Motazz Soliman's Reviews > The Tea Companion

Packed with info and light weight. Very well-rounded and meaty on the basics, from brief layout of history and production methods to brief descriptions concerning equipment and brewing instructions. Page on leaf grading vague and confusing, and last section of tea-producing regions is relatively slimmer than the others, though. Important note: not much is said about "herbal teas" (such as hibiscus, peppermint, anise) despite their popularity in markets because these are, in a technical sense, called tisanes; whereas, the focus in this useful book is on the 'true teas' which originate from two species of the tea plant. Copyright is 2004, but also listed as 2011 re-print.