There are many things to study when it comes to tea. Even if we’re just looking at tea history, we can choose to focus on tea in China, tea in Japan, tea in England, tea in America, tea in India, etc. I’m still looking for books on the history of tea in various countries, but… Read More UniversiTEA: 3 Books to learn about Tea in the UK (and America!)
While I’m taking a brief break from The Tale of Tea by George van Driem to reread the other books about tea I own, I wanted to share something that I’ve learnt from what I read so far! One thing that I’ve read a couple of times[1] is that it was Robert Fortune’s 1843 trip… Read More UniversiTEA: The History of the term ‘Camellia Sinensis’
I’ve finished A Thirst for Empire, as planned, so I’m pretty confident that I can finish the third tea book (Empire of Tea) by the end of the month! The second section ended on a relatively high note for tea, as we see that it had become part of a national characteristic of the British… Read More Daily Reading: 25th May//A Thirst for Empire (Part 3)
I finished part two of A Thirst for Empire today, so if I keep up this pace, I’ll be able to finish the last third of the book by tomorrow! It’s supposed to be a public holiday, but I don’t know if I’ll need to do some work so we’ll see. Part Two is titled… Read More Daily Reading: 24th May//A Thirst for Empire (Part 2)
It’s time for tea (books)! The first of the three that I plan to read is A Social History of Tea by Jane Pettigrew and Bruce Richardson! So far, I’ve read up to the 17th and 18th centuries. I’m going to be pausing my reading of The Tale of Tea for the time being because… Read More Daily Reading: 20th May//A Social History of Tea (Part 1)
I thought I’d read most general histories on tea but clearly, I am wrong. I came across A Brief History of Tea while having a session at Cher’s house and immediately asked if I could borrow it because, well, I haven’t read this particular history yet. So the thing is, I’m probably a bit biased… Read More A Brief History of Tea by Roy Moxham
There were a lot of tea shops that I wanted to visit in London (like Postcard Teas!) but I know better than to make a trip mainly about tea – my family likes tea but not that much. But since Twining’s flagship store at 216 Strand is the oldest tea shop in London, it was… Read More Visiting the Oldest Tea Shop in London + Tea Review: Twinings Golden Rose Hearts
This was a Christmas read that I put off reading for the past three months because… I didn’t want to finish it (and hence couldn’t start it). It’s a silly reason, but I guess I really enjoy the anticipation of having an unread book on a topic I love in the house. Empire of Tea… Read More Empire of Tea by Markman Ellis, Richard Coulton, and Matthew Mauger
I have wanted to read this book ever since I heard of it. Although I swing back and forth between reading the Western and Asian histories of tea, that’s because I want to get a sense of the whole picture. A Social History of Tea covers the rise and impact of tea in Britain and… Read More A Social History of Tea by Jane Pettigrew & Bruce Richardson
Since I spent last year doing quite a bit of general reading about tea, I thought I’d take it a bit more in-depth this year. That means taking both a wider look at the issues surrounding tea (hopefully there’s a contemporary book or blog I can read!) and going in depth into the history of… Read More Darjeeling by Jeff Koehler