Reviews for Best 50 Teas and Chais

The average rating for Best 50 Teas and Chais based on 2 reviews is 2.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2014-01-22 00:00:00 Michael Taylor I really enjoyed this book; I found it filled with tons of great information about a variety of tea shops in the Chicago area, along with fun facts about tea, and websites where one can purchase tea-related products. I loved how Susan grouped each type of establishment in alphabetical order, while writing a little tidbit about the establishment itself, along with including some likes and dislikes from her own personal experiences. I also loved how she indicated if the establishment was 'child-friendly', or had 'WiFi', along with a few other helpful indicators for visitors. One thing though is that I would have loved to see photos of the establishments themselves, or even a map of where they were located. Nevertheless, I found it an exquisitely comprehensive guide, that makes me want to travel to Chicago and have a LOT of tea! Thanks Susan, hope we can see another guide of this kind in the future!

Review # 2 was written on 2010-12-01 00:00:00 Cleaton Duguid I love tea. Chai tea, green tea, you name it, and name it tea, I'll probably drink it. Yet, I've always resisted going for high tea. Or afternoon tea, British-style. I'm not sure why. I suppose it is the idea of paying approximately twenty dollars for tea and a few crustless sandwiches. I did have 'proper' tea in England at least a decade ago, but day-old scones with jam somehow didn't do it for me. However, after reading some of the descriptions in Blumberg-Kason's book, I am ready to jump on a plane, fly to Chicago and sit down and cough up twenty dollars for tea, chicken salad on walnut bread, crepes with peanut sauce, chocolate canele and more. Much, much more. (She mentions which places gracefully and willing to serve seconds and thirds.) If that isn't enough to sell you on going for tea, how about the idea of slipping into a seat at a place called Infini-tea or Serenitea? If you aren't up for the whole tea and meal deal, there is a section that lists and describes restaurants, shops and tea houses. The guide mentions which places are child friendly (some places even have special tea for children), have wifi, and are wheelchair accessible.) It also contains tea facts and quotes, a list of tea websites, and a glossary. Just reading the guide (thousands of miles from Chicago) I learned that green tea in Japan is often made from a powder (crushed leaves) and that tea fights harmful bacteria and viruses. As well, loose tea is better than bags and there is this crazy new-fangled tea called bubble tea that has tapioca in it. Yum! There are tea people in this world. Are you one? If so, you'll enjoy this book, even if you never set foot in Chicago.