As a regular customer of "Tea & Sympathy" I found it a great joy to get behind the scenes and find out what really goes on in the tiny space which I have grown to love so much. The story told by author Anita Naughton is always full of enjoyable stories and comical situations that the girls frequently find themselves in.
The recipes that Nicola Perry has at long last revealaed are easy to follow and produce great results.

All in all a great idea for any Anglophile or budding Jamie Oliver.

This is far more than a cookbook -- in fact, calling it a cookbook is like calling 'Moby Dick' a fishing story. Every recipe is preluded by a hilarious anecdotal story about the author's life in New York as a waitress trying to 'make it,' and these tales create a marvelously entertaining narrative thread. The vignettes of customers are wickedly funny -- Naughton has an eye for skewering the pretentions of New Yorkers, both native and Anglo. Many of the tales are delightfully ribald -- a cross between Seinfeld and Sex and the City. A great present for the Christmas season -- the recipes suit the weather, and the stories are worth reading aloud on the long winter nights!

I have been going to Tea & Sympathy for almost as long as it has been open and this book really captures the feel of the place. Aside from all of the recipes I have been dying to have for years, I now feel privy to the repartee I always knew existed between the people who work there. What a joy! Now I can make the English food I have come to love myself AND when I go to the shop I am in the loop! If you have never been to T&S this is certainly the next best thing.

The emphasis here is on an attractive and somewhat cutesy presentation of tea and herbs very much in concert with Ron Rubin's The Republic of Tea retailing business. There are sidebar quotes from such anonymous "authors" as "The Minister of Travel," The Minister of Soil," The Minister of Herbs," etc., in frank imitation of Eastern mystical pronouncements. ("The Minister of Travel" is identified on the jacket as co-author Stuart Gold.) An example from page 72:

Who draws the water and boils it?
Who spoons the leaves from the tin and places them in the pot?
Who lifts the kettle and pours?
Who could be a greater friend?

This Zen and Taoist take on the consumption of tea is of course entirely appropriate. The Bodhidarma himself (legend has it) contributed his eyelids to the spawning of the first tea plant; and Zen and Taoist masters have from olden times used tea as an aid to meditation. Personally, as a long-time devotee myself, I believe that tea has mystical powers not easily quantified by modern science, and at any rate there is also a ceremonial and a devotional aspect to the drinking of tea than leads one to the quiet contemplation that makes for a life fully lived.

The text is easy to read and there are attractive thumbnail illustrations in green throughout. There are a few plugs for Rubin's company, but they are tastefully woven in. I must however call into question some of the information. For example on page 34 it is writ: "Homo erectus pekinensis, who lived in Southeast Asia where tea bushes grow wild, was boiling water and eating wild tea leaves more than 500,000 years ago." I would dearly like to see the reference for this supposition. (There are no footnotes.)

Also on page 20 it is claimed that white tea has "virtually no caffeine." I am having white tea myself this afternoon with lunch (Foojoy's Bai Mudan) which I have drunk many times before. I can say with complete confidence that it has noticeably more than "virtually no caffeine."

Indeed the whole question of the caffeine content of various teas seems a bit murky in this volume. On page 80 there is a table "Caffeine in Beverages" that indicates that five ounces of green tea contains 15 mg of caffeine while five ounces of black tea contains 40 mg. Needless to say it depends on which green or black tea you are talking about. Japanese green teas in my experience typically contain more caffeine that Chinese green teas. The caffeine in a typical Assam tea (a "black" tea) seems greater than in say Keemun the famous black tea from China. Furthermore, of course, it depends on how strong one brews one's tea and how long the leaves stay in the water and indeed at what temperature the water is when it hits the leaves.

Putting that aside and assuming such things are balanced, as I presume the authors do, consider this statement, also from page 80: "The more oxidized (or "fermented") the tea, the more caffeine it contains..."

I don't see how this can be true since the amount of caffeine in the bud and leaves does not gain from oxidation. It is not the processing of the tea (except for the deliberate removal of caffeine), but the tea leaves themselves that determine the amount of caffeine in the infusion. The authors imply that they know this when they end the paragraph with the observation that "The greatest concentration of caffeine...is in the bud and first two leaves of the tea bush."

I'm not even sure that this is correct. What IS correct is that the finer the tea the more likely it is to come from the bud and the first leaf or two, yet it will not be experienced as "strong"--which reveals perhaps a more important point about tea drinking: in the older leaves there is more tannin, and it is the experience of tannin that seems "strong" and bitter. The finest teas have only a hint of tannin and not a bit of bitterness.

Putting these peccadilloes aside, this is an attractive book that would make a nice gift for tea and herb lovers. For those who drink nothing but Lipton, it will be an eye-opener deluxe.

Being new to the joy of tea drinking, this was a great introduction. Great chapters on the history of tea, the many varieties, and the basics for brewing a cup. I highly recommend it and their wonderful tea.

Although I haven't totally abandoned my coffee---and my coffee lifestyle---the Republic of Tea's products and mission have brought a growing serenity to my everyday outlook. The sip-by-sip culture centered around the "event" of taking tea has been a release valve for my frenetic pace.

This book helped me appreciate the inner-workings---not just the taste---of tea. I will keep it next to my teapot where it will serve a valuable reference to this ageless beverage.

