Tea Lover's Treasury

Wouldn't have believed that non-fiction about tea could be so engaging. Short chapters, VERY well written, full of historical and miscellaneous information relating to tea, always presented in a manner both charming and credible. We're so happy to have come upon this great book!

This excellent book is obviously written by someone who loves and lives with tea. The author provides a broad stroke history of tea and then begins to focus on particulars, with a special focus on the great Chinese teas (I had no idea how great until using this book as a point of departure). Very useful details on the selection of teas, the various methods of preparing tea (the Gaiwan and Gongfu methods), the importance of using the right water and the importance of brewing temperature/time are provided with enough detail to enable the novice to start enjoying this amazingly nuanced beverage. Because the author is not a tea buyer/purveyor, he provides one of the greatest pearls to the novice, which is to find someone who is knowledgable about tea. This is not as easy as one might hope. There are many tea stores, but few real tea experts, who master traditional brewing methods and have relationships with tea growers rather than tea buyers. This makes a tremendous difference in what teas you will access and how you will enjoy them. One such resource the author recommended is Roy Fong at Imperial Tea Court. This is an excellent recommendation. Mr. Wong is arguably a national treasure for those seeking Chinese tea and I am indebted to the author for this wonderful recommendation. Did I mention that the book also reads well? I have read nearly everything in print (in English) and a bit that isn't about tea and I keep returning to Mr. Pratt's book for its concise and in depth insights.

This is primarily a book on the story of tea. The history is fascinating and invaluable to the avid tea drinker. More than half the book Pratt dedicates to tea history. Here, I love his eye for the little things that count. Following this, the author describes the various teas throughout the world. This is more than just a list, but a detailed look at the regions that produce them, the technique and conditions that impart their unique characteristics. Part three concludes with the author's own advice on tea preparation, and a consise but adequate discourse on tea ritual. After reading this book my respect and adoration for tea skyrocketed yet again (see "The Tea Lover's Companion"). Most importantly, my enjoyment of tea drinking has increased after reading this book. That alone makes this book priceless.

I read this book cover to cover and found it to be a GREAT tea book! Although it covers a broad range of tea topics, it covers each of them very well. I usually don't like history but found the author's descriptions and stories of what happened long ago fascinating. I have re-read them many times, each time learning somethings new. Mr. Pratt provides a Chronology of Tea Fortunes in the back of the book which is an extremely valuable reference, helping me keep track of what happened when. The author covers many other tea subjects, too, including types of tea, tea trade, tea things, etc. but doesn't use recipes to fill up the pages. It is all very informative. The only thing that could have made the book better is a more up-to-date reference list in the back. Most of the books listed here are out of print. I have also read the New Tea Lover's Treasury by the same author but found the "old" one to be a better value. There isn't much additional information in the new book and a lot of good stuff in the old version was omitted. For example, the chronology (historic time line) is completely omitted as is the coverage of the tea trade. The Bibliography of Tea Books in the new edition is more extensive, but here again most of the books listed are out of print.