Brys’ tea-helps-with-road-rage post reminded me that I’d been meaning to mention a new book, The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide. It was written by Mary Lou and Bob Heiss, who live in this area and have an awesome gourmet food shop in Northampton called Cooks Shop Here.
The shop’s been around for more than three decades and carries everything from Dutch licorice to 80-year-old Tradizionale balsamic. Mary Lou and Bob have become experts on many things over the years, but the subject they’re most excited about is tea. They take regular buying trips to India and China, and personally select every tea they carry in the store.
The new book’s been getting absurdly positive reviews. The Library Journal reviewer wrote that the book “is the best and only book you’ll ever need on the subject,” and the president of the Tea Association of the USA had this to say: “For more than seventy-five years, William H. Ukers’s All About Tea has generally been considered the bible of the tea industry—that is, up until now. The Story of Tea is a sweeping treatise that will serve as required reading for generations of tea professionals and consumers seeking to expand their knowledge.”
In addition to having written the new bible of the tea industry, the Heisses are really nice people. They’ll be happy to sign any book you buy from their website, and 2% of the proceeds from every book they sell through the store will go to Mercy Corps to assist with their humanitarian work with tea growers in Darjeeling and Assam, India.
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I can vouch for the book’s and the Heiss’ awesomeness. I’ve been buying tea and vinegar at their shop for years. They really know more about tea than anyone should.
Nice name, Grey. You were born to drink tea. The Heisses do know their tea for sure.
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