When many people picture colonial America, they imagine frontier settlements, rugged landscapes, and a society focused primarily on survival. While that image contains some truth, it tells only part of the story. In eighteenth-century America, particularly in towns and cities, tea drinking was already an established social ritual. Far from being a casual refreshment, tea… Continue reading

One of the joys of being a tea historian—or perhaps simply a tea enthusiast with a fondness for old books—is discovering how many classic tea texts are now freely accessible through ongoing digitization projects. What was once hidden away in museum archives, university libraries, and private collections can now often be found with a few… Continue reading

Every time I sit down to write one of these tea book columns, I find myself wondering if the supply of new tea books will finally run dry. Surely there can’t be that many left to discover. Yet somehow, new titles keep appearing on the horizon. Fortunately for tea-loving readers, we haven’t reached the end… Continue reading

Tea books are everywhere. Every year brings new volumes covering tea history, brewing techniques, tea culture, regional traditions, and personal tea journeys. For dedicated tea readers, keeping up with the steady stream of releases can become a challenge in itself. Over the years, I’ve learned to be selective when it comes to reviewing tea books.… Continue reading

After writing a monthly tea book column for years—and several additional articles about tea literature—I assumed I had at least a passing familiarity with every notable tea book released in recent decades. As it turns out, I was mistaken. Recently, I was contacted by a publisher with a substantial catalog of tea-related titles, which reminded… Continue reading

Avert your eyes, if you must, and skip ahead to the next paragraph, but I’m going to begin this installment of the tea book column with a book about coffee. Gasp. The book in question is Coffee Gives Me Superpowers: An Illustrated Book about the Most Awesome Beverage on Earth by Ryoko Iwata. I mention… Continue reading

When I wrote a profile of tea expert and author Babette Donaldson a while back, I somehow overlooked one of her works—a tea-themed book for younger readers. It could just as easily be described as a book for both children and adults. Titled Fun With Tea: Activities for Tea Loving Adults to Share With Their… Continue reading

The avalanche of tea books seems never-ending, with many of them highlighted on this blog by my fellow writer Bill Lengeman (his latest: recent and upcoming tea books roundup ). At some point, my mind starts to overheat, the gears begin to grind, and I call out, “Enough!” The next question that comes to mind… Continue reading

In recent years it seems that, if you’re the head of a successful tea company, the thing to do is write a book. If you don’t believe it, we’ll start with exhibit A, a recent volume that fits the bill. Then we’ll move onto exhibits B and C, which have been out for a while… Continue reading