Tea - 3rd Edition by Kevin Gascoyne & Francois Marchand & Jasmin Desharnais & Hugo Americi (Paperback)

About the Book

"A guide to history of tea throughout Asia, its origins, and its popularization across the world. Complete with recipes using tea as ingredients and suggestions on pairing tea with food."--

Book Synopsis

An updated edition of the "World's Best Tea Book" acclaimed by the 2014 World Tea Awards.

This widely praised bestseller has been updated to incorporate the changing tastes of tea drinkers, developments in production, the impact of climate change, and an expanded and more highly developed tea market. This third edition improves Tea with this revised and extended content plus new photographs.

TeaTime Magazine called Tea "the reference work we've been waiting for", noting its value to students.

Library Journal praised Tea as a "definitive guide to tea (that) will appeal to die-hard tea enthusiasts."

Tea House Times found Tea "impressive, well researched, and complete."

Tea takes readers on an escorted tour of the world's tea-growing countries -- China, Japan, Taiwan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Vietnam and East Africa -- where they will discover how, like a fine wine, it is "terroir" (soil and climate) that gives a tea its unique characteristics.

The authors own the popular Camellia Sinensis Tea House in Montreal which imports teas directly from producers in these countries. Each author focuses on specific tea regions where they travel every year to work with growers and producers, discover new teas and keep abreast of developments that might, for example, remove a tea from the tea house's menu.

The book covers black, green, white, yellow, oolong, pu'er, perfumed, aromatic and smoked teas and includes:

• An overview of the history of tea
• Tea families, varieties, cultivars and grades
• How tea is grown, harvested and processed
• The tea trade worldwide
• Profile interviews with tea industry personalities.

Special features that loyal tea drinkers will especially enjoy are:

• Local tastes and methods of preparing tea (e.g. macha)
• Tasting notes and infusion accessories
• Teapot recommendations
• Caffeine, antioxidant and biochemical properties of 35 teas
• 15 gourmet recipes using tea
• A directory of 42 select teas.

Review Quotes

For fellow connoisseurs, I recommend checking out Tea: History, Terroirs, Varieties. It is an updated edition of the acclaimed world's best tea book. The new information includes the changing tastes of tea drinkers, developments in production, the impact of climate change, and the expanded and more highly developed tea market.-- "Daily Star" (11/21/2022 12:00:00 AM)

[Review for previous edition: ] (An) in-depth look at various aspects of this widely consumed beverage.... Photographs appear on almost every page.--Terry Peters "North Shore News" (9/1/2014 12:00:00 AM)

[Review for previous edition: ] A heavily illustrated compendium on non-herbal tea, rich in anti-oxidants and with proven medical benefits... The four writers of this book own The Camellia Sinensis Tea House in Montreal and work as tasters, traveling the world looking for teas... Topics include a primer on tea, varieties, processing, cultivars, making-serving-tasting tea, tea ceremonies, and tea in cooking (with 15 recipes by Quebecois chefs)... The downside to this book: nothing, really -- it is a very comprehensive book.The upside to this book: great pictures and layout.--Dean Tudor "Gothic Epicures" (1/2/2012 12:00:00 AM)

[Review for previous edition: ] A pretty and enjoyable book with an affordable price and some practical uses for tea-drinkers.-- "Reference and Research Book News" (10/1/2012 12:00:00 AM)

[Review for previous edition: ] Beautifully illustrated... While there is no shortage of tea-related tomes, this definitive guide will appeal to die-hard tea enthusiasts interested in learning about the modern, global industry as well as the history and enjoyment of this ubiquitous beverage.--Rosemarie Lewis, Georgetown County Library "Library Journal" (1/15/2012 12:00:00 AM)

[Review for previous edition: ] The reference work we've been waiting for has arrived: a comprehensive, but not-too-weighty, one-volume coverage of the world's teas, abundantly and beautifully illustrated with photos of exceptional quality, fascinating graphs, and fairly good maps. The organization of this huge body of factual material will make students most grateful.--James Norwood Pratt "TeaTime" (4/1/2012 12:00:00 AM)

[Review for previous edition: ] This book is quite impressive, well researched, and complete with numerous photographs illustrating the beauty and wonder of tea and tea processing around the world. Interesting and enjoyable.-- "Tea House Times" (4/1/2012 12:00:00 AM)

[Review of previous edition: ] This remarkably detailed guide examines the history and culture of tea, regional varieties, cultivation techniques, and myriad flavor profiles. Also included are interviews with experts throughout the tea industry, from Darjeeling heritage gardens to the great caf s. Replete with beautiful photographs, recipes, and charts detailing everything from tea's medicinal benefits to the Gong Fu Cha drinking ceremony, a more thorough guide would be hard to find. Tea-drinkers and die-hard coffee fans alike will appreciate the subtleties and traditions of this dynamic drink.-- "Publishers Weekly" (11/28/2011 12:00:00 AM)

A contemporary snapshot of the current landscape of tea distribution, production, and culture around the world.--Esther Jackson "New York Botanical Garden's blog Plant Talk" (6/27/2019 12:00:00 AM)

A heavily illustrated compendium on non-herbal tea, rich in anti-oxidants and with proven medical benefits... Topics include a primer on tea, varieties, processing, cultivars, making-serving-tasting tea, tea ceremonies, and tea in cooking (with 15 recipes by Quebecois chefs) ...Travelers, tea lovers, food reference book collectors will undoubtedly love this book.--Dean Tudor "Gothic Epicures VinCuisine" (12/1/2019 12:00:00 AM)

Nearly every expert I spoke to raved about this book. From Marchand and the rest of the Camellia Sinensis team, Tea covers the history and culture of tea, regional varieties, cultivation techniques, and much more.--Karen Iorio Adelson "The Strategist" (5/3/2018 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Kevin Gascoyne, François Marchand, Jasmin Desharnais and Hugo Américi are professional tea tasters and the owners of Camellia Sinensis Tea House in Montreal, Quebec.