I love learning about the different legends, myths and folklore that surrounds Camellia Sinensis. Chinese culture is particularly full of these embellishments but tea stories can be found all over the world. I’ve had the pleasure of sitting on several Tea Bloggers Round Tables with Gary D. Robson, owner and proprietor of Red Lodge Books & Tea. He is easily spotted at events because he is usually the only very tall man wearing a kilt and a cowboy hat. When I heard that he was putting together a collection of tea legends my interest was definitely piqued.
Some of the stories are ones that I’ve heard before, like Tie Guan Yin, but others were totally new to me. They each also represented different countries as well as varying time periods. I particularly enjoyed the tale of Post-apocalyptic Earl Grey. This is a tea Gary sells that I know is a particular favorite of mutual tea friend +Geoffrey Norman. It definitely made me smile to see that Geoff contributed the forward foreward.
Gary is a detailed and engaging story teller. I loved how he added his own twist to some of the same old stories that have been repeated for years. Tea books have a tendency to be a bit stuffy so it was nice to read something with more of a fun lean. At just 71 pages it was a fairly quick and enjoyable read. I felt a bit sad that it was over so soon but the fact that Volume 1 is included in the title gives me hope for future volumes. I read the Kindle version but the paperback is also quite inexpensive. I would definitely suggest this book for anyone interested in tea.
You can find out more about this book here.