Tea [Hardcover]

Lydia Gautier (Author), Jean-Francois Maliet (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 26, 2006

Prepare for a richly exotic voyage across continents and centuries in this in-depth exploration of the world of tea. Like wine, tea has its own prestigious growing regions and plantations where are produced refined, noble, and modern varieties as distinctive as the terroir on which they are grown. This impressive volume follows the trade routes of the familiar yet mysterious tea leaf, from the origins of cultivation in China to Japan's legendary tea ceremony to the ritual of afternoon tea in the U.K. Practical advice describes the benefits of tea in the diet, the optimum brewing temperature, and precise measurements for steeping the perfect cup. Profiles of the Grand Crus of tea (32 worldwide varieties) plus recipes that pair well with tea or have tea as an ingredient are also featured. Rich and sumptuous photographs lead us through this ancient but still contemporary pursuit that reaches from remote Asian villages to exotic islands to today's modern cities. Tea is a book to be savored with all the senses.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

After graduating at the top of his class from the Ecole Supérieure de Cuisne, Jean-Francois Mallet went on to work with some of the great chefs. He is now a food and travel photographer. As in his previous books, he approaches gastronomy with the masterly touch of a great reporter. Mallet is a regular contributor to Saveur and Gourmet magazines.

Lydia Gautier is an agricultural engineer and graduate (specializing in tropical agronomy) of the Paris-Grignon National Agricultural Institute; she has worked in the world of oenology in France and Peru. She collaborated in the creation of the Ecole du Thé at the Palais de Thé in Paris, for which she has designed and led talks, tastings, and training for professionals in the perfume, cosmetics, hotel catering, and wine industries. She is currently pursuing her research into tea and ethnogastron

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; 1St Edition edition (October 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811856828
• ISBN-13: 978-0811856829
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 8.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #591,869 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Treat yourself to this book while sipping your favorite tea! February 12, 2008

By J.

Format:Hardcover

As a child, I thought tea was a rather nasty tasting drink, having only been exposed to harsh, bitter teas. But as I travelled the world, I found that there were many delicious teas available, and became a tea aficionado. It has been a great pleasure to watch as tea has become more popular in the USA, making a great many more teas and tea related products available -

------ Like this book!

I have browsed many books about tea, and purchased a few. None have been as satisfying as this book by Lydia Gautier. Each time I read a portion of this book, I was transported into the very relaxing world of tea. This book is not just another boring and dry approach to facts about tea. It brings the essence of tea to life. Gautier's love of tea shines through in the information she selected to present in the book, and the way it is presented. And accompanied all along the way by gorgeous photographs. Photographs of teas, tea ware, plantations, tea salons, people enjoying their tea, etc. - all of the photographs drawing you in to the point where you can almost smell the fragrance of the tea infusing or of the leaves being picked.

The book covers the history of tea, the properties of tea, tea varieties, tea tasting, relationships between tea, coffee, wine and perfume, types of teas, addresses of a few select tea rooms around the world, and even recipes for various tea beverages and foods. All of the information is presented in a captivating manner.

This is one book about tea that you will want to read more than once!!!!

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Resource September 14, 2007

By Shawn Geitner

Format:Hardcover

I received this book as a gift from my husband and it has turned out to be a very helpful resource. The author gives an interesting and well researched history of tea as well as thorough descriptions of various types of teas and their regions. The section on tea tasting is well presented. As a tea business owner I refer to it often.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and informative June 7, 2007

By R. Golladay

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this book, along with other tea books, as a gift. I was so impressed by this one, I had to buy one for myself as well!
The book itself has an impressive weight and is filled with glorious pictures on thick pages. I keep it out to invite my guests to flip through it on the coffee (tea) table.

I would recommend this book to anyone at all. It was great fun to read and I feel like I gained a good basic knowledge about all the aspects of tea.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars For the Budding Tea-Taster October 29, 2009

By Jason Anthony Witt

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is a great encouragement to one who wishes to develop their palette in appreciation of tea. It's a hefty volume full of big photos and tons of info about the sensory experience of tea.

Curiously, it doesn't have an index. I wondered about that. I like to judge a tea book by what it says about Puerh, and this one doesn't do too bad a job.

A couple Puerhs are mentioned as Grand Cru teas to be tasted, along with 34 others. So the book passes the test as being rather complete.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful addition to any tea lover's library ! April 21, 2012

By Christopher Barrett TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I must say that I was very surprised by this book. It was available only from 3rd party sellers (I paid $8 + shipping from Goodwill Bay Area). My copy arrived in great condition and I have to say the content exceeded my expectations.

First, it is a large book. I saw the dimensions on the product description, but I guess I wasn't thinking too hard about it, because it's a hefty size and almost 200 pages. The pictures are amazing. It's actually worth the price for the photos alone. I would say that 1/2 of the page content is devoted to pictures leaving nearly 1/2 (or a little less) as text. It's very concise yet nicely descriptive.

I love love love that the author took many pages to showcase and describe the methods of tea consumption around the globe. From China to Japan to Russia to England to Lebanon. Many of the accompanying pictures are so artistic that I find myself looking at them as if this were an art book (see some of my customer images).

This book celebrates tea as a part of live, as something to be shared with others. Most of the pages include at least one picture with a person or people in it. The few pictures of only the tea and leaves are in the tasting notes and tea type sections. It makes for a very lively style of book - almost organic in a way.

