographer Jean-Francois Mallet’s good eye for subject matter. Paired with Ms. Gautier’s informative text, tea aficionados will find the visual impact and written word riveting. Non-tea drinkers will find the historical and cultural details seductively interesting as well.
The book is quite large, which does the author and photographer justice. Mr. Mallet’s close-ups are exquisite – real works of art. You won’t need a looking glass to examine the details of the pictures, as the publisher generously gave full two-page spreads to the photographs that could not be contained on a single leaf. Who knew the curled and rolled buds of the Camellia sinensis bush could make such a captivating still life?
Go ahead. Splurge. This book is a must-have for your collection. You will enjoy many cups of tea looking over this masterful volume.
5 stars.
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If you’re living in the USA then you may be interested in TeaMap.com. They list all the tea shops and tea rooms across the US.
Find your nearest.
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This tea book
is pretty, but not that exciting. Despite its attractive photos the volume falls short – not so much because there is anything innately “wrong” with it, but rather because it pales in comparison to its competitors in the tea book niche.
It’s not a comprehensive almanac of tea trivia and it’s not a tea table book with breathtaking photos. Because of its title, “Having Tea: Recipes and Table Settings,” you might expect a book that flaunts its tablescapes – real innovative table displays or traditional settings done right with exquisite pottery, linens, utensils and themes. But instead, you are left feeling rather ho-hum, disappointed that there is very little inspiration for new décor ideas for the up-and-coming tea society season.
It’s almost like “Having Tea” went to press before it was finished. Did the deadline arrive and the publisher say, “That’s good enough”? With just a little more research, Ms. Foley could have seen what her fellow tea book authors were up to and tried to address the deficits. The recipes were run-of-the-mill for the most part. In this day of global accessibility and a plethora of communication devices, surely Ms. Foley could have tapped her resources and gotten some recipes to pique the interest of her tea savvy readers. It was not a bad book, just uninspiring.
3 Stars
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“The Harney & Sons Guide to Tea” by master tea blender Michael Harney is suitable for the hard-core tea merchant, as a reference book for a culinary professor, or for the tea connoisseur whose hobby borders on a fetish.
The book does not bother itself with pretty pictures of lovely Victorian tea sets, but instead focuses on the analytical facets of tea: the best environment for growing Camellia sinensis, the ideal time and temperature for brewing a particular type of tea, what the dry leaves or tea buds look like, how the liquor appears when it is made properly, and what to expect from the tea’s aroma. For example, Mr. Harney describes one of China’s most famous black teas, Keemum Mao Fengke, as having hints of “light notes of chocolate or cocoa with the suggestion of ripe apricots.”
Such a book would be helpful if you ever participate in a tea tasting or food pairing or are trying to train your palate to detect the nuances of different teas. The volume dispenses trivia as well that would be of interest to tea buffs and Trivial Pursuit or Jeopardy game show addicts. On the back cover, Mr. Harney writes:
“You can’t judge a tea by its name: Consider Orange Pekoe. “Orange’ stands for the Dutch Royal House of Orange and once indicated tea of a quality suitable for its monarchs. ‘Pekoe’ is a mispronunciation of the Chinese words ‘bai hao’ – bai meaning white and hao meaning tippy or downy. ‘Pekoe’ may have once meant tippy tea, but the ancient word has long since lost its original meaning.”
The book is probably not for the general population, but is ideal for those have raised the bar on their relationship with tea.
4½ stars.
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One of my favourite US tea merchants has started offering free shipping to people up to the 25 of April with this coupon code: MOMSGIFT! This is perfect timing to take advantage of one of their Mothers Day gift sets.
They have a great range on offer from special Tea Lovers Gift collections to Spring Blossom Tea sets (pic). All you need is this coupon code – MOMSGIFT – and a mother who loves tea!
Mother’s Day Tea Gifts
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With Pu Erh tea spending anything from days to years underground you’d expect this fermentation process to produce some health benefit. We having brought together scientific papers, research and advice I find out the truth.
What did I find?
Pu erh tea has been drunk in china as a tonic for digestion. Far more so than any other tea. In traditional Chinese medicine it is believed to have high levels of Qi (chi) which helps to flush the body of toxins.
