Tea: The Drink that Changed the World

by Laura C. Martin

Camellia sinensis, commonly known as tea, is grown in tea gardens and estates around the world. A simple beverage, served either hot or iced, tea has fascinated and driven us, calmed and awoken us, for well over two thousand years.
The Drink that Changed the World tells of the rich legends and history surrounding the spread of tea throughout Asia and the West, as well as its rise to the status of necessity in kitchens around the world. From the tea houses of China's Tang Dynasty (618-907), to fourteenth century tea ceremonies in Korea's Buddhist temples' to the tea plantations in Sri Lanka today, this book explores and illuminates tea and its intricate, compelling history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Food, Tea, Microhistory, Food History, Food and Drink

268 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 15, 2007

Reviews

[Clinton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I asked for this book for Christmas after browsing through tea books at B&N and stumbling across this one.

The book was really enjoyable because it covered an enormous amount of history, without getting into too much of the nitty-gritty on any of it. In particular, it covers a lot more of the Asian tea tradition than I'm used to reading about. There's also a long section about the socio-economics of the tea trade, both historically and from a modern-day perspective. It really drove me to consider whether I should look more into buying tea from Fair Trade organizations, something I'm currently looking into.

A great book for anyone interested in the history, tradition, and modern day business of the tea trade.

[Basil Chong · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. For a microhistory, I found it far too brief, and barely skimmed the surface of the story of tea. At points, felt like I was reading a series of wikipedia articles.

[Eustacia Tan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me count the tea-related things I have in my house. I have two bags/boxes of Mlesna tea from my favourite tea shop in Tokyo (specially requested from a friend), I have mulberry tea from Kaogshima, I have the ANA limited edition loose-leaf tea set, and I have the Lotte Milk Tea Chocopie. I even considered buying this overpriced Book of Tea, which is a mook that has 50 samples of tea. Or at least, I considered it until I saw the price. I think it's safe to say that I really, really like tea. Which is why when I heard about this book, and realised it was on Scribd, I had to read it immediately.

This is a non-fiction account of the history of tea, focusing primarily on its history in Asia. The later half does talk about its history in Britain and America, but in not as much detail as in China and Japan, which I thought was a refreshing change of pace. Apart from the historical account of tea, the appendix includes instructions on how to make tisanes, brew a cup of tea, about the types of tea and what time of day different types of tea are best drunk at.

I found it all very interesting, and among other things, I found out that 'low tea' is considered more high class than 'high tea'. Basically, low tea is served on the low tables next to couches and high tea at the dining table. The name comes from the type of table it's served on, rather than the 'class' of the company that is kept. I guess we've been using the word wrongly in Singapore all the while!

And by the way, even though I really love tea, after reading about how tea aficionados can tell where the tea comes from by taste, I feel like I still have a lot to learn about it! Perhaps my tea-lover status should be revoked? I mean, I can tell between the different types of tea, though the variants of green tea are a bit difficult for me (I can tell matcha and non-matcha, and that's it. Black tea vs green tea vs Chinese tea vs Rooibos etc is all fine, because they all taste so different).

This is definitely a good book, and one that I would buy in a heartbeat if I saw it at the bookstore. (assuming a reasonable price) The appendix alone is probably worth it.

This review was first posted at Inside the mind of a Bibliophile

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice overview of tea and all that goes into the growing and production of it and the history of where and how it is produced. Nothing too deep or earth-shattering here. The story is followed from its beginnings in China and traces its trail from Buddhist monks to Japan and Korea and its appearance throughout the rest of the world due to traders trying to grow the tea plant, Camellia sinensis, in places as diverse as Southeast Asia, Assam in India, Kenya, Argentina, Ceylon(Sri Lanka), and even South Carolina in the US. There are chapters on tea blends, tea equipment, ceremonies, and parties. The appendixes are interesting as they contain many different varieties of teas and various herbal tisanes and their uses for medicinal purposes.

This is definitely more a book for the tea drinker (which I am) than for the historian. I would have liked more on the Opium wars and the plantation system than there was but altogether it was nicely done.

[John Beynon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Laura Martin's book is a useful overview of the history of tea, which begins with an account of the development of tea drinking culture in China, Korea, and Japan. The book then discusses the Europe's introduction to tea, the role of the Dutch and British East India Companies, and 19th-century national conflicts (such as the opium wars) that resulted from the tea trade. Martin's account of tea in the 2oth and 21st centuries is somewhat thin, but she does provide a glimpse into the problems with tea production and trade today and calls to her reader to make responsible choices, such as opting for fair trade products, when consuming teas. While the book doesn't delve into any one of these aspects of tea's history in great depth, it is a fine introduction to the topic.

