Not included: books focusing on tisanes, tea recipe books, books not in English (because I only speak the one language, I’m definitely not an authority on others). I figured most wouldn’t be interested in recipe books (I’m not), so I avoided doing the extra work.
**Update 2020: I finally caved and broke out a 'blending' section for books I found focused on true-tea blending. Guides that provide a section on blending are still placed under 'Guides'.
Disclaimers and unavoidable problems: I haven’t read every book on this list, so I don’t always know if they’re in exactly the right category. Plus many books fit in multiple categories. Some have misleading names. I ended up putting emphasis on books on specific countries; that is, those on specific aspects of a single country (ex. Chinese tea economy) went under China instead of Economy.
There were also a lot of problems with Japanese and Chinese authors (whether the publisher followed Western or Eastern conventions of surnames; some I had to guess). Also an entire collection of books on Tea Clippers which I couldn’t decide if I wanted to include, just because they’re cool, but only tangentially related to tea.
Future plans include: Adding peer-reviewed journals, and links to archive.org/Gutenberg for public domain works. I’ll likely devise a legend later to quickly mark country-specific books that have a focus (E: Economy, H: History, Cu: Culture, Ce: Ceremony…).
New Releases
Books posted here are also sorted in the master list below. I avoided reprints/reprints of public domain books, of which there are always a bunch, but included updated editions of existing works. Included updated volumes of existing books.
2020
- A Dark History of Tea, by Seren Charrington Hollins - 3 Jul 2020
- Talking Tea: Casual Tea Drinker to Tea Connoisseur, by Judith A. Leavitt - Jul 6 2020
- Tasting Qualities: The Past and Future of Tea, by Sarah Besky - 12 May 2020
- Tea War: A History of Capitalism in China and India, by Andrew B. Liu - 21 Apr 2020
- Chinese Tea and Food Pairings, by Roy Fong - 15 Apr 2020
- Stuff Every Tea Lover Should Know, by Candace Rose Rardon - 14 Apr 2020
- The Japanese Teahouse, by Wolfgang Fehrer - 4 Apr 2020
- The Philosophy of Tea, by Tony Gebely - 1 Mar 2020
- Every Day A Good Day, by Noriko Morishita - 2019
- Tea: a Nerd's Eye View, by Virginia Utermohlen Lovelace - Dec 1 2019
- Good & Proper Tea, by Emilie Holmes - 5 Nov 2019
- The Story of Japanese Tea: a broad outline of its cultivation, manufacturing, history and cultural values, by Tyas Sōsen - Nov 4 2019
- Infused: Adventures in Tea, by Henrietta Lovell - 18 Oct 2019
- Tales of the Tea Trade, by Michelle and Rob Comins - 3 Sep 2019
- A Bowl for a Coin: A Commodity History of Japanese Tea, by William Wayne Farris - Apr 30 2019
- Green Tea Cha, by Kei Nishida - 20 Aug 2019
- How to Grow and Make Tea In the Continental United States 2nd Edition, by Steve Lorch - Aug 2 2019
- Teatime: Fashionable New Tea Shops, by Zender - 30 Jul 2019
- Tea Leaf to Cup, by Glifford Little - 13 May 2019
- The Tale of Tea, by George L. van Driem - 1 March 2019
- Tea is for Everyone: Making Chinese Tea Accessible, by Chan Sin Yan - 2019
An interesting problem here: Is how do you separate books that have detailed dictionaries by tea type as WELL as comprehensive guides, and those that JUST have guides, and those guides that follow brewing, or production, or both?
- Battle, W. The World Tea Encyclopedia
- Beckwith, S., Paul, C. A Little Tea Book: All the Essentials from Leaf to Cup
- Browne, E. Tea
- Chow, K. All the Tea in China
- Delmas, F. The Tea Drinker’s Handbook
- Delmas, F., Minet, M. Tea Sommelier: A Step-by-Step Guide
- Freeman, M., D'Offay, T. The Life of Tea: A Journey to the World's Finest Teas
- Gascoyne, K. Tea: History, Terroirs, Varieties
- Gaylard, L. The Tea Book
- Gebely, T. Tea: A User's Guide
- Gleason, C. The Biography of Tea
- Holmes, E., Benton, B. Good & Proper Tea: How to make, drink and cook with tea
- Huxley, G. Talking of Tea
- Keating, B.R. and Long, K. How to Make Tea
- Kilby, N. The Tea Book: All Things Tea
- Klingner, W. World of Tea: A Beginner’s Guide to Tea
- Langley, A. The Little Book of Tea Tips
- Leavitt, J. Talking Tea: Casual Tea Drinker to Tea Connoisseur
- Lovelace, V. U. Tea: a Nerd's Eye View
- Lu Yu, The Classic of Tea
- McCormick, Malachi A Decent Cup of Tea
- Pasqualini, D. T. & Suet, B. The Time of Tea
- Peltier, W. The Ancient Art of Tea
- Pettigrew, J. The Tea Companion: A Connoisseur’s Guide
- Pettigrew, J. World of Tea: Discovering Producing Regions and their Teas
- Pratt, J. N. Tea Dictionary
- Pratt, N. J. The Tea Lover's Treasury
- Rardon, C. Stuff Every Tea Lover Should Know
- Rasmussen, W., Rhinehart, R. Tea Basics: A Quick and Easy Guide
- Reade, A. Tea and Tea Drinking
- Smith, K. The World Atlas of Tea
- Souter, K. The Tea Cyclopedia
- Uhl, J. The Art and Craft of Tea
- Ukers, W. U. All About Tea Vol. I, II
- Walsh, J. M. A Cup of Tea
- Walsh, J. M. Tea, Its History and Mystery
- Williams, L. Tea
- Yan, C. Tea is for Everyone: Making Chinese Tea Accessible
- Yin, N. Tea Art of China
I’m putting a disclaimer here because many books toting “the history of tea” end up being Britain-centric. I haven’t read all of them to confirm their placement.
