Tea is the world’s most popular beverage. Dive into a cup of tea with a chemist and discover the rich molecular brew that can be extracted from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant.

Tea contains over a hundred different chemical compounds which contribute to its colour, taste and scent – and its stimulating effects. The best-known is caffeine, but how does caffeine end up in tea and how can you get it out?

Beginning with the leaves, Steeped explores the chemistry behind different styles of tea, from green teas to pu-erh. It tackles the age-old question of when, or even whether, to add milk. And it puts the chemistry to use with advice on how to brew a better cup.

Like many good teachers, Francl scaffolds her knowledge with sip-sized summaries to go along with some of the deeper dives into the molecular world of tea.

Michelle M. Francl, PhD is the Frank B. Mallory Professor of Chemistry at Bryn Mawr College where she teaches and does research on molecules with weird and unexpected shapes. She is also an Adjunct Scholar of the Vatican Observatory where her science and faith collide. Her essays on science, culture and policy have appeared in Slate, the journal Nature Chemistry, and in several print collections. She has been a devoted tea drinker since her primary school days. Despite the lamentable tea generally served up in the US, she never drinks coffee – except in Rome.