[Fraser Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a tea lover, I really enjoyed this one. Martin starts with the legends about the discovery of tea, then follows it through China (where it was originally a bitter drink prized mostly as a stimulant) to the discovery baking and drying it would make it taste good. What followed was a mix of steady growth, coupled with more than a few dark sides (Chinese peasants had to do without food crops at time in order to provide the emperor with tribute tea). There's also a good deal about the tea industry, tea grades, improvements in tea bags (you can get much more flavorful tea that way—though of course, tea balls and other gadgets make it easy to make one cup of tea with loose-leaf).

[Mattia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little more basic than I was hoping for, but not bad as an overview and plenty of fun historical anecdotes. The British are even bigger bastards than I realised, predictably. The writing was too brief and vague at times, especially in the sections on pre-modern China and Japan, but the bibliography looks decent. I'm mining it for sources.

[Indra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good introduction to the history of tea. I was expecting more information, but it's a short book and gives a very good overview. It also covers the basic differences between types of tea, both in processing and geographic location.

Anyone wishing to learn the basics on tea history or appreciation will find it interesting and helpful.

[Dramatica Darmody · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an interesting subject, but some of the writing reads like a school report.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick and satisfying overview

What you will learn herein:
~ How is tea grown, harvested, and prepared?
~ How do varieties differ (green, white, black, etc.)?
~ All teas are the same family of plant!
~ A long history of Chinese and Japanese (and Korean) tea, replete with multiple-monosyllabic-named masters and their protégés.
~ How the West took advantage of naval superiority, controlled half of the Indian subcontinent, and addicted tens of millions of Chinese to Indian opium imports in order to satisfy their very English (and Dutch and French) desire for tea.
~ Americans invented the tea-bag!
~ And so on.

Quick and enjoyable. You will learn a few things, can do so in a couple of hours, and if it gets you interested, will be able to launch into a million directions of inquiry. About tea.

[Marcin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short story of how tea was grown, how the types became what they are today and how it evolved due to human intervention. Plus, a simple introduction to how the tea is brewed to keep its original taste intact. Who would like to spend time on it? Maybe total tea freaks... Anyone else will be coming to a stall after a few pages since it doesn't seem to be encouraging those no-tea-just-coffee types to read further. Those who look for a compendium on the history of various teas and herbal brews might consider some other books as I recall a few titles are there just for the pleasure of discovering various tastes, with photos and descriptions how to brew "teas" from all over the world. This just focuses on the man-flora interaction that over time lead to the tasteful liquid in an utensil we now call a cup of tea.

[DrCalvin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like micro-histories, and this one laid out the history of tea in a clear and easy to follow way. Unfortunately, I never felt that the prose became very interesting, and the anecdotes and stories told didn't engage me as much as with some other non-fiction books I've read. But an interesting overview to the history and (fairly) current state of tea in the world. I especially appreciated how clear it was regarding the colonial history and many atrocities connected to the historical tea trade, with the chapters on the opium wars and tea plantations and such.

[Anjar Priandoyo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, meet my expectation, four-star, enjoyable, inspiring. There is hundreds book of the history of tea, and this book is the first that I read.

[Aj · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25. Light, chatty discussion of the history of tea. Not super deep or comprehensive, but a nice overview.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It was so informative and the beginning chapters were exactly what I was looking for. I did get a little bored with the chapters about tea in ancient China and Japan and so forth, but that was probably not the author's fault. After I passed those chapters, I couldn't put it down. My thirst for tea knowledge continues however, because this book didn't talk about oolong (or other green varieties) really at all. And I'd like to know more. This was my first book about the history and production of tea and I think it was a fine place to start.

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

#Binge Reviewing my previous Reads #Food History

Few beverages in human history have carried as much weight as tea. It looks deceptively simple—a handful of dried leaves steeped in hot water—but those leaves have started wars, reshaped empires, redrawn trade routes, and become symbols of class, identity, and ritual. Laura C. Martin’s *Tea: The Drink That Changed the World* takes up this immense cultural and historical burden with clarity and charm, giving readers a panoramic journey through the world of tea: from its ancient Chinese origins to its role in global commerce, colonialism, and cultural imagination.

Martin’s book is not merely a chronology of tea. It’s a meditation on how something as seemingly ordinary as a warm cup can embody the contradictions of human history—serenity and violence, ritual and exploitation, luxury and necessity. In her hands, tea becomes not just a drink but a prism through which we see the rise and fall of nations.

