James Norwood Pratt (1942–2019) was an American author and self-described “teamaster” based in San Francisco whose Tea Lover’s Treasury (1982) and its expanded revision New Tea Lover’s Treasury (1999) introduced a generation of American readers to the world of fine tea — writing with a depth and enthusiasm that helped establish specialty tea as a legitimate connoisseurship pursuit in the United States.

In-Depth Explanation

Pratt was born in 1942 in the American South and became a writer by inclination. His deep engagement with tea came through travel and personal experience, and he wrote about it with a humanistic warmth rather than the technical precision of a trade manual.

The Tea Lover’s Treasury (1982): When this book appeared in 1982, American tea culture was at a low point — dominated by cheap grocery-store bags, instant iced tea mixes, and little awareness of quality variation. Pratt’s book was aimed at the reader who had encountered fine tea and wanted to understand it more deeply. It covered:

• Tea history across cultures
• How tea is grown and processed
• The major tea types and producing regions
• Tasting and brewing guidance
• The cultures of tea in China, Japan, Britain, and beyond

New Tea Lover’s Treasury (1999): The revised and expanded edition appeared as American specialty tea was beginning to grow significantly. Pratt’s book helped legitimize that growth and gave the expanding community of enthusiast tea shops and importers a cultural reference point.

Specialty Tea Institute: Pratt was involved with the Specialty Tea Institute (STI), an American organization that provided education and resources for tea industry professionals during the growth of the specialty tea sector in the 1990s and 2000s.

Personal style: Pratt’s writing was literary and celebratory rather than clinical — he made tea sound romantic, worth devoting attention to, rooted in deep human history. This evangelical quality was well-suited to the missionary phase of American tea education.

Related Terms

• Jane Pettigrew
• William Ukers
• Tony Gebely
• David Lee Hoffman

See Also

• Jane Pettigrew — British tea historian working in the same era
• Tony Gebely — a more recent American tea writer and educator
• Sakubo – Japanese App

Research

• Pratt, J.N. (1999). New Tea Lover’s Treasury. Publishing Group West. (His own work is the primary reference.)
• Pettigrew, J. (2001). A Social History of Tea. National Trust.