When Johnny Carson was host of the Tonight Show (yes, I’m that old), he would do a countdown of 10 top this or that. I am now shamelessly “borrowing” that routine here (as others have done before me) with my top 10 ways those print version tea books are much better than those e-book versions.… Continue reading

It’s probably safe to say by now that tea production in South Carolina has progressed beyond being an experiment or that the experiment has succeeded or what have you. Of all of the many states that currently produce tea – most on a very modest scale – South Carolina is the most significant. It’s home… Continue reading

Tea books are pure delight and range from very technical and specific to a particular type of tea to more broad or just plain fun. Many tea books have been showcased on this blog, both in actual reviews but also in fellow blogger Bill Lengeman’s monthly roundup of recent and upcoming tea books. This is… Continue reading

The world of tea books continues to grow, and while new titles appear every year, sometimes it’s worth revisiting a few older volumes that have already earned a place on many tea lovers’ bookshelves. One such title is The Harney & Sons Guide to Tea by Michael Harney. For readers looking for an accessible introduction… Continue reading

What is the most influential book ever written about tea? Tea literature spans centuries, and several titles could reasonably compete for that distinction. Ancient Chinese tea master Lu Yu’s The Classic of Tea is often credited as one of the earliest books devoted entirely to tea. In more recent times, many tea enthusiasts would nominate… Continue reading

You could probably make a vocation out of studying the many historic texts on tea now freely available in digital form. Some of these works are dense and academic, while others are more engaging—and a few veer into decidedly unusual territory. One such example is an 1870 work by Alexander Teetgen titled A Mistress and… Continue reading

An American merchant who spent much of his life in China, Gideon Nye wrote several works on Chinese commerce and culture, many of which are now available digitally. One of the most notable is Tea and the Tea Trade: Parts First and Second, published in 1850. Originally appearing in Hunt’s Merchants’ Magazine, the material was… Continue reading