Martin begins where every tea history must: in myth. The Chinese story of Emperor Shennong, who in 2737 BCE supposedly discovered tea when leaves drifted into his boiling water, sets the tone for tea’s long entanglement with both legend and everyday life. Tea was first valued less as a beverage than as a medicine, believed to aid digestion, lift the spirit, and balance the humors.

By the Tang dynasty (7th–10th century), tea culture had crystallized into something recognizably modern: tea houses, specialized implements, poetry about tea, and the codification of preparation methods. Martin gives us vivid portraits of Tang poets like Lu Tong, who praised tea’s seven cups—each cup a stage of transcendent enlightenment. What stands out here is how tea quickly became more than nourishment. It became a vehicle for aesthetics, a way to contemplate life and refine the self.

The Song dynasty elevated this further. Martin describes how powdered tea, whisked into foamy brews, anticipated the Japanese tea tradition centuries later. Court rituals, monastic austerity, and urban leisure all converged in the tea cup. In China, tea was both deeply democratic (drunk by peasants daily) and highly elitist (fetishized by literati and emperors). That duality has never left tea.

From China, tea traveled to Japan, carried first by Buddhist monks who valued it as an aid to meditation. Here, Martin’s prose becomes almost reverent, as she outlines the rise of *chanoyu*, the Japanese tea ceremony. The shift from simply drinking tea to ritualizing it reveals how tea absorbed different cultural needs: in Japan, it became less about refreshment and more about discipline, beauty, and moral philosophy.

Sen no Rikyū, the great 16th-century tea master, receives due attention. His *wabi-sabi* aesthetic—humility, imperfection, simplicity—turned tea drinking into a spiritual practice. Martin rightly stresses that Japanese tea culture was never just about the leaves but about the entire environment: the architecture of the tea hut, the texture of the bowls, the silence between host and guest.

This chapter shows Martin’s sensitivity to nuance. She avoids flattening tea into a single story. Instead, she shows how it carried multiple meanings across borders. In Japan, tea became ceremony; in Europe, it would become commerce.

The book’s middle sections shift to the 16th and 17th centuries, when European traders first encountered tea. The Portuguese and Dutch East India Companies introduced tea to the continent, but it was the British who would transform it into a global obsession.

Martin details how Catherine of Braganza, a Portuguese princess who married Charles II in 1662, popularized tea at the English court. From there, it spread rapidly through the aristocracy and then, thanks to the expansion of trade, into middle-class households. By the 18th century, tea had become Britain’s national drink.

But Martin refuses to let this be a simple story of adoption. She is careful to highlight the dark underbelly of tea’s rise: the colonial exploitation that made the British tea habit possible. Tea could not have saturated Europe without the triangle of trade: Chinese tea, Indian opium, and British silver. Martin covers how Britain, unable to balance trade with China, turned to exporting opium, sparking the Opium Wars. These wars, thinly disguised as trade disputes, were essentially fought to secure Britain’s tea addiction.

It’s here that *Tea: The Drink That Changed the World* earns its title. Martin makes us see how an ordinary consumer good shaped extraordinary geopolitical events. Every English tea party, every dainty porcelain cup, was tied to violence across oceans.

For American readers, the highlight may be Martin’s account of tea’s role in sparking revolution. The Boston Tea Party of 1773, when colonists dumped British tea into the harbor to protest taxation, is retold with fresh attention to detail. What’s striking is how Martin emphasizes tea’s symbolic weight. It wasn’t just a beverage being destroyed—it was the very emblem of imperial control, commerce, and class distinction.

Tea became both villain and casualty. After the Revolution, Americans shifted toward coffee, distancing themselves from the British habit. Yet tea never vanished. It remained a cultural battleground—associated with loyalty, refinement, or foreignness depending on the moment.

Martin also touches on the irony that America, which helped cripple Britain’s tea monopoly, would later develop its own innovations, like iced tea and tea bags, reshaping global consumption.

The 19th century saw tea become both cheaper and more widely available, thanks largely to industrialization and colonial expansion. Martin explains how Britain, determined to break dependence on Chinese suppliers, cultivated vast plantations in India and Ceylon (modern Sri Lanka). These plantations were staffed by exploited laborers, whose harsh working conditions underpin the cups of tea that fueled Victorian Britain.

Yet the story is not only one of exploitation. Industrial advances in shipping, packaging, and mechanized processing meant that tea could be sold in pre-measured, branded forms. Lipton emerges here as a pioneer of modern marketing, transforming tea from a luxury into a mass commodity. The tea bag, invented in the early 20th century, symbolized convenience and speed—qualities that fit the modern pace of life.

