Some people are adamant that the perfect cup of tea is Earl Grey sipped from a bone china cup. Others say it should be Darjeeling, carefully brewed in an elegant porcelain pot, while many others still favor the traditional cup served with milk and two sugars.You can sip it hot, or drink it ice cold with a sprig of mint, or brew an Indian-style chai with cardamoms and cinnamon; but however tea is prepared, the universal experience is that it provides refreshment, gentle stimulation, and good times.Some of the many tea topics in this volume include: -- A concise history of tea and its basic preparation-- A journey around the tea estates and small holdings of the tropics-- Traditions of tea ceremonies from around the world-- Recipes using tea, plus herbal and tea infusionsWhether your answer to all life's vicissitudes is to put the kettle on, or if you are simply inclined now and then to take afternoon tea, this is the book for you.