Clarity. Health. Peace of mind. These are the goals of The Way of Tea. In this book, readers will learn more about all aspects of tea--from the practical to the spiritual--and how they can implement the accompanying ancient traditions into their modern life. With The Way of Tea, you'll start by tapping into the wisdom and insights of the Chinese tea masters, learn more about the distinct practices of the chanoyu ("tea ceremony"), and delve into the healthful and holistic benefits of drinking tea. With its antioxidants, polyphenols and amino acids, tea reduces the risk of cancer and heart disease, lowers blood pressure, relieves stress, can help prevent diabetes and eye disease, and improve dental health. Readers will also gain an appreciation for the meditative properties of tea and tea rituals. By engaging with and incorporating these mindfulness practices, you can journey down a path leading to calm and quietude, marked by a greater self-awareness and presence of mind. This new edition includes: An in-depth look at the health benefits of tea A brewing guide for beginners detailing the simple "leaves in a bowl" method Step-by-step introductions to the Bowl and Teapot tea ceremonies 48 pages of color photos, prints, and paintings from the author's extensive collection With the help of this book, you will develop a new appreciation for this soothing beverage as a means to both physical and spiritual wellness.

Tea is the world’s most popular beverage. Yet there are disturbing truths to be faced about our morning cuppa. Priest and social activist Becca Stevens tells the remarkable story of how a local café run by women recovering from abuse, prostitution and addiction is helping to bring freedom and fair wages to the tea industry.

For more than 25 years Noriko Morishita studied and practised the intricate ceremonies of the famous Way of Tea, attempting to learn its complexities and achieve a perfection of movement and mood that few can master. In The Wisdom of Tea Noriko describes her gradual discovery of freedom and insight within the very rules that once seemed so constricting. Looking back across her life, Noriko illuminates the real teachings of the Way of Tea: to live absolutely in the moment, to notice and delight in the smallest of details, to embrace the vital skills of patience and perseverance, and to allow yourself to be. The Wisdom of Tea is a distillation of the life lessons Noriko learned through many seasons, spanning girlhood to adulthood. It is a wise and inspiring book that reveals the lasting relevance of an ancient ceremony.

Chado the Way of Tea: A Japanese Tea Master's Almanac is a translation of the Japanese classic Sado-saijiki, first published in 1960. Covering tea-related events in Japan throughout the year, Master Sasaki provides vignettes of festivals and formal occasions, and as well as the traditional contemplative poetry that is a part of the tea ceremony. Each chapter covers variations in the tea ceremony appropriate for a single month, including: Themes and sentiments—tea gatherings at night, under the moon, on snowy days, and many others. Special events—describing major tea festivals such as Hina-matsuri and yasurai-matsuri. Flowers with tea--a list of 250 flowers, divided by season with an explanation of how they are incorporated into the tea ceremony. Cakes—descriptions and ingredients of moist and dry cakes and toffees used in the tea ceremony. Meals for tea—the meal, kaiseki, accounts for almost a third of any formal tea ceremony. This section includes at least two proven menus for each month. Words—seasonal words, poetic names for utensils, and nature words used in the tea ceremony. The book also includes reproductions of almost 100 Japanese paintings produced by the famous tea practitioner Hara Sankei, with over 1,000 Japanese poems, and a glossary of over 500 specialized terms related to the tea ceremony.

A lively and beautifully illustrated history of one of the world's favorite beverages and its uses through the ages. World-renowned sinologist Victor H. Mair teams up with journalist Erling Hoh to tell the story of this remarkable beverage and its uses, from ancient times to the present, from East to West. For the first time in a popular history of tea, the Chinese, Japanese, Tibetan, and Mongolian annals have been thoroughly consulted and carefully sifted. The resulting narrative takes the reader from the jungles of Southeast Asia to the splendor of the Tang and Song Dynasties, from the tea ceremony politics of medieval Japan to the fabled tea and horse trade of Central Asia and the arrival of the first European vessels in Far Eastern waters. Through the centuries, tea has inspired artists, enhanced religious experience, played a pivotal role in the emergence of world trade, and triggered cataclysmic events that altered the course of humankind. How did green tea become the national beverage of Morocco? And who was the beautiful Emma Hart, immortalized by George Romney in his painting The Tea-maker of Edgware Road? No other drink has touched the daily lives of so many people in so many different ways. The True History of Tea brings these disparate aspects together in an entertaining tale that combines solid scholarship with an eye for the quirky, offbeat paths that tea has strayed upon during its long voyage. It celebrates the common heritage of a beverage we have all come to love, and plays a crucial part in the work of dismantling that obsolete dictum: East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet.

Nonfiction. Asian Studies. Tea. Tea drinking is now a global pastime and a delectable variety of teas are much sought after by connoisseurs worldwide. In this meditative volume to understanding, appreciating and serving Korean tea, authors Brother Anthony of Taize and Hong Kyeong-hee share their intimate knowledge of a cultural practice and art form, that at its core embraces universal principles of peace, refinement, and simplicity. THE KOREAN WAY OF TEA is a rich and inviting text, accompanied by full-color photographs of the beauty of Korea, her architecture, nature and people. This introductory guide is a welcome addition for anyone interested in tea and its extraordinary contribution to the Korean cultural tradition.

The Book of Tea is a brief but classic essay on tea drinking, its history, restorative powers, and rich connection to Japanese culture. Okakura felt that "Teaism" was at the very center of Japanese life and helped shape everything from art, aesthetics, and an appreciation for the ephemeral to architecture, design, gardens, and painting. In tea could be found one source of what Okakura felt was Japan's and, by extension, Asia's unique power to influence the world. Containing both a history of tea in Japan and lucid, wide-ranging comments on the schools of tea, Zen, Taoism, flower arranging, and the tea ceremony and its tea-masters, this book is deservedly a timeless classic and will be of interest to anyone interested in the Japanese arts and ways. Book jacket.