Thursday TeaDay 4/10/08 TeaBooked?

[Tea master of v...]

by Tea master of v... » Apr 10th, '08, 23:02

no books but i want to get these

the story of tea - a cultural history and drinking guide
tea: the drink that changed the world

drinking pu-erh maiden. i wanted to wait until i got my gaiwan but i failed. ended up just using a measuring cup with 5 second steeps and it came out yummy each time

I hate to be so negative here, but i have read: "tea: the drink that changed the world", and I found it to be unsatisfying. Its thesis is interesting enough, but it touches on each "tea" topic so superficially so that it is an unsatisfying read. I find that it also gives an unsatisfactory definition for many varieties of tea.
This is coming from someone, however, who knows more about tea than this book can offer, and also desires a deeper understanding of tea than this book sets out to bestow.
I am undecided as to whether this is a good beginner read or not because it can give some good information, but it can also be misleading. So: if you are just getting into tea, it is an entertaining read, but you must take it with a grain of salt, for not everything is completely accurate.

[insanitylater]

by insanitylater » Apr 10th, '08, 23:13

there are two books with the same exact name. which one did you read ?
i was hoping to get the griffiths one
http://www.amazon.com/Tea-Drink-That-Ch ... 23300212X/
http://www.amazon.com/Tea-Drink-That-Ch ... 0804837244

[JM]

by JM » Apr 10th, '08, 23:39

I've read three or four but haven't bought any.

[chrl42]

by chrl42 » Apr 11th, '08, 01:02

I have 2 for yixing. 1 for Wuyi Yan Cha. 3 for Chinese tea in general. 1 written by JNP. 2 English book about Chinese tea. Puerh book written by one of ten famous puerh expert. So that counts 10!

[Space Samurai]

by Space Samurai » Apr 11th, '08, 01:37

I have TRoT Tea Chings book that was given to me at a cupping they did.
Okakura's Book of Tea
Chado
A Yixing Pottery book.

[Tea master of v...]

by Tea master of v... » Apr 11th, '08, 01:53

there are two books with the same exact name. which one did you read ?
i was hoping to get the griffiths one
http://www.amazon.com/Tea-Drink-That-Ch ... 23300212X/
http://www.amazon.com/Tea-Drink-That-Ch ... 0804837244

I was not refering to the one you are interested in getting. did you read favorable reviews of the griffiths book?

[Mary R]

by Mary R » Apr 11th, '08, 09:38

Hrm...I usually rely on the library to supply me with tea books. But I know I own at least three because they've got their own separate storage place:

The Tea Companion: A Connoisseur's Guide by Jane Pettigrew. TBH, I'm not fond of it. It's pretty superficial in a lot of respects, but will get that Tea 101 across to the neophytes. I need to get my hands on more Pettigrew books.

The New Tea Book by Sara Perry. Again, the information itself is a little light...but the prose itself is actually pretty good. The book devotes itself to several recipes, which tend towards the fool-proof and delicious. The tea porn by Alison Miksch is the star of the book, though.

New Tea Lover's Treasury by James Norwood Pratt. I admit I haven't read this one cover to cover yet, but the bits I've read are good, if a little dry. Easily more quality info per page than most tea books. Good parts on tea history, tea growing regions, and a concluding "dissertation" on brewing.

[Katrina]

by Katrina » Apr 11th, '08, 09:47

there are two books with the same exact name. which one did you read ?
i was hoping to get the griffiths one
http://www.amazon.com/Tea-Drink-That-Ch ... 23300212X/
http://www.amazon.com/Tea-Drink-That-Ch ... 0804837244

I was not refering to the one you are interested in getting. did you read favorable reviews of the griffiths book?

I think the Griffiths' book isn't due for release until next month. I'm waiting for my review copy from the publisher.

[Salsero]

by Salsero » Apr 11th, '08, 09:52

BTW, tea book lovers. Any and all are welcome to sign on, get a user name, and post a review of tea books at Wikicha, the tea info center of the future.

http://wikicha.com/index.php/Tea_Books

[insanitylater]

by insanitylater » Apr 11th, '08, 13:29

there are two books with the same exact name. which one did you read ?
i was hoping to get the griffiths one
http://www.amazon.com/Tea-Drink-That-Ch ... 23300212X/
http://www.amazon.com/Tea-Drink-That-Ch ... 0804837244

I was not refering to the one you are interested in getting. did you read favorable reviews of the griffiths book?

I think the Griffiths' book isn't due for release until next month. I'm waiting for my review copy from the publisher.

i figured so but amazon uk and a few other places say they have it in stock. i don't know why multiple sites would make the same error

[Katrina]

by Katrina » Apr 11th, '08, 14:46

there are two books with the same exact name. which one did you read ?
i was hoping to get the griffiths one
http://www.amazon.com/Tea-Drink-That-Ch ... 23300212X/
http://www.amazon.com/Tea-Drink-That-Ch ... 0804837244

I was not refering to the one you are interested in getting. did you read favorable reviews of the griffiths book?

I think the Griffiths' book isn't due for release until next month. I'm waiting for my review copy from the publisher.

i figured so but amazon uk and a few other places say they have it in stock. i don't know why multiple sites would make the same error

Good point. Different distributer for the US. The UK must have had different release dates.

[chamekke]

by chamekke » Apr 11th, '08, 16:06

BTW, tea book lovers. Any and all are welcome to sign on, get a user name, and post a review of tea books at Wikicha, the tea info center of the future.

http://wikicha.com/index.php/Tea_Books

People who are studying Chado/chanoyu/Japanese tea ceremony (take your pick of terms) should also check out:

The Chado Encyclopedia
http://wiki.chado.no/

It has a Books section summarizing some of the books available on Chado in English; a table of contents for the Urasenke Green Books (Japanese-language books with instructional photographs showing tea procedures); and a listing of Chanoyu Quarterly issues by temae (i.e. by type of tea procedure). Chanoyu Quarterly was a wonderful quarterly English-language magazine, now defunct, that examined all aspects of tea ceremony.

Most of the Chado Encyclopedia site is rather technical and assumes some practical experience of Chado, but for those who are practitioners it's a real treasure trove.