James Norwood Pratt
Encyclopedia
James Norwood Pratt is an author and authority on wine
, tea
and tea lore. He was born March 27, 1942, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
, and brought up in Forsyth County
, North Carolina
on land which has been in his family since before the American Revolution
. He was educated at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
and in Europe
and since 1965 has lived chiefly in San Francisco.
he wrote his first book "The Wine Bibber's Bible" (1971). He is best known for his books on tea "The Tea Lover's Treasury" (1982), "The Tea Lover's Companion" (1995), and the whimsical "Reading Tea Leaves" (1996) authored as "by a Highland Seer."
In 2000 he brought out "James Norwood Pratt's NEW Tea Lover's Treasury," a complete re-casting of his earlier work in the light of increased information. This book has been translated into German with the title "Tee fur Geniesse" and is often used as a training manual in the US tea trade.
tea information and tea ways in America and the West. He first anglicized the name for the Chinese covered cup, for example, as “gaiwan” and on second thought changed the spelling to “guywan.” Both spellings are now found in English, French and German.
Also a speaker and teacher, Mr. Pratt has addressed audiences from Zurich, Switzerland
(Le Club des Buveurs de The Suisse) and London's
Kew Gardens
to Hangzhou
(China Tea Research Institute). He served as International Juror at India's
first-ever tea competition, The Golden Leaf India Awards 2005, in Coonoor, India
. He has served as a consultant, teacher, taster
or spokesman for several tea companies.
Profiling him as "The Renaissance man of the tea industry" in Fresh Cup magazine's "1999 Tea Almanac", Michelle Williams wrote: "Parts historian, connoisseur, and world-traveller…he has carved out a reputation as the consummate spokesman for US tea consumers. His wit and dedication to the beverage have helped spread the gospel of tea to tens of thousands of people."
In 2007 he helped stage a Festival of Tea for Santa Fe Opera's
premier production of "Tea: A Mirror of Soul" by Chinese composer Tan Dun
. Extensive interviews with Mr. Pratt are featured in the 2009 book, The Meaning of Tea: A Tea Inspired Journey. He appears in Scott Chamberlin Hoyt's 2008 documentary film of the same name.
"Taking tea is a moment of windless calm, amid the bluster of daily events has always been one of humanity's favorite pleasures. But beyond pleasure, tea can always provide glimpses of the ultimate reality, usually when we least expect any."
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
, tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
and tea lore. He was born March 27, 1942, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to...
, and brought up in Forsyth County
Forsyth County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 306,067 people, 123,851 households, and 81,741 families residing in the county. The population density was 747 people per square mile . There were 133,093 housing units at an average density of 325 per square mile...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
on land which has been in his family since before the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. He was educated at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
and in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and since 1965 has lived chiefly in San Francisco.
Literary works
In CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
he wrote his first book "The Wine Bibber's Bible" (1971). He is best known for his books on tea "The Tea Lover's Treasury" (1982), "The Tea Lover's Companion" (1995), and the whimsical "Reading Tea Leaves" (1996) authored as "by a Highland Seer."
In 2000 he brought out "James Norwood Pratt's NEW Tea Lover's Treasury," a complete re-casting of his earlier work in the light of increased information. This book has been translated into German with the title "Tee fur Geniesse" and is often used as a training manual in the US tea trade.
Tea trade milestones
He was named Honorary Director of the Imperial Tea Court, a traditional Chinese teahouse founded in 1993 by Roy Fong in San Francisco, now located in the San Francisco Ferry Building. Mr. Pratt has played a major role in disseminating ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
tea information and tea ways in America and the West. He first anglicized the name for the Chinese covered cup, for example, as “gaiwan” and on second thought changed the spelling to “guywan.” Both spellings are now found in English, French and German.
Also a speaker and teacher, Mr. Pratt has addressed audiences from Zurich, Switzerland
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
(Le Club des Buveurs de The Suisse) and London's
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Kew Gardens
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, usually referred to as Kew Gardens, is 121 hectares of gardens and botanical glasshouses between Richmond and Kew in southwest London, England. "The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew" and the brand name "Kew" are also used as umbrella terms for the institution that runs...
to Hangzhou
Hangzhou
Hangzhou , formerly transliterated as Hangchow, is the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province in Eastern China. Governed as a sub-provincial city, and as of 2010, its entire administrative division or prefecture had a registered population of 8.7 million people...
(China Tea Research Institute). He served as International Juror at India's
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
first-ever tea competition, The Golden Leaf India Awards 2005, in Coonoor, India
Coonoor
Coonoor is a town and a municipality in the Nilgiris district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is known for its production of Nilgiri tea....
. He has served as a consultant, teacher, taster
Tea tasting
Tea tasting is the process in which a trained taster determines the quality of a particular tea. Due to climatic conditions, topography, manufacturing process, and different clones of the Camellia sinensis plant , the final product may have vastly differing flavours and appearance...
or spokesman for several tea companies.
Profiling him as "The Renaissance man of the tea industry" in Fresh Cup magazine's "1999 Tea Almanac", Michelle Williams wrote: "Parts historian, connoisseur, and world-traveller…he has carved out a reputation as the consummate spokesman for US tea consumers. His wit and dedication to the beverage have helped spread the gospel of tea to tens of thousands of people."
In 2007 he helped stage a Festival of Tea for Santa Fe Opera's
Santa Fe Opera
The Santa Fe Opera is an American opera company, located north of Santa Fe in the U.S. state of New Mexico, headquartered on a former guest ranch of .-General history:...
premier production of "Tea: A Mirror of Soul" by Chinese composer Tan Dun
Tan Dun
Tan Dun is a Chinese contemporary classical composer, most widely known for his scores for the movies Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero.-Early life in China:...
. Extensive interviews with Mr. Pratt are featured in the 2009 book, The Meaning of Tea: A Tea Inspired Journey. He appears in Scott Chamberlin Hoyt's 2008 documentary film of the same name.
Quotes
"America's new tea lovers are the people who have forced the tea trade to wake up. Elsewhere, tea has meant a certain way, a certain tradition, for centuries, but this is America! The American tea lover is heir to all the world's tea drinking traditions, from Japanese tea ceremonies to Russian samovars to English scones in the afternoon. India chai, China green, you name it and we can claim it and make it ours. And that's just what we are doing. In this respect, ours is the most innovative and exciting tea scene anywhere." ~James Norwood Pratt in "A Life in Tea: James Norwood Pratt's (not so) Mad Mission" by Julie Beals, Editor-in-Chief,"Taking tea is a moment of windless calm, amid the bluster of daily events has always been one of humanity's favorite pleasures. But beyond pleasure, tea can always provide glimpses of the ultimate reality, usually when we least expect any."
External links
- Tea Society Biography
- The Meaning of Tea documentary film trailer featuring James Norwood Pratt