Tea Time is the perfect little gift book to add to a gift basket. I like to put it in a basket with a little teapot, teacup, and some looseleaf tea. This little book really covers well the basics of taking tea.

Perfect gift for the tea lover in your life. Add a tin of tea and a tea cup to make it extra special!

Great gift for any tea lover! Add a tin of tea and tea cup and it's just perfect!

I expected this book to be interesting, but I didn't expect to be captivated. I picked it up late last night with the intention of thumbing through the pages, and I became engrossed. I ended up reading it from cover to cover. The text guides us through a brief overview of the history and oddly familiar geography of coffee (Kaffa, Al Mokha, Java). But the photographs of the people who grow, pick, and process coffee around the world are what make this book distinctive. "Their faces will always be reflected on the dark surface of every cup of coffee we drink." Indeed.

We are coffee lovers and sample different flavors from around the world. This book has filled a gap in the history of coffee. The text was inspired and the photos are truly amazing. The sepia tones reflect the coffee flavor of the book. One can imagine the fragrance of the coffee beans just from the photos. Bravo!

Absolutely a page turner of a book. Great story that just keeps moving faster and faster. A classic good versus evil that keeps you on the edge till the end. If you like Stephen King, you'll love this.

Captivating - spellbinding - outstanding. Let's see more from this writer. What else has he written? I have suggested to friends that they read this and they were greatly impressed. You will definitely want to put this on your shopping list.

The pictures are nice, and funny, mine came with a defect that made me loose on 20 of them, and I am sad. Gives you nice ideas to display your dolls, but I think the pictures could have been a little better, don't know exactly why or how. I would buy it again. There is this one cute picture with a fashion queen that has her legs up in the air that says something like " 42 more and I can then eat the brownie I baked this morning" that made me laugh! :-)

Amazing scenes and fun read. This book brings back memories of being young but acting grown-up.

Being a coffee lover, you don't have to read it. For someone who wants to study and to know the total picture about coffee, this is a bible on this subject. from MAGGIONI COFFEE, MILANO vincent@maggioni.com.tw

The best comprehensive and authoritative reference text on the chemistry of coffee. A definite must for coffee scientists, chemists and/or coffee lovers. jrivera@coffeeinstitute.org

This is a great coffee table book. It has lots of full color pictures - and it's easy to flip through. For a beginner in the world of tea - it offers good advice and really gets one motivated. It offers herb basics and some recipes, but if you're getting it for a resource book alone - don't do it. Still for the price it's an entertaining and easy to look at book - and fun even for the herbal tea lover with years of experience.

Buying an infuser tea-pot is one of the best things I've ever done. There is nothing more satisfying than making your own clear, refreshing teas with herbs you have grown yourself. Richard Craze's book is an excellent place to start, because it's very simple. Access to ingredients and the particular nature of my own personal taste are the two barriers I normally hit when reading herbal tea books, but Craze has put together a series of simple teas with accessible ingredients that are appealing to my own tastes. His teas are new to me and interesting. He strikes just the right balance between giving you information about herbs and introducing you to new brews, he doesn't overwhelm you with information as many books do, but lets the focus remain upon the teas that he has developed. This isn't a herbal, it doesn't have reams and reams of herbal and medicinal information, consider it more a source-book, to be used to encourage and inspire you to find the teas you like best and build from them.

This book would make a great gift to someone is interested in health, herbs or tea. The book is really colorful and well written. It has 101 recipes for everything imaginable. For instance, "A pimple's worst nightmare tea," or "Steamin' Mama's Lemonade." I love how throughout the book they have various herbalists' profiles. They tell a little about the person, and then they offer a couple of that person's own herbal recipes. The back of the book has a great, quick reference section on the "tea herbs." This books covers every area imaginable; there is a section on kids, teens, seniors, hormones, woman's issues, men's issues, colds, the heart, and so much more. I highly recommend this book. The only suggestion I would have with this book is that an individual better have access or interest in a lot of herbs. Many of the recipes call for a lot of herbs or types not conveniently found at the local herb store, but not to fret, there is a list of suppliers in the back. Great book!

I adore this boook - it's creative, well-written, informative, and with a wealth of ideas and information. I use it constantly to reference for my business, and use it personally to make teas for myself and as gifts for family. The names are a hoot! This truly shows you how useful, versatile, and helpful herbal teas are, with a wide range of ingredients, flavors and moods. if you're interested in making your own teas, get this book! May be a bit daunting for herb "newbies" but don't be scared, you don't need to buy all the herbs mentioned in this book. Just pick one recipe at a time and start to experiment. A great way to learn! I've been playing with herbs for years and still find a new one or two to taste, explore and learn about with this book. ...

This book is an excellent compendium on the history and differing types of tea. I didn't know that all tea comes from the same species of plant (Camellia sinesis), and that the main differences depend on the conditions and location in which the plants are grown.

Ms. Resnick does repeat herself (simply a case of poor editing), but all the information here is interesting, especially to tea drinkers. There is also a section on various cultures' tea ceremonies and how to create your own; as well as several recipes for tea snacks.

My mother gave this book to me after learning of my newly developed love of tea, and it has been really helpful. It describes all the different kinds of tea and offers suggestions about which kinds to try, and has a tasty scone recipe as well as others I haven't tried yet. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone new to tea and wanting to learn more!