Robin's Reviews > The Tea Companion

Aptly named, The Tea Companion is a surprisingly comprehensive guide to tea types, history, production, and traditions. With plenty of illustrations and white space, the book begins by tracing tea’s history from 3rd century BCE China through modern times. It’s most interesting that tea did not have its own Chinese character until the 8th century CE. Before that, its simpler mark could also mean sow thistle! Teapots and serving vessels of various materials, cultures, and eras are described, with color photos. Given the savory descriptions, tea drinkers will find themselves craving a brewed cup almost immediately. Be prepared!

Author Pettigrew then moves on to the more personal aspects of tea. She describes how tea is graded, demystifying such labels as FTGFOP (finest tippy golden flowery orange pekoe). Then she moves on to how to select from myriad types of tea. For me, a fan of Jasmine Pearl green tea and Rose Congou black tea, the Jasmine Pouchong (between green and oolong), Jasmine Mandarin Oolong, Jasmine Yunnan (black), and Japanese Rose Sencha (green) are worth checking out. After lightly touching on when to use loose tea vs. bags, she illustrates the optimal brewing method, then shares a list of food and tea pairings.

After a brief overview of how tea is served throughout the world today, the second half of the book is about tea producing countries and their wares. This guide to world teas starts out with a chart of country-by-country tea highlights, and concludes details about each country’s specific farms and the types of tea they produce. Each is illustrated with samples of the tea both dry and brewed, a map, and photos of the plantation. The only downside is that this book was published in 1997, so information might not be current. Still, it’s worth choosing some favorites and exploring whether they’re now available for purchase on the internet.

If you love tea, check out this short book while relaxing with your favorite cuppa.