The writing is polished and fluid. The author doesn't spend too long on each topic and she moves along at a steady pace. My favorite parts of this book were the Affinities of tea (especially tea and wine) and the tasting notes which have suggested complimentary food pairings. All in all this is a broad book which discusses tea in an almost wine appreciation style.... As with wine, this is a product grown from the earth and with different styles and flavors from the various growing regions. For example, the author discusses the similarities in social drinking of wine and tea then discusses the idea of terroir and tea (terroir being a subject mostly associated with wine - it refers to the site where the plant is grown and all the influences upon it).

The sections are listed below with the starting page number in parenthesis:

I - A History of Tea
(10) China the birthplace of tea
(24) Green tea crosses the Sea of Japan
(36) Caravans of tea bricks head out to Central Asia and the Middle and Near East
(44) Red tea reaches the shores of Britain
(60) Green tea opens a new gateway to Africa
(66) Contact with the West brings aromatization of tea

II - Alchemy of Tea
(74) Agronomy: from plant to cup
(106) The beneficial properties of tea

III - Tea Tasting
(112) Revealing the aromatic bouquet
(126) The language of tea
(136) Tasting the 32 grand cru teas

IV - The Subtle Affinities of Tea
(152) Tea, coffee, and cocoa
(164) Tea and wine
(178) Tea and perfume

V - Address Book
(184) Specialist tea rooms and tea merchants in the great capital cities of the world
(191) Acknowledgments

*I highly recommend this book as a stellar addition to any tea lover's library. Also read on some brief reviews of other tea books I own. My full reviews can be found under each of the amazon product links.

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The Tea Drinker's Handbook - 5 stars
I really like that the authors picked what they consider the 50 best teas in the world and highlighted production, style, tasting notes, and brewing tips for each of these teas. The text also highlights tea growth and production in various countries. We can read on Japanese production of green tea and their method of steaming to preserve the grassy fresh aromas or production from Brazil made to emulate Japanese Sencha. The entire world of tea is covered at least in mention, from the Azores to Cameroon, to Taiwan, China, India, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and beyond! The book does not spend too much time on the history of tea other than to mention the origin legend, and the expansion of tea from China. There is a fair amount spent on the cultivation of the tea plant and the life cycle of the tree as well as touching on possible origins based on wild tea trees (all but gone now... most wild tea trees were cultivated at some time in the last 1300 years). This is one of the finest educational tea books I have read.

Tea: History, Terroirs, Varieties - 5 stars
This text would be worth purchasing for the pictures and the scientific analyses contained within. The caffeine chart alone makes one ponder the myth that white and green tea have lower caffeine than wulong and black tea. What I really liked about this book was that each section seemed to contain a good amount of content on the topic without going into overkill. Production is described for each style in a very concise manner, but each step is explained so that the reader understands production even if this is the first tea book they have read. There are some tasting notes on particular teas the authors have chosen. But probably the best aspect of this book and the one that lends the most credibility is the periodic inclusion of interviews with tea growers, harvesters, buyers, and sellers.

The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide - 4 stars
This is a rather large and bulky text on tea. There is a lot of good information, and I would consider this the runner up to The Tea Drinker's Handbook. The writing is very nice, descriptions very well conveyed, and the pictures are pretty nice. The main issue is the format and layout. There is a lot of information, but finding things really takes a lot of digging. It is laid out more like a 'book' and less like a 'text'. If you know what I mean. It's more narrative in style, though it is educational, it lends itself to reading in order rather than flipping to a pertinent section that you might enjoy.

The Tea Enthusiast's Handbook: A Guide to the World's Best Teas - 4 stars
This is another text that I enjoy and rate highly, though it falls short on content compared to The Story of Tea or The Tea Drinker's Handbook. It makes for a nice and quick reference and is pretty well written and laid out well.

Way of Tea - 4 stars
An oddly translated book that nonetheless contains some nice stories. For less than a dollar used it's worth adding to the collection. But the translation is pretty horrific in places. Especially with tea names and styles. It is more of a guide to the history, story of, and serving of tea. I actually gave it five stars in my review though based on it being more of a fun addition to the tea library and a great value.

The New Tea Companion - 3 stars
A book with good illustrations, but rather lacking in overall depth. It does describe various teas and shows the leaf and the color of the brewed liquid. Of course this is not very helpful in the long run for adding to knowledge of tea. I doubt many people who buy the book will be blind tasting tea in order to ascertain the origin. But it's nice to refer to every now and again. It's rather unnecessary though if you own any other thorough tea book.

The Art and Alchemy of Chinese Tea - 1 star
A very one dimensional text that touts high mountain oolong as the only tea worth drinking. Much of the book is reprints from the author's newsletter and blog. Also a very rude and condescending reference to the Japanese tea ceremony was in very poor taste. Look elsewhere for a better tea book.

And there are others, but these seem to be the most popular and widely available texts on the world of tea as a whole. And I am familiar with these. There are others, many that I have flipped through in Powell's that are not worth even mentioning here. Too many focus on the British style of tea and spend a lot of time on Indian tea and tea etiquette in the English style. Others focus too heavily on the Eastern tea ceremonies and overlook India, Sri Lanka, and other tea producing countries.

And I also highly highly recommend the documentary All In This Tea. So brew a pot of your favorite and enjoy! Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice for watching AND reading August 30, 2009

By Mariano German Aita

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

it is so nice to read the book or just glance at it while you are drinking actually some real tea, great pictures from all over the world and some piece of cool information...
dont regret buying this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Probably the Best Tea-Book in the World June 17, 2009

By Andy M.

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The book is just perfect. Large format, highest quality of paper and printing. Exciting visual expression by fantastic photos. Very wide observation spectrum with detailed, but not boring, stories.

Touching many tea-related books I would say that this one satisfies my expectations most close to ideal. The only thing I miss a little bit - few more details on Chinese Tea and Gongfu Tea Ceremony - this part might be extended, for sure.