Wife wants a nice looking book on teas. Thought you guys could help?

[_MementoMori_]

I hesitate to say "coffee table book" on tea, because somehow that just sounds wrong. Haha.

Anyway, she wants a nice looking book about tea for her birthday. I got her into teas last year with a nice tetsubin, Yixing pot, and matcha bowl/set. Thanks in advance for any assistance!

D'oh! I accidentally posted this on the tobacco forum! Thanks for moving me, mods.

 

[SiBurning]

I looked at a lot of tea book reviews when I was doing the ShaveWiki Tea FAQ and ended up getting three.

The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide (Heiss & Heiss) is a great all-around book. It has excellent, in depth practical information about making and drinking tea, as well as historical and cultural information with lots of pretty pictures. It would do nicely on the coffee table, but will also serve you well by the tea tray. The one area where it falls short is the short cultural coverage outside of Asia/India.

The same authors also wrote The Tea Enthusiast's Handbook, which is a condensed version focused on the practical side of making and drinking tea, and they include additional practical information not available in the larger book. Both are exactly what you'd expect for these (very different) kinds of books.

The other good candidate is Tea: Aromas and Flavors Around the World which takes a much broader cultural approach--including some interesting samovar pictures--but also has much less depth and practical information. With the emphasis on culture and interesting pictures, this one's likely to remain on the coffee table.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention The Book of Tea. (wikipedia) Probably not what you're looking for, but could be a conversation piece if you could find an actual hard copy, especially an original (from around 1906).

 

[nff]

if you can find it for a good price (>$20) pick up James norwood pratt's "the ultimate tea lovers treasury. its got pretty pictures and is quite a good read.