REVIEW: Steeped - The Chemistry of Tea

 Steeped: The Chemistry of Tea
Author: Michelle Francl

I love tea. I sip every day. I have more than 100 different varieties and flavors of loose leaf teas in my tea stash. Anything from herbal to pu'erh to rooibos...I've got it and brew it. I mix my own tea blends. I work from home and tea breaks are my moments of zen during the day. Taking time out for some tea brings me peace, clears my mind, and refocuses me. I've spent years learning about tea and perfecting my brewing skills. I make a great cup of tea. 

So, of course I had to read a book about the chemistry behind tea!

I heard about this book due to a controversy stemming from the author recommending a pinch of salt to offset the bitter taste of overbrewed black tea. (She's totally right....just a very tiny amount of salt added can save a bitter cup of tea. I've tried it.) I spent years perfecting my tea brewing skills and my tea blending skills. I've gone from a cup of microwaved water and a cheapo grocery store tea bag to sampling rare varieties of loose leaf teas with all manner of brewing requirements. There really is a learning curve to the perfect cup of tea. 

My tea journey and everything I have learned about how to make a proper cup of tea made me want to read this book. The Chemistry of Tea -- yep, I wanted to know the science behind the lovely aroma, taste and differences between my favorite types of teas. 

And Michelle Francl delivered just what I wanted!! 

This book covers the molecular makeup of tea, what chemicals are present in the leaves, the differences in processing that creates different types of teas, how to brew, when to add milk, sugar, honey, and much more. 

I made it into part of my tea ritual for an entire week.Steeped has 7 chapters, so this worked perfectly. Each chapter starts out with a tea pairing recommendation. When I got up each morning, I brewed the tea of the day and read one chapter in this book. So much information! Very interesting and just fun to read. 

I am not a chemist. I did remember some of the facts she shared about basic chemistry from my public education, but a lot of the science facts were new to me. I loved the information about what makes tea smell and taste the way it does, and how the processing of the leaves makes a huge difference in the taste profile of the tea. That's how leaves from basically the same plant can become black, green, oolong, white, or pu'erh tea. 

And brewing matters.  You can't just microwave the crap out of a mug of water and plunk in whatever tea bag, leave it for a bit and have a great cup of tea. And, cheap tea makes cheap tasting tea. I grew up with Lipton tea bags tossed in microwaved water until the result looked dark enough....bit of sweetener thrown in...that was tea. Is it drinkable? Yep, for the most part. Is it good? Nope. And, Francl's book gave me the science to back up the fact that quality of tea and how tea is brewed really matters. 

The science she shares totally backed up the tea skills I have learned over the years. I start each day with an excellent cup of tea because I'm doing all the right things. And after reading this book, I know why those brewing skills create a great cup of tea. 

Those who aren't into science might find this book a bit off-putting or overwhelming at first. But, it's only 7 chapters. Even if the discussion of chemistry, diagrams of molecules and explanations of what chemicals are present in tea leaves isn't riveting, there is a lot of information on tea itself, brewing, why changing up certain things can change the taste and aroma of the tea in your cup.....   

I recommend this book to every tea lover! I learned some new brewing concepts that I've put into practice (like warming my cup up first before I pour any tea into it -- it makes a difference!) and learned to really appreciate all the wonderful science that goes into the aroma and taste of my tea.

The moment of zen I feel when I bring a mug of fresh tea up close to have that first sip of the day....the steam, the lovely aroma....the flavor....is all backed up by science! 

Thanks Michelle!