The Tea Enthusiast's Handbook: A Guide to Enjoying the World's Best Teas
Making the perfect cuppa is not as easy as it may sound. How hot should the water be? How long should the tea steep? What kind of tea should be used in the first place? All pertinent tea-making questions are answered in knowlegeable, bouyant prose in this handy guide. The authors take readers along as they “explore the world of premium tea”; premium tea, once unknown in the West, is now very popular in the U.S. (“Tea,” by the way, is “the most widely consumed beverage on the planet after water” and “still proudly maintains its title as the world’s oldest beverage.”) Guidance is extended to purchasing and steeping tea, but the in-depth discussions of the properties and particular pleasures of the six classes of tea dominate most of the book’s pleasurable pages. Information on tea storage and a glossary round out this excellent introduction to a special world. --Brad Hooper