Grow Your Own Caffeine: The Story of How I Learned to Grow Tea and Coffee in My Home Garden

Grow Your Own Caffeine: The Story of How I Learned to Grow Tea and Coffee in My Home Garden by Andrew Buckingham has one of my favorite kinds of introductions for “how-to” books. It is a story, a narrative, showing the beginning of the author’s love for tea through beautifully described and personal details. For me, this makes this book more than “how-to.” This first story pulls me into the business aspect of growing tea, which is the main focus of the book. The author says, “I first fell in love with this special drink,” tea, “at a very young age. The ritual of boiling the water . . .” leads to an outline of how the book plays out, but the outline, again, is in prose and, again, for me, prose outlines orient me best. The history of tea, such as the author’s look at tea houses and their histories, say, and, also, the tea ceremony in Japan and “Tea in Korea,” Vietnam, etc., are tantalizing. We get the histories, too, of kinds of teas, such as green tea. Finally, the author shows us a “global” history. For me, the history of my product is most important. I learn from this “essence” of “my” product and the base from which to build on, as I learn from the author’s explorative histories of tea’s aspects too. From the middle of the book to the end, we learn the benefits to the body of tea’s caffeine, looks at different kinds of tea, the side effects of tea, the uses of tea for the body and for daily life, specifics of harvesting and production, also, often, shown through the author’s narratives. And, through narrative, often humorous, we learn about the “judging of tea” and elements of tea, such as the “feel” or “touch” of the tea. I will read this book again and, perhaps, again, to revel in the history and production of tea and how one can take that on as a business she loves. There is an appendix, a list of teas and their descriptions and, lastly, places to auction your product, your tea, throughout the world which is exciting to me.

Ever wonder what it takes to grow your own tea? Well look no further than this indispensable guide for everything you need to be a success. The author guides you through every step of the process from start to finish, and there are plenty of helpful resources to help you get familiar with important terms and supplies. There is even a detailed chapter devoted to the history of tea around the world, with amazing facts and stories of how tea has shaped human civilization.The writing style is a joy to read; the author's tone is friendly and entertaining while still remaining authoritative on the subject. Not afraid to share their past mistakes, the author describes common things to avoid when starting out in an effort to make the reader's experience as easy as possible. Each phase of the growing process is covered in full, from the first steps of sprouting tea leaves all the way to proper quality control.There is also a chapter covering the many health benefits of tea, with several color photographs throughout that show the many different types of tea leaves and their country of origin. It's safe to say that this book will undoubtedly become the new go-to source for those looking to start their own tea garden operation. Get ready to astound and impress your friends and family with your expert knowledge on tea growing and tea history.

This was a fun read. I was pleasantly surprised by the author's respect for history and culture. I am a fan of black, green, white teas, as well as herbal blends. Especially in the cooler months. Recently, I have started drinking coffee as a part of my morning routine so I downloaded this book thinking it was exclusively about coffee.Because I am nearsighted, I can be forgiven for reading the title as "Grow your own coffee." I was mesmerized by the history lessons about my favorite teas and only realized what the title really was after I started writing this review. Oops? Did I mention how much I love white tea? It tastes amazing, and after reading about the cultural significance, I am happy that I purchased this book "by mistake".I am a homebody, and see myself growing a few coffee plants indoors. If my plan works out, I will be making my own lattes at home and never have to skip down to the SevenEleven at the end of my street on lazy Saturday mornings.

I was very interested by the section on Japanese tea customs and history as I am so interested in Japanese culture. I got this book to learn more about growing my own plants for tea, and it actually had so much more information than I thought it would.

Grow Your Own Caffeine By Andrew BuckinghamCoffee & Tea lovers Note: This book isn’t just for those who are looking to grow their own tea or coffee. This book is also a store of viable information, starting with the history of both and divulging various health and everyday household uses that will certainly make you want to go out and get some of the various teas/coffees, even if it doesn’t stir up a desire in you to start your own greenhouse.Reading what Buckingham went thru to get his crops flourishing is certainly going to give you a deeper appreciation for every cup you enjoy.I found this book to be well worth the read!

Honestly, the title is catchy enough that I had to get the book. I believe a good half of the world's population is hooked to caffeine as I am. So, when I see an opportunity to grow my own, why not. I always thought I have "green thumb", it's time to put the thumb to the real test and see how green it really is. On a serious note, this book is much more than just how to grow tea and coffee, the author took me to though a journey which was truly very enjoyable. I could not put it down. It also gave me very detailed guidance on how to test my green thumb. Awesome book!

It’s a misleading title, all about tea