Tea Basics: A Quick and Easy Guide (Paperback)

~ Wendy Rasmussen (Author), Ric Rhinehart (Author) "In colloquial English, the word tea has a broad variety of definitions and uses..." (more)
Key Phrases: orthodox manufacture, orthodox teas, tea accessories, United States, James Prinz, Taster's Notes (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

A no-nonsense guide to the dizzying variety of teas available in shops and restaurants today.

Tea is quickly following coffee into the beverage spotlight. Before you get to the counter of that trendy cafe, be sure you know the basics. In this concise and accessible guide, you'll get a straightforward introduction to the fundamentals of fine tea.

The authors—industry insiders in the tea biz—demystify the world of tea, giving insights into tea's botanical origins and history, as well as its varieties, processing, and grading. Tea Basics also offers tips for tea appreciation.

Includes a tea taster's glossary and a list of mail-order sources for great tea.

• The latest of a series which includes: Wine Basics, Beer Basics, and Coffee Basics.

Wendy Rasmussen and Richard Rhinehart (Garden Grove, California), a husband and wife team, frequently write together for journals in the tea industry. Rasmussen writes for The Tea Quarterly, Tea and Coffee Trade Journal, and Fancy Food. Rhinehart is Tea and Coffee Specialist for Cafe Au Lait, Inc., and designs menus for top restaurants including The Peninsula Beverly Hills. He is also the director of The American Premium Tea Institute (APTI).

From the Publisher

Tea is quickly following coffee into the beverage spotlight. In this concise and accessible guide, you'll get a straightforward introduction to the fundamentals of fine tea. The authors--industry insiders--demystify the world of tea, giving insights into tea's botanical origins and history, as well as its varieties, processing, and grading. Tea Basics also offers tips for tea appreciation.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (December 7, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471185183
• ISBN-13: 978-0471185185
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #191,421 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for the Tea Beginner, January 4, 2002

By A Customer

This book impressed me. It is easy to read, has a personal feel, and covers all of the basics (what tea is, history, where it is produced, how to brew it, tea tasting, tea ceremonies, etc). Many resources are listed in the back. I have five books on tea so far (a beginner), and this is my favorite. If you only want one book on tea, this is my recommendation. The health section is pretty basic, so if that interests you, you might want to also look at a health-related tea book (green tea). This book describes the general regions, whereas the Tea Companion book describes the individual tea gardens (which may or may not be useful to you.)

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An okay book, March 1, 2008

By	A. Zimmermann "aug3zimm" (Texas, United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I ordered both this book and The Tea Companion: A Connoisseur's Guide by Jane Pettigrew . Though I read this book first, I was most impressed by Tea Companion. Tea Basics seemed to have a bit more depth when talking about the history of tea, but it disappointed me most was the end. I had hoped to learn more about specific types of tea, but instead the author tells how to plan and execute a tea party. Not something I care about in the least and for something that (to me) is so insignificant, I found that too much time was given to the information.

All in all, not a bad book, but you can really do better. Check out Pettigrew's book. I would have been happier just getting that one alone.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great starter book on tea, May 5, 2007

By	T. Ryan (Tucson, AZ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

To try to prevent my niece from spending all of her time in college going to starb%#ks I recently put together a care package of tea brewer, a few starter books on tea, and some nice loose leaf teas in tins. Going through the recently published books on tea I found this one which is a nice paperback book on tea basics. It has a little filler but covers all of the fundamentals in a concise way, a brief history of camellia sinensis, where it is grown today, grades, types, how the market for tea works, tea vocabulary, some pros/cons on how to brew, and has a nice list of tea resources appended to the back. It even has a good brief description on how to cure a new yixing pot. I like it when a "book on basics" is done well for a topic, and this one is in that category. Not a lot of pretty pictures here... just some good basic information on tea. Throw in Okakura Kakuzo, one of the paperbacks by Diana Rosen and you have yourself a nice present to give someone just starting out with tea. WARNING to tea novices, this stuff is addicting and before you know it you will have an assortment of kettles cups and pots, thermometers, scales, infusers, tins and a dogeared copy of John Blofeld's book. You have been warned.