Thousand Cups of Tea

Distilling nearly forty years of experience drinking the second most consumed beverage in the world, Jürgen Wasim Frembgen's travelogue, A Thousand Cups of Tea, is a journey through the production, preparation, and consumption of tea from North Africa to South Asia. With deep insights into diverse habits, customs, preferences, and traditions surrounding this practise, the author delves into painting a cross-cultural panorama of a simple activity through detailed vignettes and historical anecdotes based on personal observations and thorough ethnographic research. Woven amongst a combination of both culinary and cultural literature, this simple, accessible knowledge allows the reader to explore the brewing herbs not only as a mixture of hot refreshment, but also as a social custom. This book is of interest to a diverse readership-ranging from anthropology students, casual readers, and tea connoisseurs. It is concurrently an important reference material and valuable addition to the literature on the anthropology of food.