The Story of Tea by E. Jaiwant Paul

The Story of Tea by E. Jaiwant Paul 

The Story of Tea by E. Jaiwant Paul

Having walked into the Turtle Cafe Book Shop in New Delhi, India, I spotted this little book on tea.  I love tea and wanted to know more about its history, especially after having done a tea tasting (have a blog on it, just click the link) in Twinnings Tea Rooms on the Strand, London, UK last year.  I’m becoming a real tea historian!

It’s quite a small book and one I will be keeping, as it has some lovely little stories in it, plus a lot of information on the history of tea.  It has wetted my appetite to find out more about the history of tea, it’s like reading about the history of the world, but through the making of tea.  Really an enjoyable read with a nice mixture of stories with history.  There is a little propaganda for the company which the author worked for, but it’s easy to get past that and see E. Jaiwant Paul’s passion for his subject.  What a great job to have worked in the world of tea!

Some brilliant quotes from the book:

‘I am in no way interested in immortality, but only in the taste of tea.’ – Lu Yu (a sort of patron saint for tea lovers)

‘Apparently it was in the old coffee houses that the practice of tipping was born – customers would toss a coin into a box marked T.I.P. (To Insure Promptness). The practice is a veritable scourge today in Western countries.’