Book Review - Tea: The Drink that Changed the World

"The magic of tea is well camouflaged,
for the leaves that produce one of the tastiest of all beverages
look no more exciting than the leaves of many other types of trees or shrubs.
But, if picked at the right moment, processed in the correct manner,
packaged and protected against humidity, mold, and other impurities,
then properly brewed, these leaves produce a beverage unlike any others."
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So begins Tea: The Drink that Changed the World by Laura C. Martin. Martin's book seeks to explore how tea has been much more than a beverage: impacting economies, triggering warfare, changing social interactions, and affecting the lives of growers, traders, governments, and consumers. According to Martin, tea in many ways has influenced the entire world.

Martin's previous work as a botanical illustrator and her interest in horticulture clearly informed aspects of this book including the cover design and her lovely title page illustration. While one should never judge a book by its cover, this cover is inviting, elegant, and calming.

Tea is an ambitious text covering tea's history from China and Japan to Europe and the United States. There were moments when the book felt a bit too ambitious, moving along at a rapid pace, skimming along the surface of topics. Generally though its pace kept it interesting and informative without overdoing detail or getting distracted by extraneous information.

The introduction provided a brisk sweep through history, touching on the darker side of the industry. It definitely whet one's appetite for more. Early chapters focused on tea in Asia, specifically China, Korea, and Japan. The chapter on the Japanese Tea Ceremony seemed a bit out of context, however. While it was interesting and contained excellent information it was unclear how it fit with the book's theme and goals.

The next chapter dove into the more barbarous parts of tea's history, among them the exploitation of tea workers, the famines caused by demands for tea tributes, and the willingness to develop and sustain a drug trade (opium) to support tea importation.

The book then abruptly shifted gears from these atrocities of the tea trade to the establishment of afternoon tea and other tea habits of the British. The stark contrast worked very well to further highlight the differences between the "haves" and the "have nots" -- those who grow the tea versus those who consume it. There was also an exploration of tea in the U.S. and the impact of the two World Wars on tea consumption in England and America. The final chapter addressed the current state of tea industry, concerns for the future, and the Fair Trade and organic movement.

Martin's appendices were varied and informative. There was a little bit of an "everything but the kitchen sink" feel or that these were a culmination of extra research that hadn't fit elsewhere in the book. Topics included locations where tea is grown, tasting terms, teas from around the world, tisanes, pairing tea with food, what teas to drink when, brewing tips, cooking with tea, and health benefits.

With so many books on tea out there it is difficult to differentiate oneself. I think Martin's book took a fresh approach and her thorough research makes this a valuable read.

Thank you to Tuttle Publishing for providing this book for review.

Tuttle Publishing's current catalog includes a variety of books on tea including such classic titles as:
The Book of Tea by Okakura Kakuzo
Chado: The Way of Tea by Sasaki Sanmi
The Japanese Tea Ceremony: Cha-No-Yu by A.L. Sandler (with a new version being released in June)

Other titles include:
Healthy Teas: Green, Black, Herbal, Fruit by Tammi Safi
Tea Ceremony: Asian Arts & Crafts for Creative Kids by Shozu Sato
Mistress Oriku: Stories from a Tokyo Teahouse by Matsutaro Kawaguchi

Taken from http://teapages.blogspot.com/