Martin handles this era well, showing how tea became both emblem of domestic comfort (Victorian afternoon tea rituals) and instrument of global capitalism. She lingers on the paradox: the cozy image of family tea time was possible only because of distant systems of exploitation.

One of the strongest aspects of Martin’s book is her attention to the cultural meanings tea has carried. She notes how in Britain, tea became strongly gendered—associated with women’s domestic roles. Afternoon tea was a female-coded ritual, a space where women could assert refinement and sociability. At the same time, tea was central to masculine imperial identity: soldiers, sailors, and laborers all drank tea as sustenance.

Tea also marked class. The wealthy sipped fine Darjeelings from porcelain cups, while workers brewed cheap blends in enamel mugs. Yet across classes, tea became a unifying symbol of Britishness, a habit that defined national character. Martin’s chapters here shine with small anecdotes: miners carrying flasks of strong black tea, suffragettes organizing over tea tables, and advertisements that linked tea to wholesome family life.

In her final chapters, Martin brings tea into the 20th and 21st centuries. She discusses the rise of specialty teas, the counterculture’s embrace of green tea and herbal infusions, and the global spread of tea culture—from Indian chai stalls to Taiwanese bubble tea cafés.

What emerges is the resilience of tea. Coffee may dominate global headlines, but tea remains the most widely consumed beverage after water. Its adaptability—capable of being elite or everyday, ritualistic or casual—has ensured its survival across centuries of change.

Martin also doesn’t shy away from the challenges. Today’s tea industry still struggles with questions of sustainability, labor rights, and authenticity. The romance of tea gardens often masks the exploitation of workers. The “world-changing” story of tea, she reminds us, is ongoing.

Martin’s prose is elegant, occasionally lyrical, and always accessible. She has a knack for weaving anecdote with analysis: a Japanese monk sipping tea in meditation sits side by side with a Victorian countess fussing over her silver service. She avoids academic jargon, making the book readable for general audiences while still grounded in solid research.

If there’s a limitation, it’s that Martin sometimes moves quickly through vast swaths of history. The Opium Wars, for example, could warrant entire volumes, but here they are sketched in a chapter. Yet this is less a flaw than a feature of her chosen scope. *Tea: The Drink That Changed the World* is not exhaustive; it is panoramic, designed to give readers the sweep of tea’s journey.

Reading Martin’s book alongside other food histories—Rachel Laudan’s *Cuisine and Empire*, Elizabeth Abbott’s *Sugar*, or Lizzie Collingham’s *The Taste of War*—makes clear how central food and drink are to the construction of modernity. Tea, like sugar, is a commodity that reveals the entanglement of taste, empire, and exploitation. It shows us that what we consume daily is inseparable from the grand narratives of history.

But tea also offers something unique. Unlike sugar, which is pure commodity, tea carries ritual. It is as much about performance as consumption. To study tea is to study the ways humans create meaning out of habit: pouring, steeping, sipping. That double life—as both global trade good and intimate ritual—makes tea especially revealing.

For me, what makes *Tea: The Drink That Changed the World* unforgettable is the way it turns a cup of tea into an archive. Every time I hold a mug, I now think of Shennong’s myth, of Lu Yu’s *Classic of Tea*, of Japanese monks and British merchants, of opium ships and suffragette gatherings. It is dizzying to realize that such a simple act—pouring hot water over leaves—is also a reenactment of millennia of human history.

Martin succeeds in making the reader more mindful. She doesn’t moralize but contextualizes, reminding us that even the most ordinary rituals are historically dense. After reading, one cannot sip tea innocently, and that’s precisely the point.

Laura C. Martin’s *Tea: The Drink That Changed the World* is a rich, sweeping, and thought-provoking cultural history. It balances charm and gravity, showing tea as both a comfort and a catalyst for conflict, as both humble leaf and world-shaping force. For readers of food history, global trade, or cultural anthropology, this book is indispensable.

Tea has indeed changed the world, and Martin’s book makes us taste that history in every sip.

[Sue Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a genuinely interesting little book about one of my favourite things in life… Tea!

I adore this beverage whether it’s bags or loose, or black, green or white I love it all, and I think that is what helped me to enjoy this book so much.

For someone who is not a tea drinker or sticks to their favourite brand of tea bag (and that’s fine- no criticism) may find it less interesting as there are many references to different types of tea, from different areas and the changes in preparation method. It’s far easier to appreciate the Chinese love of Matcha tea or the differences in the Indian tea growing regions such as Assam or Darjeeling if you drink these yourself.

