The Tea Enthusiast’s Handbook (Book Review)

This book is written by Mary Lou Heiss and Robert J. Heiss, the founders of Tea Trekker.

They have been selling tea since 1974, so as you you can imagine they know quite a lot about it.

I was surprised by how much detail they included in some of the descriptions, it’s definitely a good resource for both beginner and advanced tea lovers.

First there’s an introduction to tea in general, and following that there are four chapters in total. Let me tell you about each one.

Purchasing tea

In chapter one, the concept of quality in tea is discussed, along with ways to evaluate it.

Among the topics covered there is blended tea versus single garden tea, the possible places to buy tea and the pros and cons of each, etc.

Steeping the perfect cup

Chapter two is all about steeping tea.

The book goes into tea chemistry, Western versus Eastern brewing, and steeping parameters.

The six classes of tea

This is the most extensive chapter, and the one that I find most valuable.

You’ll find pictures and descriptions, plucking times, harvest seasons, production methods, etc.

I liked the part about yellow tea, because it’s often skipped in tea books.

I must also admit that this book made me realize how little I know about oolong tea in general.

Tea storage and freshness

The most interesting thing about this chapter is an explanation of how to age tea at home.

I haven’t given it a try yet, but one of the things that I would like to do would be to age a pu-erh for more than 10 years.

This book is a great addition for any tea enthusiast’s collection. Click here for the link to its page in Amazon.