Beckwith Sebastian - A little tea book: all the essentials from leaf to cup

BLOOMSBURY PUBLISHING

Bloomsbury Publishing Inc.

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This electronic edition published in 2018 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

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First published in the United States 2018

Copyright Sebastian Beckwith and Caroline Paul, 2018

Illustrations Wendy MacNaughton, 2018

Photographs Sebastian Beckwith, 2018

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ISBN: 978-1-63286-902-9 (HB)
ISBN: 978-1-63286-904-3 (eBook)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Beckwith, Sebastian, author. | Paul, Caroline, author.

Title: A little tea book : all the essentials from leaf to cup / Sebastian Beckwith with Caroline Paul ; illustrated by Wendy MacNaughton.

Description: New York : Bloomsbury Publishing Inc., 2018. | Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers: LCCN 2017057967| ISBN 978-1-63286-902-9 (hardcover) | ISBN 978-1-63286-904-3 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Tea.

Classification: LCC TP650 .B43 2018 | DDC 641.3/372dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017057967

Designed by Sara Stemen

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To Lois and Jacques Beckwith, who encouraged me to follow my passion

We had a kettle; we let it leak:

Our not repairing made it worse.

We havent had any tea for a week...

The bottom is out of the Universe.

Rudyard Kipling, Natural Theology

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Youre holding this book because you love tea. Perhaps you cant begin a morning without a cup of English Breakfast. You may have a favorite mug. You might carry that mug to work, along with an assortment of tea bags. Yet you dont know much about your beloved brew, and exploring it further seems to require fancy porcelain, a NASA thermometer, and a sheepdogs discerning nose. As the venues expandyour local caf may now sell loose teasand choices proliferate, its even more intimidating. Quick searches on your phone (tea, Sencha Fukamushi, what???) leave you baffled.

A Little Tea Book is for you.

There are many lengthy texts, authored by great minds, which delve into every aspect of tea. A Little Tea Book is different: Its an accessible primer delivering basic, but thorough, information. You will find here a wide range of material, but its not a workbook or encyclopedia. Instead, Im offering you a little about a lot. A Little Tea Book will start you on your way, offering a solid foundation (and a boatload of confidence) from which you can then continue the explorationby yourself, and with family, friends, and colleagues.

Over the past two decades Ive forded high rivers in Bhutan, hiked through remote Lao villages, and climbed miles of terraced land in China, all to find the best-quality tea for the finest restaurants in the country. I started my company, In Pursuit of Tea, to source these single-lot, traditionally made, loose-leaf teas direct from origin.

During my adventures Ive talked to scores of tea fanatics, discussed flavor and pairings with every manner of foodie, and exchanged ideas with tea purveyors and farmers around the world. But my true joy is talking tea with people who are new to it. Ive trained sommeliers and servers at restaurants that include Eleven Madison Park, Daniel, and Blue Hill at Stone Barns. Ive sat for hours with curious friends sampling fresh picks from my travels. Over the years, many people have begun their tea journey with me, and have been inspired to continue it.

Welcome, Im happy youre here. My lifes work has been teaching people about tea, and now I am honored to teach you.

A little on the tea plant

All tea comes from just one plant, Camellia sinensis. One plant! This is the first of many facts that surprise even the most enthusiastic tea drinker. There are six basic types of teawhite, green, yellow, oolong, black, and darkand all of them originate only from the leaves of Camellia sinensis.

This means that many of the beverages youve assumed are teas are not technically teas at all. Chamomile? Ginger Spice? Licorice Heaven? Jasmine Soothing Nighty Night?

They can be tasty. But theyre not tea.

You can call them tisanes (if youre European), infusions (if youre a tea-o-phile), herbals (if youre Californian), or just hot drinks (if youre me). The real stuff is made from the caffeine-containing Camellia sinensis, meaning white, green, yellow, oolong, black, and dark teas are all true teas; anything else is made from other plants.

A general rule of thumb is that if there isnt caffeine, it isnt Camellia sinensis (unless, of course, its a tea thats been decaffeinated).