Saturday, November 28, 2015

Tea Book Buying Guide

Welcome to our Tea Book Buying Guide. It's not a comprehensive guide to tea books, mind you. Just a look at some of the more interesting titles I've reviewed or otherwise encountered over the course of the past few years.

The Empire of Tea:The Remarkable History of the Plant That Took Over the World
by Alan MacFarlane & Iris MacFarlane
You know you've read too many books on tea history when you find yourself getting weary of that quaint little myth about tea's origin. You know the one - the Chinese emperor who just happened to be boiling water...outside. A few tea leaves just happen to blow off of a conveniently located tree and land in the water. The emperor drinks it and oila, thousands of years later everyone's got their drawers in a pinch about how good this stuff is for you.
more
buy it

The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide
by Mary Lou Heiss and Robert J. Heiss
In the two years I've been publishing a Web site about tea I've learned enough about it to make me realize that I really don't know much about it. Which is a roundabout way of saying that tea is a vast subject. This point was driven home recently when I read The Story of Tea, by Mary Lou and Robert Heiss. As "A Cultural History and Drinking Guide," it's got to rank right up there with the best of them. But there's really no way that such a work can do much more than scratch the surface of this topic.
more
buy it

Free Classic Tea eBooks II



Here's part two of the list of old tea books that I've reviewed at The English Tea Blog. Most of them are available in free online or ebook editions. Check out part one of the list here.

Tea-Blending as a Fine Art
by Joseph M. Walsh link

An Essay on Tea
By Jonas Hanway link

Tea; Its Effects, Medicinal and Moral
by George Gabriel Sigmond link

Letter to a Friend, Concerning Tea
by John Wesley link

A Popular Treatise on Tea
by John Sumner link

The Book of Tea
by Kakuzo Okakura link

Tea and Tea Drinking
By Arthur Reade link

The Breville One-Touch Tea Maker

Free Classic Tea eBooks I



In addition to writing about tea at this site, I contribute frequently to The English Tea Store Blog. One of my favorite topics there is old books about tea. Now that every bit of text in the known universe is being (or soon will be) digitized, it means that quite a few of these dusty old tomes are readily available in free electronic editions. Here are links to some of the reviews I've written about them and here's part two of the list.

Tsiology; A Discourse on Tea
By A Tea Dealer link

Tea, Its Mystery and History
by Samuel Phillips Day link

A Journey to the Tea Countries of China
By Robert Fortune link

Tea and Coffee
By William Andrus Alcott link

Panacea: A Poem Upon Tea in Two Cantos
By Nehum Tate link

The Natural History of the Tea-Tree
By John Coakley Lettsom link

The Tea Cyclopaedia link

Cuisinart TEA-100 PerfecTemp Programmable Tea Steeper

Saturday, September 05, 2015

An Astronaut's Guide to High Tea

From bonafide astronaut Chris Hadfield, who managed to get the pinky extended, in spite of all things.

Adagio Teas - Best Tea Online

Smoking a Tea Joint With Doctor Oolong

Can you smoke tea? Apparently so, though we'd definitely suggest proceeding with a certain degree of caution.

Mighty Leaf on Sale Today!

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Tea Business Spotlight 18 - Tealated

Welcome to the eighteenth of our Tea Business Spotlights, in which we allow tea people to share insights on running their business. If you're a tea business owner and you'd like to take part in an upcoming spotlight, please contact us.

Tealated
Wyoming, USA

How long have you been in business?
I have been in the tea business for a year, but I have enjoyed tea all my life.

What is the size/scope of your business?
We are a small, family run business that sells online, on Amazon, and at our local Food for Thought market.

Why tea?
I fell in love with tea as a little girl living in Morocco for several years with my family. I love to share tea with others and introduce new people to the joy of tea. I especially try to encourage people to drink tea instead of drinking soda, energy drinks, or other toxic beverages. Tea is a wonderful replacement and much healthier.

I also am very passionate about helping others. When I lived in Morocco I was shocked at the level of poverty in the families that lived in the countryside, and the fact that they did not have access to clean and safe water. So, for every purchase at Tealated, we donate 3% to Water.org.

How did you get the ball rolling on your venture?
Our family previously owned an organic, handcrafted soap company that we closed in early 2014. We used the profit from that business to start our tea business. However, I didn't know where to begin, so I happened to mention to a former classmate from high school about my interest in selling tea and he told me he had a friend that was in the tea business. I contacted his friend who then assisted me in developing our company. We are starting out small and growing slowly. In the future we would like to offer more single source and rare teas.

What do you feel is the biggest strength of your business?
As a mom of nine children, I have a desire to love everyone, to serve others, and to help people be as healthy and happy as possible. I believe that tea is the best way to do this. Sharing tea is sharing love! Our family has a huge organic garden that we grow every year not only for our own use, but also to share good, local produce with others. I am always encouraging my friends and family to grow their own food, to make their own natural soaps and cleaners, and to drink tea. Organically produced food is important to us, so all of our tea is organic. Our society is so full of toxins and our bodies need good, organic foods and beverages instead of loading up on soda and junk food. If we love others we want them to be healthy. In loving our customers and giving them the best customer service, we can help to make a difference with tea.

What were/are the biggest challenges of getting into/being in the tea business?
Our focus is on getting non-tea drinkers to love tea, and many new tea drinkers are more inclined to want the flavored teas. There is nothing wrong with this, especially if it gets more people to try tea, but in the future I would like to offer a wide variety of the more rare and single source teas. Since we are a debt-free company, it will take longer to build the profits and expand. However, if you are in the tea business you are always surrounded by tea, and what could possibly be better than that?

How's business?
We are growing slowly but steadily. We get most of our customers by word of mouth which is great because it means people love our tea and are spreading the word.

Adagio Teas - Best Tea Online

Monday, April 20, 2015