30 DAYS OPEN PURCHASELeaf Tea begins where most tea books end, with the water and the equipment.
Timothy d'Offay founded Postcard Teas in London in 2005 and was among the first in the West to buy directly from small growers and state exactly where each tea comes from. He therefore knows both what happens on the farm and what happens in the cup, which is an unusual combination.
The book's first insight is the one most people miss. The water matters more than the tea. Mineral content and temperature affect extraction so dramatically that the same leaves can produce two completely different drinks. Green tea suffers in boiling water while black tea requires it, and the difference between 70 and 90 degrees is the difference between sweet and astringent.
Then comes steeping time and what really separates loose leaf tea from tea bags. A good leaf can be brewed several times, and each infusion tastes different. The Chinese gongfu method is built entirely around this, using short infusions with small amounts of water, again and again.
The second half deals with the modern side of tea. Cold brewed tea, which extracts sweetness without astringency but takes hours. Sparkling tea. Matcha, which is not brewed at all but whisked and is therefore an entirely different kind of drink. Plus frappés, ice cream and tea based drinks.
This is a book for someone who has bought a teapot and wants to understand why the results vary, rather than someone who wants to become a tea sommelier. Practical, beautifully designed and written by someone who sells tea because he cares about it.
Format: Hardback
Number of pages: 176
Publisher: Ryland Peters & Small
ISBN: 9781788795036
Language: English
First published: 2023