There is a significant part of this book relating to history from when tea was first used as medicine, to the Chinese tea plantations, moving on to its spread to japan, India and beyond, finishing up with the European obsession with it and America’s modern uses for it.

I will admit to being saddened to discover the human cost of our obsession with tea and while this part of the book was the hardest to read I’m pleased Martin did not avoid this subject and she willingly discusses both the good and the bad.

My only real criticism is the images, which were very small and impossible to make out on my Kindle, although I cannot comment on the clarity of these in hard copy.

It’s rare to find a nonfiction book that keeps me equally entertained from beginning to end, there are usually one or two parts that are a little dry and dull, but this book had me hooked on every page. Fantastic!

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a nice read, and rather fascinating to learn more about tea.

[Pamela Hamon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This easy-reading book was a well-researched and written text on the world history of tea. I would classify this as a "reader's digest" version of tea history, as the bibliography's primary resources for this book included some of the most outstanding tea history books. This would be a great book for tea enthusiasts who aren't ready to ready to commit to reading a tome like "The True History of Tea" (Victor Mair et al) but still want to develop an appreciation for the breadth and depth of tea's historical context on the complex world stage.

Uniquely, this book covers the journey of tea in to Korea, a motion often undiscussed by tea history books.

The one negative I would raise against this book was that I found the accompanying quotes offset within the pages often completely out of context to the surrounding text.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't an exhaustive history of tea, nor does it cover every aspect of tea production; however, it does provide a thorough look at how tea production evolved and how its popularity spread through East Asia, Western Europe and eventually the United States.

I have not done much reading on the history of tea so, I learned quite a bit from this book. For example, I didn't realize that tea used to be processed into bricks and then shaved. I also didn't realize that tea trade with China was the proximate cause of the Opium Wars (and an indirect cause of the invasion of India). Like many modern tea drinkers, I was surprised to find that tea production in India is so new (18th to 19th century).

[Deodand · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this microhistory. It contains some of the most succinct explanations of world events I've read, all seen through a tea leaf. There is also a thorough explanation of the various tea-related jargon out there.

I appreciated the author's emphasis on the human element of tea manufacture. It's one of those things that isn't pointed out as much as it is with coffee or chocolate manufacture. Most of the tea in the world, and certainly all the good tea in the world, is processed by hand.

[Gia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A historical reference book discussing how this simple beverage made an impact on our world....whether we drink it or not. Also explaining the spread of tea throughout Asia and the world.

"If you are cold, tea will warm you. If you are too heated, it will cool you. If you are depressed, it will cheer you. If you are excited, it will calm you." William Gladstone (1809-1898) British Prime Minister

[Toni · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book quite fascinating. About the only down side were the few spots when I got bogged down with information/facts and was not covering very many pages or making progress. If you enjoy drinking tea, then this is a fun book to read. It would also be a great resource if writing a research paper on the subject of tea. This was another one of those books that caught my eye while I was searching for another book at the library.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a delightful read! It is the definitive guide to tea- history, botony, and even a guide to teas. I absolutely adored it, and I want to add it to my collection. Martin does a lovely job of telling the story of tea in an interesting way that made me want to have a different cuppa with every chapter. It is informative and instructive.

[Skullgirdle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice little book on the history of tea, how it came to be the most popular drink in China and how it traveled the world to become the most popular beverage on Earth.
The author manages to pack a large amount of information in a book that is surprisingly accessible and entertaining. If you love tea I highly recommend this book!

[ROBERT · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great accessible history of Tea in 256 pages. I really enjoyed this biographical sketch on the plant, the varieties of Teas and how it has evolved as a culture. Educational and entertaining without ever becoming a slog. You don't even need to read it all at once to get its benefits.

I will never go to the store again and walk by the Tea section without thinking of this book.

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read about tea, from how it is grown to how its sales affected foreign relations and power. It was a bit dry at times, but if you are a tea drinker, it will explain where some of your favorite blends are grown and how they are made.

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Accessible, light writing, nicely organized, with lots of really good tidbits. Only problem is, it's not an academic book, so there are no footnotes for those of us who want to go have our own look at the information so we can check if they are "facts" or facts!

[Laura Eggen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clear and concise book that provided fascinating information about a drink that really did change the world. It was an immensely entertaining book that I highly recommend to anyone looking to learn more about this delicious beverage.

[Cristian Ubeda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Im just starting in the tea world and this book gives you a good and easy way to have a good approach not only the types and process involved but also history, culture and much more.
Not rate it with 5 stars only because in some cases I found a little of disorder on the topics. But great book!.