The Spirit of Tea, by Frank Hadley Murphy

This book is very close to my heart. The author speaks to the spirituality of tea but more so, he is breaching the expanses of the mystical sides of tea at the same time. He is easy to read, and you practically can hear the passion in his voice as you read. A must have for the true Tea lover, and the Tea Witch. – Amy Taylor, owner The Art of Tea and Tasseomancy’s Mystic Tearoom

The Spirit of Tea is a radical departure from all of the tea books on the market today. It touches upon tea’s transcendental nature that no book has yet examined. While a lot is written about tea’s healing benefits and curative properties, tea’s more spiritual and mystical attributes gets little attention. The author was motivated to write this book because of the profound absence of information in this area. What is it that keeps us coming back to humanity’s favorite beverage next to water. Forget about English tea, cucumber sandwiches and petite fours. You won’t find them here because controversial aspects of tea’s intrinsic qualities are discussed. Myths about tea are debunked while others are reanimated while the reader is also given practical information, including the history and characteristics, special properties and features of the sixclassical catagories of tea: White, Yellow, Green, Oolong, Black (or Red in China), and Puerh teas. All are explained in great detail with information their varieties, their traditions, the nature of each, brewing techniques, along with an fascinating narrative.

About the Author
Frank Hadley Murphy was born into an old New England family in Boston, Massachusetts. A seminary drop-out, he graduated from the American Tea Masters Association’s tea mastership program and is senior student of Tea Master and Taoist priest, Roy Fong. Lecturing nationally, most recently for the Santa Fe Opera in conjunction with their US premier of Tan Dun’s “Tea: A Mirror of Soul”, Mr. Murphy lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico where he owns Jade Mountain Tea Company.