Here you will find a growing list of books which have been recommended by our members. We hope that you will find here a book or books which will help your education and understanding of tea. Also if you have a book which you would like to recommend then please do so.
TEA CULTURES OF EUROPE: HERITAGE AND HOSPITALITY
The long-awaited book ‘Tea Cultures of Europe: Heritage and Hospitality’ edited by our member Professor Hartwig Bohne is now on sale.
Tea has its very own significance in every consumer’s life. However, above all, tea represents enjoyment, the ritual of preparation and the appreciation of the moment. In this sense, tea creates hospitality and peace, tea brings people together to talk and to make time for each other. Tea needs time, tea spends time.
In this pioneering book featuring hospitality embraced by tea culture, you will read of fascinating tea ceremonies, impressive tea china and comfortable tea houses as well as different national and regional tea-related habits in European countries.
Tea Cultures of Europe is written for tea lovers, educators and students, as well as industry practitioners (tea sommeliers, tea masters) and entrepreneurs.
First book about tea cultures and hospitality in Europe.
Insights about tea ceremonies, national traditions, tea china and history of tea in Europe.
Unique combination full of knowledge for tea lovers, educators, students and practitioners.
Dr. Hartwig Bohne is Professor of International Hotel Management with more than 25 years of working experience in hospitality, is focused on the European Tea Culture, founder of the "European Tea Culture Research Circle" and chair of the "Working Group of International Tea Tourism".
If you are a member, you can win a copy of this book. Check Competition on the Members Portal page
THE WORLD OF TEA
We are talking tea…..
The International Wine & Food Society are pleased to announce the release of their 2024 monograph ‘The World of Tea’ by Will Battle. As Will is an all-round expert on tea - a professional taster, author and a merchant of top-quality teas from around the world it was felt he was ideally suited to give an introduction to the world of tea.
Why tea? Although the IWFS is a wine and food society they believe that ‘tea’ needs further exploration. As it increasingly becomes part of the gastronomic scene, along with its diversity of styles and flavours, it is attracting the attention of new drinkers – including those keen to enjoy drinks that are lo-alcohol and those that bring health benefits and wellbeing. The similarities between tea and wine are numerous which may well also pique the interest of wine drinkers.
It is a handy, almost pocket-sized, booklet of 102 pages covering the key topics around tea - the history, cultivation and processing, where it is produced and how it is consumed around the globe. Practical tips about how to make tea are included along with the health benefits and some of the key retailers around the world. On the back cover, there is a fold-out illustration, which gives readers the ability to see, at a glance, the primary elements that differentiate each tea style.
Once read – references to shotty, tippy, oolong and pu-erh will simply trip off the tongue!!
The Monograph costs £9.99, for purchases, please contact Andrea Warren at the IWFS:
4 St James’s Square, London SW1Y 4JU, UK Tel:+ 44 (0)20 7827 5732 Email: sec@iwfs.org Instagram: iwfsglobal1933 X: @IWFSGlobal
Summary
The Tale of Tea is the saga of globalisation. Tea gave birth to paper money, the Opium Wars and Hong Kong, triggered the Anglo-Dutch wars and the American war of independence, shaped the economies and military history of Tang and Song China and moulded Chinese art and culture. Whilst black tea dominates the global market today, such tea is a recent invention. No tea plantations existed in the world's largest black tea producing countries, India, Kenya and Sri Lanka, when the Dutch and the English went to war about tea in the 17th century. This book replaces popular myths about tea with recondite knowledge on the hidden origins and detailed history of today's globalised beverage in its many modern guises.
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Summary
This book is a weighty tome (3.5 kilos!), but its sumptuous images and easy prose will draw you in, whether you are reading it as a book or dipping in bit by bit. e.g. ‘the mid-April sun is strong and bright over the rolling hills north of Fudong, close to the coast in Fujian. After recent rains, the air is clear and the light intense, and the tea growers here are paying close attention to the change in weather, because the sunlight is by far their main processing tool.’ Either for yourself or as a gift this is a wonderful about tea.
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Summary
A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR * Winner of Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards, Drink Book Award 2020 *
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Tea has been an integral part of Japanese culture for hundreds of years. In recent years curiosity about Japanese tea has grown around the world. Information about it in English has been fairly limited and quite sporadic. Japanese Tea: A Comprehensive Guide, first published in 2017 is the first comprehensive source about Japanese tea in English.
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Tea: A User’s Guide by Tony Gebely is a no-nonsense guide with structured and clear explanations about tea. It has all the basic information all tea lovers should know and it is a great introduction to the topic. Very helpful for tea lovers starting their journey into tea, but also a good reference to keep on hand. Practical, to the point, informative.
To read the full review please click HERE to download.