On my edition some fool blurbed on the back: "The Book of Tea is truly an inspired work despite of its criticism of the West." I took the liberty to cross out 'despite' and replace it with 'because'. The sharp wit directed at Western sensibilities/aesthetics/etc. were one of the reasons this was a delightful read. I annotated a lot in here, because I had to look up many things, so I also learned a great deal by reading this.