Brazen Review ~ Tea With Friends, Elizabeth Knight

'Find yourself a cup of tea; the teapot is behind you. Now tell me about hundreds of things.' ~ Saki

Taking Tea -
All tea - Black, Green, Oolong, or blended, which includes more than 3,000 varieties comes from an evergreen bush, Camellia sinensis. Tea ranks as the world's second most popular beverage; water clinched the number one spot. High in some vitamins and minerals, tea boasts a number of health benefits to those who consume more than two cups daily. Popular herbal teas, made with herbs, flowers, roots, berries, bark, or leaves from any plant other than Camellia sinensis are not really tea. These brewed beverages are actually called infusions or tisanes. Who knew? This Broad learned something (a lot of somethings) new!

Knight organizes this charming book neatly. An opening, Taking Tea, explains the who, what, where, why and how of the domestic ritual. Then the author devotes a section to each of the twelve months of the year, suggesting tea party ideas and sprinkling in lovely quotes and interesting tidbits about drinking tea, including practices from tea drinking countries around the world.

After reading Knight's delightful book, this Broad has become infatuated with the idea of hosting a Tea. Even though the day honoring St. Patrick is gone for this year, I think I'll start with March's offering, St. Patrick's Day Ceili Tea!

'In the lilt of Irish laughter you can hear the angels sing!' - Chauncey Olcott and George Graff, 'When Irish Eyes Are Smiling'.

The invitation should read - 'In honor of St. Patrick's Day, join me for a cup of Tay! Please prepare to toast the auld sod with an Irish story, song, or poem.'

Tea With Friends was a pleasure to read, and the illustrations were colorful and whimsical. I'll recommend this book to anyone curious about or already besotted with all things tea.

Overall Rating - ♣♣♣♣♣

- Moíra ♣

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