I found this book in Sur La Table, a gourmet cooking store. I was immediately drawn to it because of the beautiful packaging. It features two hard cover volumes; The History of Tea and The Taste of Tea. Both of them are enclosed in hard cover holder and tied off with a ribbon. The photographs are vivid and beautifully illustrate the story of tea. The History of Tea was a book that I could not put down. I love reading about the long history that has led to the teas we drink today. This brief introduction is perfect for tea beginners and I love that the author separated the content by country.
The Taste of Tea is a perfect companion to The History of Tea. It explains the process of making tea as well as the different blends that are unique to each tea-growing region. The beautiful pictures of each variety are paired with tasting notes. These are really useful when I come across a tea that I have never tried before. I find myself returning to both of these books again and again, especially when writing reviews about new and foreign teas. The only thing that author left out was pu-erh tea. This tea has grown increasingly popular and it deserves more than just a glancing mention. I would have appreciated some discussion of teaware as well. These two things aside, I would definitely recommend this book.
You can find out more about this book here.