Friday Knows Tea

The early stages of every tea lover’s journey will face a crisis of direction. It’s inevitable, that moment your eyes go wide at the sheer vastness of the world of tea and all its possible avenues of exploration and you find yourself paralyzed with no idea which road to set foot upon first. Every day of my professional life, people ask “how did you learn so much about tea?” and “what books do you recommend for a new tea enthusiast?”. Don’t fret, we’ve got you covered. While tea is a lifelong education and, the sad fact is, that you will never be able to learn it all (sorry, it bums me out too), we can at least get you started. Below are the top five books I’ve encountered in my 17 years of tea study and industry experience:   5. Tea: Aromas & Flavors Around the World by Lydia Gautier For a lovely browsable coffee (or tea) table book full of bite-sized tea facts, clever educational tables, and gorgeous photo sets of tea practices and culture from all over the world. There are in...

"Yes, I'd like two ounces of the Darjeeling...sfff...tug..fop?" We hear your attempts at pronouncing this alphanumeric stew every day at the tea house, and who can blame you? When an estate or region name is followed by a gibberish string of letters and numbers and you have no idea what they mean but remember your grandmother pouring you delicious steaming cups of fine Indian black tea and just want to recreate the experience for some nostalgia and comfort, dang it? Worry not, my dear. I've got you covered. Let's talk tea grades! The mysterious collection of letters and numbers on your Indian and Sri Lankan tea labels is a code and I am here to help you crack it. This is a simple leaf grading system created by our brilliant and hard working South Asian tea appraisers, and understanding what each letter means can give you a hint as to what flavor you are about to enjoy! First things first: the more letters, the higher the grade. If you like a full-bodied, astringen...