5 Fabulous Tea Books - Staying Cozy Inside with Tea & Books!
Tea uplifts us in so many ways: through taste, through scent, and through our eyes when we hungrily devour books! If you're anything like me, you LOVE learning about tea in every way imaginable and one of the most enjoyable ways of doing so is from reading. Over the years I've amassed a fun and whimsical collection of tea books that only continues to growth with time. From cookbooks to reference books, to giant hardcovers and little pocket paperbacks, there is no shortage of options to spark our imaginations and fill us up with knowledge and inspiration. With so many incredible volumes of tea goodness out there, I'm highlighting 5 fabulous tea books from my own personal tea library. Put the kettle on, cozy up under a blanket, and prepare to lose yourself for hours inside these pages.
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Tea & Treats: Perfect Pairings For Brews and Bakes by Liz Franklin (Ryland Peters & Small, 2014)
This book is such a fun one for those who want to learn more about tea and food pairings! More than just a cookbook, Liz weaves personal stories into each recipe, showing readers the types of flavour combinations you may consider when serving different types of sweets and savouries. It's a beautiful hybrid of both food and tea recipes from around the world. Think Moroccan mint tea with apple, cinnamon and cardamom bourekas, and strong robust English breakfast teas with recipes for scones, crumpets, and fruit tea bread!
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Afternoon Tea at Home: Deliciously Indulgent Recipes for Sandwiches, Savouries, Scones, Cakes and Other Fancies by Will Torrent (Ryland Peters & Small, 2016)
Ohhh this one is for the afternoon tea fans! This is a gorgeous cookbook volume penned and created by chocolatier and patissier, Will Torrent. The book is divided up by season and occasion, with plenty of classics with fun twists (Victoria sponge cake, devilled egg mayonnaise tea sandwiches, blueberry buttermilk scones) as well as a plethora of vibrant, out-of-the-box recipes for those who love experimentation (lemon and polenta drizzle cakes, chocolate and espresso curd, and roasted walnut and miso shortbread). As an avid afternoon tea goer, I adore this book as it brings the inspiration from the tearoom to the home.
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The Matcha Cookbook: Discover the Health Benefits and Uses of Matcha, With 50 Delicious Recipes by Aster (Octopus Publishing Group, 2018)
A roundup of tea books HAS to include one on matcha, right?? While matcha continues to gain mainstream popularity in both wellness and culinary, it is far from pedestrian and ho-hum! I really enjoy this cookbook because it doesn't just focus on desserts or sweet applications, and it doesn't read like a textbook or reference book. It dives right into recipes that are simple and no-frills and ones that are more inventive and what I really like is the breadth of options it opens your mind to in terms of application. I never thought of incorporating matcha into my seasoning! But there it is in this cookbook: recipes for breakfast, sweets, heartier mains, condiments, and of course, fun tea drinks.
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Infuse: Herbal Teas to Cleanse, Nourish and Heal by Paula Grainger & Karen Sullivan (Octopus Publishing Group, 2016)
This is a beautiful book devoted to the herbal and medicinal properties of herbs, flowers, and other plants and how blending them together to make herbal tea infusions can aid in addressing particular ailments, diets, and lifestyles in a more holistic fashion. It's like entering into a world you may not have even realized existed! You can learn SO much about what our Earth has to offer (before I began my career in tea blending I had no idea what marshmallow root or ginkgo leaf were and to this day, I am learning more and more every day) and it's great for those who wish to expand their plant-based diet options. It's about focusing on our wellness, not our illness.
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The Tea Book: All Things Tea by Louise Cheadle and Nick Kilby (Sterling Publishing, 2015)
I saved my ultimate favourite for last! I have a long way to go before I even sniff the breadth and entirety of tea books available in this world but I can honestly say that out of all the tea books I've read and have, THIS is my favourite one, hands down. I LOVE this book so much. Written by the founders of tea company, Teapigs (raise your hand if you've seen Teapigs tea in your grocery store!), The Tea Book dives into the world of tea and culture all across the world with gorgeous photography, the tastiest, coolest tea facts (like seriously, there's a section in the book that talks about the profession of professional tea taster and which countries drink the most tea!), history, how tea is plucked, made, blended, spotlights on tea shops and tearooms in different cities and countries around the globe, recipes, and so much more. If folks are looking for a "what should my collection and library absolutely include?" recommendation, THIS is it!
