Founder of the Rare Tea Company, renowned Tea Lady Lovell has single-handedly raised the bar for teas, turning tea into something to be both critically tasted and meticulously paired with foods just as wine is treated. Searching the world for exceptional teas and artisanal growers and processors, she has made tea a vital part of menus at the world's best restaurants. In this memoir, she also shares tea's history. Milk in tea became common in Britain only during WWII, when it helped disguise the weak, insipid flavors of rationed tea. Only in the 1970's did afternoon teas become elaborate quasi-dinners with a profligate array of both savory sandwiches and sweet pastries. She visits tea plantations in China and India, and much to her surprise discovers that some of the world's best teas come from Africa's Malawi. Lovell sets all this lore within the context of her own progress from financier to tea vendor, a journey complicated by her own struggles with cancer. Within this context, Lovell instructs how to brew a superior cup of tea, and she even respects iced tea, so long as it's wisely made.--Mark Knoblauch Copyright 2010 Booklist