Repost: Recommended Tea Books

This is shared by a friend on Zhihu, original link: https://www.zhihu.com/question/30341078/answer/679068099

1. Collection of Ancient Chinese Tea Books

Edited by Zhu Zizhen, Shen Dongmei, and Zeng Qin. A nearly 1000-page thick book, which collects all tea books from past dynasties, divided into four stages: Tang and Five Dynasties, Song and Yuan, Ming, and Qing. It includes full texts with detailed proofreading and annotations. It integrates nearly 120 kinds, serving as a complete inheritance and sorting of ancient tea science heritage. You may not finish reading it, but as a tea enthusiast and learner, it is a must-have reference book.

2. Commentary on the Classic of Tea

Edited by contemporary tea sage Wu Juenong. Do you find Lu Yu's "The Classic of Tea" too obscure and difficult to understand? You may skip "The Classic of Tea," but you cannot skip "Commentary on the Classic of Tea." It is a dialogue between two tea sages separated by a thousand years. Wu Lao began writing in 1979, and after many twists and turns, it took much longer than expected to compare versions and study the text. The initial content focused more on annotations of "The Classic of Tea," and later some new commentary content was added, resulting in the first draft. However, some content in this draft went beyond the scope of commentary, so it was streamlined to highlight the commentary, producing a second draft. Finally, after further modifications and supplements, the third draft was published. During the revision of the third draft, new issues kept emerging that needed resolution. From conception to completion, with multiple revisions, the content's thoroughness and writing spirit are evident. Those who can dash off a tea book in a few days nowadays should feel ashamed.

3. The Classic of Chinese Tea

Edited by Professor Chen Zongmao, with contributions from famous scholars in the tea and medical fields. It is another cultural and classic encyclopedia of the tea industry after Lu Yu's "The Classic of Tea" from the Tang Dynasty. It is also a massive volume, too thick; tea people, take your time reading it. Although it may not cover every aspect of tea, it comes close. It can also serve as a reference book.

4. General History of Tea

Edited by Chen Chuan, a tea scientist, tea educator, tea processing expert, and one of the founders of modern higher tea science education in China. "General History of Tea" compiles major events in the tea industry from ancient and modern times, both domestic and international, aiming to serve as a "Tea Etymology Dictionary." Therefore, it exhausts available materials on tea history from ancient and modern times (up to the 1950s), but mainly quotes original texts for readers' reference and verification.

5. The Book of Tea

Written by American William Ukers, it is considered one of the world's three great tea classics, along with Lu Yu's "The Classic of Tea" from China and the Japanese monk Eisai's "Drinking Tea for Health" from the Kenkyu era. The book elaborates on all fields related to tea from six aspects: history, technology, science, commerce, society, and art. It is an encyclopedia of tea.

6. The Book of Tea

During his travels in Britain and America in the early 20th century, Okakura Kakuzo realized that Westerners had absurd ideas and misunderstandings about the East. Therefore, he wrote in English "The Ideals of the East" (1903), "The Awakening of Japan" (1904), and "The Book of Tea" (1906), which are collectively known as Okakura's "English Trilogy." "The Book of Tea" had the greatest influence, with translations in French, German, Spanish, Swedish, and others, and was selected for American middle school textbooks. While bringing Okakura worldwide fame, it also composed a profound "high mountains and flowing water" with the theme of "tea ceremony" for the Western world. "Tea ceremony" is the essence of traditional Japanese aesthetics; the writing is elegant and enduring, imbued with a literary atmosphere, leading readers to glimpse the world of Japanese classical aesthetics. Compared to the previous hefty volumes, this book is "small and exquisite," you can carry it around and even finish it in a few hours. But to truly understand and appreciate the text, you need solid foundation.

7. Tea Processing Science

Edited by Anhui Agricultural College, for tea majors, a textbook for higher agricultural institutions. You might be surprised and think, "Oh no, do I have to go back to school?" To understand tea, learn tea well, and truly know tea, "Tea Processing Science" is a must-read. With it, when you drink tea, you won't be fooled easily. Young tea brewers, if you study it, people will definitely look at you with new respect.

8. The Wisdom of Drinking Tea

The previous books are more for in-depth study and hobbyists, but this one, "The Wisdom of Drinking Tea" by Teacher Zhao Yingli, is indeed practical for tea drinkers. It is a good basic book for teaching you how to drink tea well, quickly getting started with basic understanding. Tea Encyclopedia has recommended it to many tea friends.

9. Ordinary Tea, Extraordinary Way

If you read beautiful tea essays, you must have heard of Teacher Lin Qingxuan. This collection of tea culture prose, "Ordinary Tea, Extraordinary Way," is a narration of Zen and tea, and a leisurely account of tea in daily life. It is simple and profound, quite enlightening. Oh, by the way, many popular tea quotes online also come from this book.

10. Every Day a Good Day

Fifteen kinds of happiness brought by the tea ceremony. This is the tea practice diary of Japanese tea ceremony master Morishita Noriko, describing in detail the beauty and Zen of the tea ceremony—the aesthetics of making tea, serving tea, bowl brewing, passing cups, and cleaning the pot. It shares the life wisdom the tea master has realized through the tea ceremony: "Reasons are not important; what matters is to follow the procedure. That is the tea ceremony." "Do it immediately, don't think. The hands naturally know; follow the feeling of the hands." "Without thinking, the fingertips naturally reflect the inner emotions; the hands follow the heart." It has been popular in Japan for over 20 years and is recognized as the "spiritual bible of the tea ceremony." For us who love tea, practice tea, spread tea, and cultivate ourselves through tea, it has great significance for learning and attitude.