There’s a few tea books that have been on my wish list for a while and this is definitely one of them. It’s not just because the author has the same last name as me! Tea truly is the drink that changed the world. Although the hard cover volume is diminutive in size, it covers a lot of ground. I wouldn’t call it a complete history but it is certainly very thorough. Martin follows the path of the tea plant from its origins in China to Japan, Korea and the shores of England. The U.S. is briefly discussed, as it often is in most books. The wonderful thing about that is that our tea culture is only just coming into its own now.
There were some parts that felt a bit dry but otherwise I found this to be a light, informative read. It’s important to keep in mind that it was published in 2007. Many of the statistics quoted are out of date or no longer relevant to today’s constantly evolving tea culture. There are other books that are more in depth about certain topics of interest (like production methods) but this book is a great introduction for someone who is just getting started on their journey with tea.
Sample provided by Tuttle Publishing.