Tea sommelier - Gabriella Lombardi

An extraordinary book dedicated to all tea lovers. A new perspective in teaappreciation, a search for pure pleasure. Tea is so much more than a simple infusion:it is a sign of taste, an excuse for a get-together or a spiritual moment.Drinking tea is a symbol of conviviality and great hospitality, a pleasant way tobe sociable, to share time with one or more friends, and to create peace and harmony.But it can also be a real form of meditation: sipping this noble beveragealone is a way to reclaim time; it envelops you in a warm embrace, bestowing asense of satisfaction and pleasure. This volume offers a modern vision of a drinkthat has been with us for millennia, describing the ritual instruments to make thisperfect infusion and how to prepare it, taking you from its remote origins toits present fortunes, through a 5,000-year-long history. The chemical compositionof this beverage endows it with qualities recognized all over the world and in usefor thousands of years. Moreover, tea is a refined product that today is considereda true gastronomic delicacy at all levels: it is a drink possessing a range ofaromas as rich as that of wine, and as a product of the territory it also has itscrus and names. Through an introduction to sensory analysis, tea enthusiasts willdiscover the bouquet of different aromas, and the grammar of flavors, unveilingthe emotional enjoyment that tea savoring entails. This richly illustrated guide isan initiation to the art of professional tea tasting with a description of its rulesand of the tea sommelier tools. Through a careful examination of the data sheetsof 50 grand cru teas, some of the best known varieties on the market today, youwill understand the chemical transformations that produce the colors of this beverage,and this will enable you to understand better the properties of each familyof teas. This drink also blends wonderfully with good food, as it can matchmagically with everyday cooking or be served on special occasions: a selection ofsome exclusive recipes, together with many useful recommendations for ideal teaand food pairings, will help to establish the basic rules for matching tea withsavory or sweet dishes. At the end of the book, a rich and exhaustive glossarysummarizes everything you have to know on the language of tea, and on the professionaltasting vocabulary. Preparing and appreciating tea is an experience thatinvolves all our senses, from the sound of the bubbling of boiling water to the tactilepleasure of perceiving the texture of precious ceramics, from the visual experienceof seeing the green tea leaves unfurling to the enjoyment of savoring infusionsof celestial goodness: the way to paradise really passes through a teapot.