- Alan, M. The Empire of Tea
- Day, S. P. Tea, its Mystery and History
- Driem, G. The Tale of Tea: A Comprehensive History of Tea from Prehistoric Times to the Present Day
- Ellis, M. Empire of Tea: The Asian Leaf that Conquered the World
- Gebely, T. The Philosophy of Tea
- Heiss, M. L. The Story of Tea
- Hohenegger, B. Steeped in History: The Art of Tea
- Hollins, S. A Dark History of Tea
- Liu, A. Tea War: A History of Capitalism in China and India
- Mair, V. H. and Hoh, E. The True History of Tea
- Martin, L. C. Tea: The Drink that Changed the World
- Martin, L. C. A History of Tea: The Life and Times of the World's Favourite Beverage
- Moxham, R. A Brief History of Tea
- Pasqualini, Dominique, T. The Time of Tea
- Pettigrew, J., Richardson, B. A Social History of Tea
- Rappaport, E. A Thirst for Empire: How Tea Shaped the Modern World
- Slavin, S. Tea
- Stevens, B. The Way of Tea and Justice
- Ukers, W. The Romance of Tea
Most culture books are organized under their country. Some books cover multiple countries though, and those are listed here.
- Machester, C. Tea in the East
There’s a bit of overlap with the Botony/Growing/Production section with books that focused on both. This includes guides to the industry, the history of the tea industry, wholesale buyer's guides and guides on shops. Books on the Economy of specific countries are instead listed under their country section below.
- Akiyama, T. A New Global Tea Model
- Asopa, V. N. Competitiveness in Global Tea Trade
- Besky, S. Tasting Qualities: The Past and Future of Tea
- Comins, M., R. Tales of the Tea Trade: The Secret to Sourcing and Enjoying the World's Favorite Drink
- Everett, H. Spilling the Tea: Reviving an Ancient Art for a New Generation
- Forrest, D. M. The world tea trade
- Gartar, G. K. The World Tea Economy
- Hall, N. The Tea Industry
- Harler, C.R. The Culture and Marketing of Tea
- Mui, H. The Management of Monopoly
- Nya, G. The Tea Trade. Parts First and Second
- Staveacre, F. W. Tea and Tea Dealing
- Ukers, W. International Tea & Coffee Buyers' Guide
- United Nations Tea Marketing Systems in Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka
- Wickizer, V. K. Tea Under International Regulation
- Zender Teatime: Fashionable New Tea Shops
These ended up lumped together because a number of books overlapped. If the list becomes larger, I might break it up as best I can into Growing and Production.
- Chen, L. Global Tea Science: Current Status and Future Needs
- Chen, L. Global Tea Breeding
- Eden, T. Tea
- Green, M. How to Grow and Harvest Tea: A Comprehensive Guide In Growing And Harvesting Camellia Sinensis
- Giftai, N. The Gardener's Guide to Growing & Processing Tea: White, Green, Oolong, and Black Teas
- Harler, C. R. Tea Growing
- Harler, C. R. Tea Manufacture
- Ibbetson, A. Tea from Grower to Consumer
- Little, C. Tea Leaf to Cup: From Creation to Cup
- Lorch, S. How to Grow and Make Tea In the Continental United States 1st, 2nd Edition
- Mann, H. H. The Tea Soils of Assam and Tea Manuring
- Money, E. The Cultivation and Manufacture of Tea
- Rosthorn, A. D. On The Tea Cultivation in Western Sshuch’uan (sic) and the Tea Trade with Tibet via Tachienlu (sic)
- Shahidi, F., Ho, C., Lin, J. Tea and Tea Products: Chemistry and Health-Promoting Properties
- Wallis-Tayler, A. J. Tea Machinery and Tea Factories
- Watt, G. The Pests and Blights of the Tea Plant
- Werkhoven, J. Tea Processing
- Willson, K. C. Tea: Cultivation to Consumption
Yes, I finally bit the bullet
- Dane, F. A Sketch of the Growth and History of Tea and the Science of Blending Particularly Adapted to the Canadian Trade
- Lewis & Co. Tea and Tea Blending
- Walsh, J. M. Tea-Blending as a Fine Art
- Whittingham & Co. The Art of Tea Blending: A handbook for the Tea Trade
Britain
The UK, Great Britain, some of her colonies.
