Tea has a wonderful quality that draws people together and, mysteriously, a shared cup of tea always seems to taste better than tea drunk alone. Tea-leaves bring their life and spirit to our cups. When we make time for tea, we make time for ourselves and for each other – time to watch the tiny leaves that have travelled so far, slowly unfurl.
Drinking tea has, for centuries, been more than a source of sustenance. It has also been the centre of fellowship, especially for women, and the basis of the art of tea-leaf reading. Time for Tea is a delightful small format hardcover extolling the virtues of tea drinking and sharing some of the secrets to the art of reading tea-leaves.
Author Lindel Barker-Revell explores the history of tea and tea-drinking, explains the different types of tea and offers suggestions about tea cups, pots and more, and gives advice for staging the perfect tea party, before exploring in detail the different shapes and objects which might be seen in the tea leaves and what they mean.
This is a lovely little book and you don’t have to be over-serious about the art of tea-leaf reading to enjoy what it has to offer.
Time for Tea, by Lindel Barker-Revell
Allen & Unwin, 2007