beautiful ( )

As reviews elsewhere have pointed out, this is an editorial failure now compounded by being dated (as far as concerns cultivars, production, and what is available on the US market). The botanical parts, and the specifics re: farming, harvesting, and processing are actually pretty interesting, and the photographs are quite lovely. But there are aspects repeated over and over, tea characteristics not at all described or explained, and except for one very general world map, there are no detailed maps of the growing regions which figure heavily throughout the prose: essentially, one has to have maps/atlases of China, India, Japan, or Sri Lanka open to have any idea where these authors are talking about.

This is an infomercial with some nice highlights, and a decent "Encyclopedia of Tea". Meh. ( )

The Story of Tea is a beautiful piece of work, valuable to all tea lovers. Many gorgeous photographs suggest the cultivative art, while a strong discussion of production methods in various regions is the real heart of the book. For those interested in a description of production down to the village level, this is one of the few works that will provide it. This section is followed by a longish chapter called "Journeying along the tea trail," which is both meandering and somewhat redundant, while at the same time providing many interesting vignettes. By the finish of these two parts, the reader will have a decent knowledge of which regions produce the more famous teas, and why. With that said, I was disappointed by the rather spare, even perfunctory, history of tea, trade and the tea trade's role in the world economic system. As for the "drinking guide" section of the book, I much prefer the author's better known "The Tea Enthusiast's Handbook: A Guide to the World's Best Teas." Moreover, the structure of the book lends itself to overlap, leading to duplication of information. Even given these deficiencies, I consider The Story of Tea to be a must read for anyone seeking knowledge about the worlds most popular beverage. It remains the best single volume concerning all things tea-related. ( )

One of the most comprehensive resources on tea. This book has it all. From the production of tea in different regions to distinguishing various varieties to even cooking with tea, this book contains literally everything that relates to tea. Its in-depth treatment of the various countries and their tea cultures is one of my favorite sections as well as the section that thoroughly discusses the production of various styles of tea. ( )

The Story of Tea was written by Mary Lou Heiss and Robert J. Heiss. It was published in 2007 by Ten Speed Press. It is mainly a history and how-to book instead of a cookbook. However, there are several dessert recipes that require tea as an ingrediant. I love this book. It is fun to peruse with your morning coffee or evening hot chocolate. Also, I learned a lot about the tea trade business.

The contents this 417 page book are divided into sections on the history of tea, life of a tea bush. Manufacture, tea trail, brewing the perfect cup, tea customs and culture, health benefits of tea, ethics in the tea trade and cooking with tea. As you can deduce, this book has information on everything tea. I am mainly intersted in the recipes, though. All require tea leaves, not brewed tea. I made the Indian Black Tea, Corn and Mushroom Tea. In addition I made the Lapsang Souchong and Jasmine Tea Ice Cream. All of the ingrediant are easy to find and the mixing directions are simple. Beginning cooks can make these recipes. The soup was delicious but the ice cream did not taste good. If your not interested in the recipes, this book could be a coffee table book.

The Story of Tea is the best book on tea that I have seen to date. I highly recommend it. ( )