- D’Antonio, M. A Full Cup
- Forrest, D. M. Tea for the British: The Social and Economic History of a Famous Trade
- Kinchin, P. Tea and Taste: The Glasgow Tea Rooms, 1875-1975
- Rose, S. For All the Tea in China
- Scott, J. M. The Great Tea Venture
- Avery, M. The Tea Road: China and Russia Meet Across the Steppe
- Ball, S. An account of the cultivation and manufacture of tea in China
- Benn, J. A. Tea in China: A Religious and Cultural History
- Blofeld, J. The Chinese Art of Tea
- Chu, T. H. Tea Trade in Central China
- Chunfang, P. Yixing Pottery: The World of Chinese Tea Culture
- Etherington, D. Green Gold: The Political Economy of China’s Post-1949 Tea Industry
- Evans, J. C. Tea in China: The History of China’s National Drink
- Fong, R. The Great Teas of China
- Fuchs, J. The Ancient Tea Horse Road
- Gardella, R. Harvesting Mountains: Fujian and the China Tea Trade, 1757-1937
- Goodwin, J. The Gunpowder Gardens or, A Time For Tea: Travels Through China and India in Search of Tea
- Hinsch, B. The Rise of Tea Culture in China: The Invention of the Individual
- Hinsch, B. The Ultimate Guide to Chinese Tea
- Hohenegger, B. Liquid Jade: The Story of Tea from East to West
- Hung, P. Tea Production, Land Use Politics, and Ethnic Minorities
- Lim, H. L. A Passage to Chinese Tea
- Liu, T. Chinese Tea: A Cultural History and Guide, by Liu Tong, translated by Yue Liwen
- Lo, K. S. The Stonewares of Yixing: From the Ming Period to the Present Day
- Long, W. Chinese Tea Culture
- Lu, C. Early Teapots Encyclopedia II
- Reid, D. The Art and Alchemy of Chinese Tea
- Smith, P. Taxing Heaven’s Storehouse: Horses, bureaucrats, and the destruction of the Sichuan tea industry, 1074-1224
- Towler, S. Cha Dao: The Way of Tea, Tea as a Way of Life
- Wang, D. The Teahouse: Small Business, Everyday Culture, and Public Politics in Chengdu, 1900-1950
- Wang, D. The Teahouse under Socialism: The Decline and Renewal of Public Life in Chengdu, 1950–2000
- Wang, J. & Guo, D. All About Tea in China
- Wang, J. All the Tea in China: History, Methods and Musings
- Wang, J. & Guo, D. Illustrated Book of Chinese Tea
- Wang, J. Illustrated Dictionary of Famous Tea in China
- Wang, L. Tea and Chinese Culture
- Yun, L. Chinese Tea
- Zhang, S. The Wild Truth of Tea
- Zhou, W. and Yue, S. Pictorial Album of Chinese Tea Art
- Anderson, J. L. An Introduction to Japanese Tea Ritual
- Chiba, K. Japanese women, class and the tea ceremony
- Corbett, R. Cultivating Femininity Women and Tea Culture in Edo and Meiji Japan
- Cross, T. The Ideologies of Japanese Tea: Subjectivity, Transience and National Identity
- Farris, W. A Bowl for a Coin: A Commodity History of Japanese Tea
- Fehrer, W. The Japanese Teahouse
- Fujioka, R. Tea Ceremony Utensils
- Fukukita, Y. Cha-No-Yu: Tea Cult of Japan
- Guth, C. M. Art, Tea, and Industry: Masuda Takashi and the Mitsui Circle
- Hammitzsch, H. Zen and the Art of the Tea Ceremony
- Hirota, D. Wind in the Pines: Classic Writings of the Way of Tea as a Buddhist Path
- Honda, H. Vietnamese and Chinese Ceramics Used in the Japanese Tea Ceremony
- Kato, E. The Tea Ceremony and Women’s Empowerment in Modern Japan: Bodies Re-Presenting the Past
- Nishida, K. Green Tea Cha: How Japan and the World Enjoy Green Tea in the 21st Century
- Ohki, S. Tea Culture of Japan
- Pitelka, M. Handmade Culture: Raku Potters, Patrons, and Tea Practitioners in Japan
- Pitelka, M. Japanese Tea Culture: Art, History and Practice
- Sadler, A. L. The Japanese Tea Ceremony: Cha-no-Yu and the Zen Art of Mindfulness
- Sasaki, S. Chado: The Way of Tea; A Japanese Tea Master’s Almanac
