The World Atlas of Tea by tea mixologist, Krisi Smith, is a general introduction to tea from its cultivation, harvesting and processing to the unique flavors of teas grown in different parts of the world. Smith includes discussions about varieties and grades, sustainability, history, buying, brewing, blending and storing tea, food parings, and health benefits. The final and largest section of the book present information on tea growing around the world.
Smith identifies 5 major tea-growing regions of the world: Africa, Indian subcontinent, Middle East, Far East and South America. She presents each region with a map showing the location of the tea producing countries, a description of the area’s profile, the history of tea production in the country, and data on amount of tea production, consumption, export, and import. Additional information on such factors as climate, terrain, and major plantations is provided for 12 major tea producing countries: Kenya, India, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Iran, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, and Argentina. A glossary and index conclude the work.
The book is abundantly enhanced by diagrams and photographs. A 4 page layout of diagrams, for example , explains the stages of tea processing while a series of photographs show workers drying tea in various ways. Numerous insets present helpful tidbits and recipes provide inspiration for blending and incorporating tea into daily food for health benefits. Although a great amount of the information is helpful to people interested in tea, it probably is nothing new to the tea connoisseurs that would benefit from more detailed about specific teas.
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Karen