There are only a few of tea-related books in English that are original, informative and accurate and I would recommend sincerely. And this The Story of Tea is definitely one of them.

I had the honor to meet the authors, Mary Lou and Bob, in last year’s World Tea Expo and later in Pasadena’s Pu-erh Appreciation party. They are a very joyful couple. And I was impressed by the fact although they already have a published tea book that is as heavy as your Principles of Accounting or Fundamentals of Physics textbooks, they were still active and passionate of visiting more places and learning more things in tea.

This book strikes a good balance between broadness and depth, comfortable story-telling style and detailed original information.

When I read the section of the manufacturing of White Tea in Chapter 3, I was amazed by the insight and knowledge of the authors on this unique fine tea, that most people know it only through the marketing hype around its health benefits. They rightly compare the traditional-style method against the modern-style method of manufacturing White Tea, much like the traditional method of making pu-erhs against the modern oven-drying method. They categorize the White Tea we can find in today’s market into three different kinds.

This book does an excellent job to browse through the worldwide tea producing regions and provide elaborate information on the characters of the teas from each region. I’ve found myself enjoy the reading and pick up quite a few new things to learn!

Mary and Bob kindly provide 10 signed copies to dear Hou De customers at a great discount price. So, check them out!

Guang