Where to learn about tea

There is always more to learn about tea! Fortunately, the tea community extends worldwide yet is as warm and inviting as your favorite armchair. Here are a few places to get you started.

Steepster. A worldwide community of tea fans. Here you’ll find tasting notes, comments, resources for buying tea, and answers to all of your tea questions. Steepster is very welcoming so plunge right into the conversations.

Here are some terrific blogs that post tea reviews, articles, opinions, and links to various tea related things. 
Tea for Me Please
World of Tea
Rate Tea
Oolong Owl
An International Tea Moment
Notes on Tea
Fresh Tea Stories
t ching
A Tea Addict's Journal

Books about tea and tea culture
As you might expect, there are libraries of books by and for tea lovers. Here are just a few to get you started.

The Book of Tea by Kakuzo Okakura. This is the classic essay about the culture of tea, written in English in 1906 and appreciated ever since. Read it, love it, as so many have before.

The Tea Enthusiast’s Handbook by Mary Lou Heiss and Robert J. Heiss. The subtitle says it all: A guide to enjoying the world’s best teas. My copy is highlighted and well thumbed. 

The Story of Tea: A cultural history and drinking guide by Mary Lou Heiss and Robert J. Heiss. A comprehensive look at tea’s history, culture, and growing and manufacturing processes. Also has sections on brewing technique, health benefits, ethics in the trade, and cooking with tea.

Tea: History, terroirs, varieties by Kevin Gascoyne, et al. Gascoyne founded the Camellia Sinensis Tea House in Montreal and is a walking encyclopedia of tea. His writing is very engaging and the photos are gorgeous.

Tea: A user’s guide by Tony Gebely. The author’s blog, World of Tea, bills itself as “spreading well-researched tea information.” His book does likewise in a delightfully readable way.

The Ultimate Tea Lover’s Treasury by James Norwood Pratt. Mr. Pratt has been in the tea biz as author, tea juror, teacher, and researcher for over 30 years. In this classic book, he distills that knowledge and experience with humor, insight, and no small bias.

For All the Tea in China by Sarah Rose. This history of England stealing tea from China to initiate the Indian tea industry reads like a potboiler action adventure tale.

Steeped in History: The art of tea edited by Beatrice Hohenegger. For students of tea. A terrific collection of scholarly, technical, wonderfully illustrated articles about the history and art of tea around the world.

A Tea Reader: Living life one cup at a time by Katrina Ávila Munichiello. This one is not about tea per se, it’s a collection of fiction and nonfiction writing that involve tea one way or another. It's a delightful read.