I’m not quite sure how I found this book but it was a pleasant and surprisingly comprehensive quick read. Like the title says, Tea: A Global History is about the history of tea, with a few recipes at the end.

Most tea histories that I’ve seen focus on the West, despite tea’s origins and long history in China and many other countries. Happily, this book is true to its title and only one chapter of the book focuses on the West. The book is fairly short, starting with an introduction to tea. One new thing I learnt from this section was about the different types of tea tress. There is the:

1. China variety (Camellia sinensis var. sinensis), which is a “small-leaved bush with multiple stems […] the small leaves produce a delicate tea.”

2. Assam variety (Camellia sinensis var. assamica), which “produces tea with a strong earthy flavour” and is a single-stemmed tree with large leaves, and the

3. Cambodia variety (Camellia sinensis var. cambodiensis), which is a hybrid of the China and Assam varieties and has the flavours and qualities of both.

After the introduction to tea, including a quick glossary, the book starts the with the history of tea in China. A lot of it was similar to what I learnt in Tea Chapter’s workshop, but it was good to see it all in one place (and in English). After that, the book moves on to quick histories of tea in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, before hopping on to the caravans and Mediterranean countries. Only then did they talk about tea in the West, along with the emergence of afternoon tea and tea salons (including a theory that “milk was added to tea to prevent cracking delicate porcelain cups”). Lastly, the book takes a look at tea in India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia, which I really appreciated because it’s not something that I hear about often.

After going through the history of tea, the book ends with a few recipes, from making tea the Mrs. Beeton way to Jasmine Tea Sorbet. There are actually quite a few recipes that I’d like to try, like the aforementioned tea sorbet and the tea cup trifle. Oh and the tea loaf, because I read that it’s often served with afternoon tea and I’ve never had it.

I think this is a book that will interest tea lovers. It’s pretty comprehensive but short and easy to read. I borrowed this copy from the NLB but I really want my own copy now. Especially to try the recipes.