Yunnan Natural Medicine Research Institute in China found it to have a significant impact against cancer cells of the throat and mouth.
In another cancer study they found a side effect of the consumption of pu erh caused a reduction in weight, lowered cholesteral and lower triacylglycerol levels.
Pretty good and it makes a dam nice cup of tea too.
My recommendations…
A great tea brick called
Horse Pu-erh (2002)
is available from Mighty Leaf Tea.
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I swear it wasn’t this cold when I went to bed but tea in the morning is perfect at warming you up enough to cope with the rigors of the outside world.
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Twinnings of Canada is one of the most active in this international tea merchants branches. I’ve heard mumblings that Canadians like tea almost as much as the English in fact.
Then I read this news story from the Montreal Gazette…
I was at the Georges Vanier station, walking down to the platform to catch the Orange Line to Lionel Groulx. On the second flight of stairs were two items of debris: a potato chip and a used tea bag. ~ Source
What?! WHAT?! A used tea bag discarded in a metro station. Its akin to leaving a baby under a car or a basket of puppies on a cliff edge. What on earth possessed this dysfunctional Canadian to discard their tea bag in the metro?? I say dysfunctional with the utmost certainty that this person wasn’t of sound mind. Either that or they could be…
French Canadian!
I’ve heard stories about the French Canadians. They want independence and have no regard for tea. I can only hope this isn’t the start of a terrible terrible decline in Canada’s love of tea.
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I never used to be a fan of glass tea cups until I tried them for the first time. Being able to see the tea infuse and the rich colours and whisps through the wall of the cup is refreshing in itself! Here’s just 5 of my favourite glass tea cups and sets.
Frosted Blown Glass Tea Cup
These small glass tea cups are a fantastic addition to your favourite teapot. They were hand-crafted using a technique that adds small bubbles in the bottom of the glass cup. The bubble patterns are unique from cup to cup and makes each one an exceptional tea cup. This is art, but also a functional glass tea cup that you can enjoy for years.
You’d think something this delightful and delicate looking couldn’t cope without kid gloves but its fully dishwasher safe.
Only available at Teavana.
Bodum Insulated Glass Tea Cups
Glass is a poor conductor of heat anyway so glass tea cups often keep your tea warmer for longer. These insulated glass tea cups from Bodum have a double wall though which means your tea stays hot for much longer. They come with a stainless steel saucer too and being glass blown they look great and show off the tea brilliantly.
From Shop.com.
Petit Fleur Suspendu Glass Tea Cup Set
These wonderful cups have an almost fragile appearance, but the borosilicate glass they are made of is strong and durable. They have a pocket of air between the inner glass wall and outer glass wall to insulate the tea and keep it hot. These are similar in shape to the Bodum cups but they have a wonderfully light printed floral pattern on the outside. It is just enough to show flowers when tea is in the cup. They come as a set of 4 5oz cups.
From Teavana.
Japanese White Pebble Glass Tea Cup
These cups are all the way from Japan and hand-made by a famous artesian glass blowing workshop. These unique glass tea cups have a circle of white dots around the rim for a unique finishing touch. They are all mouth blown glass cups, so each is a completely unique tea cup that you will treasure for a lifetime. It is a great way to start your own tea set and I have some myself!
From Teavana.
Basic Glass Tea Cup and Saucer
This is a nice basic but stylish glass tea cup with matching saucer. Made of tempered glass, which is very sturdy and able to withstand high temperatures and dishwashers. These tea cups are great to have as your everyday cups with a low cost and simple design.
Adagio Teas.
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Apologies for the delay in posting recently but I went away to Barcelona for a few days. I had a fantastic time but I’m really happy to be back where they make proper tea!!
I knew I was in a tea-hostile country when I received my tea in the form of a cup of luke warm water with a folorn tea bag floating in the top. Te con leche was most definitely not the same tea with milk I was used to in the UK.
Other than that Barcelona was a beautiful city and I’ll be going back as soon as I get the opportunity.
Normal posting shall resume with vigour over the next day or so.
Thanks for your patience. 
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