I was delighted when Adams Media contacted me about writing this book. It was one I had always wanted to write — a very basic introduction to tea for the person who had only experienced the familiar brand tea easily available on grocery store shelves. How do we make the huge subject of tea, which may seem very complex, more comfortable and inviting? How to we discuss the whole leaf teas, now more available and arguably containing more health advantages, without sounding like a tea snob? To me, these are the most important challenges that the specialty tea industry and all the small mom-and-pop retailers have today. If there is a role I would like, a way I’d like to be known, it is as one of the people who welcomes all ages and all levels of interest to Tea Land.
Now that the book is published, there is a little more time to write those articles, but I still find myself coming back to this project with more to say. The luxury of this era of publishing is that blogging gives us this opportunity. The landscape of health benefits of tea is changing every day and I welcome anyone who enjoys Everything Healthy Tea to follow my updates.
In some ways, this books is very different from my other writing: Fun With Tea and The Emma Lea Books as well as articles for World Tea News and Tea Magazine. So much of my focus has been on tea for children and for families. But, in reality, The Everything Healthy Tea Book is my opportunity to answer the hundreds of questions from readers I meet at tea talks, tastings and book signings.
I was in China when the email arrived – touring the newest and farthest north tea producing province, Shen Dong – and on my way to one of the large international tea festivals in Xiamen. The deadline was short and all the notebooks of research for other articles had to be set aside to accept the project. The most valuable thing that this books has given me, making it worth the change of schedule, is a sense of organization to my own thoughts on tea. I find myself even more happily committed to being an ambassador for Camellia sinensis in a coffee and soda dominated world.
From the Inside Flap
Introduction
There are many herbs in addition to Camellia sinensis, the true tea, which brew healthy and flavorful hot beverages. There are also many fruits and vegetables with high antioxidant values that contribute to a healthy diet. But no other food product casts as wide an umbrella over your potential for good health as does tea. Distinguishing it even more are the cultural and spiritual values it contributes to people’s lives. The potential for wellness is not limited to our physical bodies. Tea also nurtures the spirit with beauty through tradition and ceremony.
“Our thirst for tea is never far from our craving beauty”
— James Norwood Pratt, author of “The Ultimate Tea Lover’s Treasury”.
Five thousand years ago, the legendary Chinese Emperor, Shen Nong, is said to have accidentally brewed the first cup of tea when a leaf fell into his boiling water. The story goes on to say that he recognized some of the beneficial properties of Camellia Sinensis and included it in his compendium of healthy plants. Many different practices using tea as a “tonic” became part of traditional folk medicine. Modern science is gradually accumulating a body of evidence through which they can finally confirm what ancient healers discovered by observation and experience.
From the Back Cover
An introduction to the world’s teas and their healing qualities.
A relaxing cup of tea is a soothing way to improve your health, lighten your mood, increase your metabolism, or boost your energy. Tea has so many health benefits, from preventing cardiovascular disease to burning calories, it’s no wonder that so many people are choosing this classic beverage over coffee and carbonated soft drinks. If you’d like to experience the benefits and healing properties of tea, here’s all you need to know:
- The many different types of tea, including green, black, white, oolong, and pu’erh tea.
- Herbal teas, kombucha, and other infusions.
- The use of tea as medicine throughout history
- Buying and brewing the most healthful teas
- Developing your own de-stressing tea traditions
- Using tea in cooking and creating natural beauty products
With essential advice on brewing the perfect cup and storing your tea, The Everything Healthy Tea Book will be your go-to reference for all things tea!
About the Author
Babette Donaldson is a creative writer and tea professional. She is a regular speaker and hands-on educator at the World Tea Expo, Northwest Tea Festival in Seattle, and is the one of the original organizers of the San Francisco International Tea Festival. She is a regular contributor to World Tea News and Tea Magazine, with tens of thousands of readers across various media platforms. Her other published tea books include:
- Fun With Tea
- Emma Lea’s First Tea Party
- Emma Lea’s Magic Teapot
- Emma Lea’s First Tea Ceremony
- Emma Lea’s Tea With Daddy
She lives in Northern California where she is currently working on website blogs to update to The Everything Healthy Tea Book with new medical research and is available as a speaker for your tea event or media coverage of tea. Contact her through her website.
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