Introduction of Tea

 Introduction of Tea

“An after-dinner conversation without tea disturbs the order of the universe.” - RUDYARD KIPLING

Tea is a legendary drink that continues to gain fans around the world. In fact, its popularity has grown so much in the last two thousand years that today the only beverage consumed more is water.

Lu Tung, “Song of Tea”

Tea Song

1. The first cup moistens my lips and throat.

2. The second cup breaks my loneliness.

3. The third cup searches my barren entrail, but to find therein some thousand volumes of odd ideographs.

4. The fourth cup raises slight perspiration; all the wrongs of life pass out through my pores.

5. At the fifth cup, I am purified.

6. The sixth cup calls me to the realms of immortals.

7. The seventh cup–ah, but I could take no more!

I only feel the breath of the cool wind that raises in my sleeves.

Where is Paradise? Let me ride on this sweet breeze and waft away thither.

Someone [Okakura Kakuzō] said that tea “has not the arrogance of wine, the self-consciousness of coffee, nor the simpering innocence of cocoa.”

Whether used in an infusion, a smoothie, or in cooking, the delicious and delicate flavor of this plant can surprise even the most demanding gourmet.

Leaves of Bliss

This treasure of health and flavor was zealously guarded by emperors for many centuries until intrepid merchants from Holland and Britain began to import it to the West.

There are many varieties of tea, defined by their origin and processing, but among all of them, green and white teas stand out for their prodigious health benefits. Their powerful antioxidant effects—and gentle stimulating properties—have been linked to the exceptional longevity of the populations in regions of China and Japan.

Japan Tea

This book details all of these benefits and offers delicious recipes for tea lovers to enjoy new flavors in many forms: infusions, cocktails, ice creams, and sauces based on tea.

But just as the universe of Camellia sinensis—its botanical name—is immensely rich and varied, in this book we will also see other fascinating aspects of tea culture: the Japanese tea ceremony, a selection of stories for teatime, and even tea leaf readings.

Assam Tea

This book also contains a dictionary for connoisseurs, together with an anthology of quotations about this mythical plant from great characters throughout the ages. As Lu Tung said, more than twelve centuries ago, in his celebrated treatise on tea: