The East India Company Book of Tea

by Antony Wild

Since history began, tea has been a much-loved and sought-after beverage. Its story is told here in fascinating detail, from its early discovery in China to its adoption in the West and final worldwide acceptance. The East India Company was a vital catalyst on the British nation's love affair with tea, which has lasted to this day, but its influence was also felt in America where the Company's tea was tipped into Boston harbour at the infamous tea party. The East India Company Book of Tea illustrates lavishly the tea story, as well as offering advice on the different varieties and the best ways of brewing tea from all around the world. Add some wonderful recipes, some strange tales and many previously little-known facts, and the stage is set for the story of tea - 'water bewitched'!

Genres: History, Tea

64 pages, Hardcover

First published October 6, 1994

Reviews

[Joselito Honestly and Brilliantly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have 301 books for my 2013 Reading Challenge. This is my 4th for this year and it is just almost mid-February only. GR screams that "at (my) current pace, (I am) 29 books behind schedule." GR obviously isn't aware that I read faster as the year wanes, and I have a strategy to accomplish the task. I am very well on target!

In fact, if GR would only include in its list those matchbox-like books I see everyday at my favorite bookstore, those with short quips from authors like Charles Dickens or amusing one-liners, I could very well be on my 106th review now. Sadly, however, GR does not seem to consider them as real books. For books to be real books worthy of a GR listing, they need to be bigger than matchboxes. This is one of them and I consider it a very lucky find.

Printed in nice, hard, glossy paper consisting of 64 pages (as many as the squares in a chess board) including the index and picture credits, this book educated me about teas, the different kinds thereof, their histories, and things related to them (like fortune-telling by reading tea leaves, teapots...).

Now which was the greatest company ever put up in the history of the world? Some would say facebook ("the nation with the biggest population in the entire world," one lecturer said), some would say yahoo or google. No. It was the East India Company, a British creation, which once had the monopoly of world tea trade. This Company created British India; founded Hong Kong and Singapore; caused the Boston Tea Party; employed Captain Kidd to combat piracy; held Napoleon captive; made the fortune of Elihu Yale who founded the Yale University; introduced tea to Britain and India, woollens to Japan, chintzes to America, spices to the West Indies, opium to China, porcelain to Russia and polo to Persia. The Stars and Stripes of the US was inspired by its flag, its shipyards provided the model for St. Petersburg, its London chapel set the pattern for New England churches, its administration still forms the basis of Indian bureaucracy. It had its own armies, navies, currencies and territories as diverse as the tiny Spice Island, Pulo Run--later exchanged for Manhattan--and the "Jewel of the Crown"--India itself.

I learned all these in the quarter of an hour I spent reading this book.

Four down, 297 more to go!

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting little book on the history of tea, including myths, types of tea, and production.

[nadine]

the first book i finished this year is this; a little book about tea and its history that i initially got because i thought it would be a cute little thing to have in my house, since i love tea so much
it's a very superficial history, obviously, and i didn't expect it to be more than that, but it's pleasant nonetheless

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A small book giving a brief but informative history of tea as well as fun facts about how different cultures brew it and the many variations of tea leaves.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and charming. Packed with wonderful trivia on the history and culture of tea and little recipes for delightful things like tea sorbet. My only complaint is that it should be longer!

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations and quotes add an interesting dimension to this informative little book.

[Nakul Shenoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A small, well made book that discusses the history of tea and the company that took over the world for it. A good, informative read.