The Book of Tea

The Book of Tea by Kakuzō Okakura is a lyrical and philosophical exploration of tea and its profound role in Japanese culture, aesthetics, and spirituality. Written in English, it uses the Japanese tea ceremony as a lens to introduce Western readers to Zen, Taoism, and the ideals of simplicity, harmony, and reverence for beauty. Okakura contrasts Eastern and Western thought, celebrating the quiet wisdom of the "way of tea" as a form of art and ethical living. More than a treatise on tea, it is a poetic meditation on humility, impermanence, and the soul of a nation. A timeless classic of cultural insight.