Tea Chings: The Tea and Herb Companion :Appreciating the Varietals and Virtues of Fine Tea and Herbs (U)

Novice sippers and tea aficionados alike can journey from the tea gardens of Asia to the tearooms of Europe and North America, sampling the finest teas in this beautifully designed, illustrated book about the benefits, flavors, cultural lore, and 5000-year-old history of the long-honored brew. Provided by the Ministers of the Republic of Tea, which, according to Conde Nast Traveler, "elevates tea to the status of wine," these fascinating and inspirational pages will serve as your guide to the leaves, plants, and manufacture of teas and other botanicals used in making wondrous infusions. They will inform you about the medicinal benefits of teas and herbs from all over the world. They will give you answers to such questions as: What makes green tea different from black tea...and herbal "teas" different from all others? What do Orange Pekoe, English Breakfast, tannic acid, and "naturally flavored" really mean? How did tea bags, iced tea, "high tea," and the spiritual art of the Japanese tea ceremony come to be? What are the ingredients and health benefits of yerba mate, rooibos, chai, and Pu-erh? And you will discover much more TeaMinded knowledge, as well as delight in illustrations, maps, recipes, and inspired epigraphs. In the words of the Minister of Travel, "Throughout these pages, an auspicious journey awaits. For sage or novice, this pilgrimage beckons all to celebrate what has been revered for thousands of years as the drink of humanity." In keeping with its whimsical identity as an independent republic, people working for The Republic of Tea are not managers or vice presidents; the company designates its employees as Ministers and Ambassadors, its customers Citizens, and its sales outlets Embassies. Ron Rubin and Stuart Avery Gold, are "Ministers" of The Republic of Tea, one of the most successful and fastest-growing cachet brands in America today. Headquartered in Novato, California