Review: Tea Time by Francis Amalfi (Beautiful Gift Idea for Tea Lovers)

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Tea Time by Francis AmalfiIn my last post, I wrote about 10 Gift Ideas for Tea Lovers (11 with the bonus!) – the beautiful book I want to tell you about today should be added to the list. In fact, I’m going to do just that when I get through here.

I was recently sent a copy of Tea Time: Delicious Recipes, Fascinating Facts, Secrets of Tea Preparation, and More to review on the tea blog. I waited until the “official” Christmas buying season to do so, because this book would make an ideal gift for any and every tea drinker in your world – including yourself.

The first thing I noticed about this book was how beautiful it was. Sure, sure, you can’t judge a book by its cover…. and yet, when it comes to actual books, I almost always do. I review a lot (let’s go ahead and make that A LOT) of books – whether it’s on Crazy Tea Chick, my food blog, or my self help blog, books are a huge part of my everyday life.

I’d say this bookworm chose her life path wisely!

When I see a book that goes above and beyond to be visually appealing, like Tea Time, I just somehow know there’s magic waiting for me inside.  It may seem like a small thing, but this book fanatic LOVES it when a book has a protective cover with the same beautiful design printed on the book, itself.   In the picture at the bottom of the post, I captured it with my camera. It just means something to me when the book is as pretty as its protective cover.

Small thing, maybe, but it floats my tea leaves.

There are also bright, beautiful, colorful pictures throughout the book.

From the Inside Cover:

Tea is a plant with many beneficial qualities for one’s health and spirit. In fact, the long life span of people in China has been associated with the population’s regular intake of green tea.

Healthier than coffee and with a positively stimulating or relaxing effect—according to the length of boiling time—the vitamins and flavonoids in this infusion are not only healthy, but also help in fighting free radicals. Tea promotes creativity, harmony, and internal balance.

This heavily illustrated book is the most complete guide to this Oriental treasure, which millions of Westerners also enjoy. In addition to valuable advice about its preparation, the pages include:

• The history of tea and its main varieties
• A complete guide for tea gourmets
• Its curative and rejuvenating properties
• The Japanese tea ceremony, step by step
• The tea oracle: how to read the leaves
• Over 60 recipes, including sangria tea, fajitas with tofu macerated in green tea, and many more!

{Review continued beneath the picture…}

Just Two of the Many Beautiful Recipes in Tea TimeTea Time is filled with tea recipes and tips, the history of tea, tea legends, tea tales, and fascinating facts about the different varieties of tea. Pages are devoted to the health benefits of tea – many of which I didn’t even know!

There’s also a fun section on “Household Uses” for tea that I got a big kick out of.  I’ve used a few of these myself for years and plan to put the rest to good use – especially the tip about cleaning cutting boards with green tea, because I don’t always have lemons on hand but I always, always, always have green tea in the kitchen.

Always.

Before the wonderful recipe section, there’s a section titled “Secrets of Preparation” that includes timeless information about…

• storing tea
• the teapot
• the water
• the cups
• iced tea

The author even includes the “Five Golden Rules” of creating the best tea possible.

{Review concludes after the picture….}

Tea Time by Francis AmalfiTea Recipes Include:

• Isotonic Tea (Green Tea with Honey and Lemon)
• Spiced Green Tea
• “Chai High” Tea
• Tofu Fajitas with Green Tea Marinade
• Thai Sauce
• Ginger and Honey Sauce
• Rice Tea
• Lei Ch’a (Ground Tea – for bouts of flu!)
• Ginger and Peanut Tea (cleansing)
• Ginger Tea
• Ginger and Green Onion Tea
• Sweet Tea (for sore throats and mouth sores)
• Echinacea and Plantain Tea (strengthen immune system)
• and many, many more….

I love that the tea recipes come with descriptions of each one’s health benefits. I am now officially armed and ready for cold and flu season!

I was also thrilled to see a recipe for Rice Tea. I’ve often read that rice tea is not only wonderful for stomach aches but also aids in digestion. If you have digestive issues, rice tea is said to keep you from reaching for medications. Safer,faster, and I would imagine better tasting.

My oldest daughter and I the not-so-terribly proud owners of strong gluten intolerances and the intestinal issues that come with them. Before we were able to “catch” and “eliminate” the problem foods, quite a bit of damage was done to our insides. Rice tea has a strong reputation for helping to soothe the intestines and I’m grateful to now have a recipe to follow.

There’s also a recipe for Rice Vinegar Tea which is said to alleviate intestinal pains. I’m keeping it handy for the next time my daughter or I are accidentally “glutened.”

While the tea recipes are, obviously, very beneficial medicinally, they’re also downright delicious. The Le Ch’a (ground tea) for example, sounds like something I could (and may) drink every single day.

Basically, Tea Time is a flat out celebration of tea. It isn’t just a perfect gift idea for tea lovers, it’s a must have for tea lovers.  Click through any of the links to take a closer look at your next favorite book.

~ Joi (“Joy”)

Tea Time is also available on Books-A-Million. Simply search for “Tea Time” in the search box.