Tea (Hardcover)

by Lydia Gautier (Author), Jean-Francois Maliet (Photographer)
Key Phrases: drink from small porcelain, tawny shoots, infused leaf, Liquor Color, Sri Lanka, Mainland China Tea (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
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.

About the Author
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 ethnogastronomy in Mali, where she has lived for the past three years. 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.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (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 (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #114,456 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 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. - See all my reviews

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!!!!

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

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

By	R. Hateley (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Resource, September 14, 2007

By	Shawn Geitner "Tampa's Tea Lady" (Brewhaha Tea Company) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.