The Story of Tea

A Cultural History and Drinking Guide

By: Mary Lou Heiss, Robert J. Heiss

Narrated by: Elizabeth Wiley

Length: 17 hrs

Publisher's Summary

Whether it's a delicate green tea or a bracing Assam black, a cup of tea is a complex brew of art and industry, tradition and revolution, East and West. In this sweeping tour through the world of tea, veteran tea traders Mary Lou Heiss and Robert J. Heiss chronicle tea's influence across the globe and provide a complete reference for choosing, drinking, and enjoying this beverage. 

The Story of Tea begins with a journey along the tea trail, from the lush forests of China, where tea cultivation first flourished, to the Buddhist temples of Japan, to the vast tea gardens of India, and beyond. Offering an insider'­s view of all aspects of tea trade, the Heisses examine Camellia sinensis, the tea bush, and show how subtle differences in territory and production contribute to the diversity of color, flavor, and quality in brewed tea. They profile more than 30 essential tea varietals, provide an in-depth guide to tasting and brewing, and survey the customs and crafts associated with tea. Sharing the latest research, they discuss tea's health benefits and developments in organic production and fair trade practices. Finally, they present 10 sweet and savory recipes, including Savory Chinese Marbled Eggs and Green Tea Pot de Creme, and resources for purchasing fine tea. 

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio. 

©2007 Mary Lou Heiss and Robert J. Heiss (P)2019 Tantor

Painfully Boring

I was hoping to find a book about tea that delved into the rich and complex cultural history of tea along with the British/colonized information and tea lore- but no. Sadly this glazes over some history of tea in China and Japan, and is mostly Wikipedia facts about tea plants and tea recipes with anecdotes about the authored tea merchant business. The narrator was also painfully boring- it was like listening to the teacher in Charlie Brown.

Excellent content that is hard to follow in audiobook format

This book is excellent! It has a ton of info that is intelligently organized and is very much worth reading. That said, as an audiobook it falls short. I found myself frequently confused by what seemed like non sequiturs until I realized that the book was written like a coffee table book or a text book, with little blurbs or pages scattered through the text to call out something tangentially related to the main text. The way this is handled by the reader is to finish a paragraph in the middle of the main text, read the blurb, which is anywhere from a short column to a full page of text, then return right back to the main text where she left off. This leads to stories being interrupted, without notice, and then returned to in a very jarring fashion. It makes it very easy to get lost. I bought the physical book and am reading along with the audiobook and I enjoy it much much more. YOU MUST BUY THE PHYSICAL BOOK TO FOLLOW AND ENJOY THIS AUDIOBOOK. If I was giving feedback to the producer of this audiobook I would tell them to finish the section of main text they are reading (like finish the whole text under a section header) before introducing a blurb. Otherwise the audiobook is unfollowable.

Very informative

I’d put this up there with works by Jancis Robinson, Hugh Johnson, or Garret Oliver.

great work on the full aspect of tea

liked the full aspect of tea in this book, a great listen and very well thought out book