- Sen, G. A Chanoyu Vocabulary: Practical Terms for the Way of Tea
- Sen, S. Chado: The Japanese Way of Tea
- Sen, S. XV Tea Life, Tea Mind
- Sen, S. XV The Japanese Way of Tea: From its Origins in China to Sen Rikyu
- Sen, S. XV The Spirit of Tea
- Soei, R. The Book of Chanoyu Tea the Master Key to Japanese Culture
- Sōsen, T. The Story of Japanese Tea: a broad outline of its cultivation, manufacturing, history and cultural values
- Surak, K. Making Tea, Making Japan
- Taka, O. Gathering for Tea in Modern Japan: Class, Culture and Consumption in the Meiji Period
- Tanaka, S., Tanaka, S. & Reischauer, E. O. The Tea Ceremony
- Varley, P. and Isao, K. (editors) Tea in Japan: Essays on the History of Chanoyu
- Zavadckyte, S. Japanese Tea: A Comprehensive Guide
- Baildon, S. The Tea Industry in India: A Review of Finance and Labour, and a Guide for Capitalists and Assistants
- Besky, S. The Darjeeling Distinction
- Chatterjee, P. A Time for Tea: Women, Labor, and Post/Colonial Politics in an Indian Plantation
- Griffiths, Sir P. A History of the Indian Tea Industry
- Koehler, J. Darjeeling: The Colorful History and Precarious Fate of the World's Greatest Drink
- Kydd, J. C. India's Greatest Industries: The Tea Industry
- Mann, H. H. The Early History of the Tea Industry in North East India
- Anthony (Brother) Korean Tea Classics
- Anthony (Brother) The Korean Way of Tea
- Yoo, Yang-Seok The Book of Korean Tea
- Forrest, D. M. A Hundred Years of Ceylon Tea
- McCarthy, A., Devine, T. Tea and Empire: James Taylor in Victorian Ceylon
- Pett, G.T. The Ceylon Tea-Makers' Handbook
- Arvo, W. E. A Geography of the Tea Industry in Kenya
- Stern, N. H. An appraisal of tea production on small holdings in Kenya
- Frembgen, J. A Thousand Cups of Tea: Among Tea Lovers in Pakistan and Elsewhere in the Muslim World
- Habibullah, M. Tea Industry of Pakistan
- Chan, K. P. A Glossary of Chinese Puerh Tea
- Chan, K. P. First Step to Chinese Puerh Tea
- Chen, J. A Tea Lover’s Travel Diary (Vol 1): Phoenix Single-Tree Oolong & Tie Kuan Yin Oolong
- Chen, J. A Tea Lover’s Travel Diary (Vol 2): 4 World-Famous Chinese Green Teas
- Graham, P. J. Tea of the Sages: The Art of Sencha
- Lovelace, V. U. Three Basic Teas and How to Enjoy Them
- Oppliger, P. Green Tea: The Delicious Everyday Health Drink
- Zhang, J. Puer Tea: Ancient Caravans and Urban Chic
Not to be confused with Journals, of the Academic Peer-Reviewed short. See further below.
- Barker, G. M. A Tea Planter’s Life in Assam
- Fortune, R. A Journey to the Tea Countries of China
- Fortune, R. A Residence Among the Chinese
- Fortune, R. Three Years’ Wanderings in the Norther Provinces of China
- Fortune, R. Yedo and Peking
- Fisher, A. Tea Medicine
- Fisher, A. Tea Wisdom
- Fisher, A. The Way of Tea
- Fisher, A. Zen and Tea on Flavour
- Fong, R. Chinese Food and Tea Pairings
- Murphy, F. H. The Spirit of Tea
- Okakura, K. The Book of Tea
- Mariage Frères The French Art of Tea
- Mariage Frères (Alain Stella) French Tea: Mariage Frères – Three Centuries of Savoir-Faire
- Twining, R. and Co. The Twinings in Three Centuries: The Annals of a Great London Tea House
- Wild, A. The East India Company Book of Tea
- Freeman, M., Ahmed, S. The Tea Horse Road: China’s Ancient Tea Road to Tibet
- Lambardi, G. Tea Sommelier
- Lovell, H. Infused: Adventures in Tea
- Morishita, N. Every Day A Good Day: Fifteen Lessons I Learned About Happiness From Japanese Tea Culture
- Tse, Jenny The Essence of Tea: The Transformational Journey of a Tea Connoisseur
Of the academic and peer-reviewed variety. To be added at some point in the future…
