The Empire of Tea

This cultural, political, and social history of tea presents a fascinating picture of tea's impact on the lives of millions of people around the world. ( Publishers Weekly)

From Darjeeling to Lapsang Souchon, from India to Japan—a fresh, concise, world-encompassing exploration of the way tea has shaped politics, culture, and the environment throughout history. From the fourth century BC in China, where it was used as an aid in Buddhist meditation, to the Boston Tea Party in 1773, to its present-day role as the most consumed substance on the planet, the humble Camellia plant has had profound effects on civilization. Renowned cultural anthropologist Alan MacFarlane and Iris MacFarlane recount the history of tea from its origin in the eastern Himalayas and explains, among other things, how tea became the world's most prevalent addiction, how tea was used as an instrument of imperial control, and how the cultivation of tea drove the industrial revolution. Both an absorbing narrative and a fascinating tour of some of the world's great cultures—Japan, China, India, France, Britain, and others— The Empire of Tea brings into sharp focus one of the forces that shaped history.

A good primer on a resonant and endlessly stimulating subject. — Boston Sunday Globe

A fascinating picture of tea's impact on the lives of millions of people around the world. — Publishers Weekly

An absorbing read. — Kirkus Reviews