The Book of Tea

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There are also many myths and legends added anecdotally. Also, some information on Buddhism and Taoism and Confucianism was included, as well as poetry. As a lover of flowers, I enjoyed the ode to flowers. Ultimately, after a few years of not finding the right formula, I settled on the pattern of rising at around 5am, getting a pot of Clipper’s fabulous Assam Tea with Vanilla on the go, and letting rip on my laptop. By 11am, I’ve completed a vast amount and still have the rest of the day to fit in whatever I want.

We should be foolish indeed if we valued [artists from antiquity] achievements simply on the score of age. Yet we allow our historical sympathy to override our aesthetic discrimination. We offer flowers of approbation when the artist is safely laid to his grave. Nothing is more hallowing than the union of kindred spirits in art. At the moment of meeting, the art lover transcends himself. At once he is and is not. He catches a glimpse of Infinity, but words cannot voice his delight, for the eye has not tongue. Freed from the fetters of matter, his spirit moves in the rhythm of things. It is thus that art becomes akin to religion and ennobles mankind. It is this which makes a masterpiece something sacred.

VI. Flowers

I’ll conclude with the following – if you’re currently not into tea, it’s never too late to take it up. In the UK, my favourite brands are Clipper, Pukka, and Yogi – from Clipper, you’ll find the truly remarkable Assam Tea with Vanilla (31/12/2018: It’s now, sadly, defunct). This is my favourite tea ever and one which I have twice daily, the one I drink at 5am on a Saturday whilst writing nonsense, and the one I’ve become infatuated with. The Tang dynasty (established rather specifically on June 18th, 618 – the seventh century), which Okakura considers a period of “genius” progression, transformed the once protracted method. Imamichi, Tomonobu (2004). In search of wisdom: one philosopher's journey. Tokyo: International House of Japan. pp.123–124. ISBN 9784120029868. Interesting musings on the importance of tea in Japanese society, if sometimes rather more elaborate on the then current state of affairs than on details of the ceremony itself In the trembling grey of a spring dawn, when the birds were whispering in mysterious cadence among the trees, have you not felt that they were talking to their mates about the flowers?"

The contrast between West and East, with the linkage to both Zen Buddhism and Taoism, is interesting. Also Shinto decreeing that houses exist for people and should be broken down after death of the dweller is a very interesting explanation for the wooden architecture and cyclical rebuilding of temples. Marion, Mathieu (2014). "Wittgenstein on Heidegger and Cosmic Emotions". Mind, Values, and Metaphysics. 1 (Philosophical Essays in Honor of Kevin Mulligan): 441. ISBN 978-3-319-04199-5– via https://www.springer.com/la/book/9783319041988. {{ cite journal}}: External link in |via= ( help) For me the romance started out well in this series- in #1, it was super cute and I felt the chemistry, so I was excited to see more of Ning and Kang in this book. But... it just fell so flat 🥲🥲☹️☹️ I really didn't feel a whole ton of chemistry or tension between them, which was SO disappointing 😭😭 The romance was also nonexistent for the first half and by the time we saw more of them in the second half i was just so uninvested in their relationship 🫤

About this Item

In The Book of Tea, from 1906, the author follows the cultural impact of the beverage on the culture of Japan. From history, being a Chinese invention, moving from cakes of ground leaves, to be heated with ginger, lemon and even onion at first to what we now would call Matcha (powdered tea, curiously boiled with salt) towards the leaves we boil nowadays, there is a lot of interest. Still I would have liked a bit more on the actual mechanics, as opposed to the feel and idea behind the tea ceremony. The illustrations give you a feel, but I missed something nonetheless. Overall, this was a decent read- a bit disappointing but also not bad 🫶🫶 I would still recommend this duology if you're looking for: I learned some quite surprising facts. For example, onions were added to tea in some places, and tea-drinking was considered to be an occupation of depraved people!