The Empire of Tea

The Remarkable History of the Plant that Took Over the World

By: Alan Macfarlane, Iris Macfarlane

Narrated by: James Adams, Kelly Birch

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, the Britain, and others-The Empire of Tea brings into sharp focus one of the forces that shaped history.

©2009 Iris MacFarlane & Alan MacFarlane (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Chapter 1 Is Where the Literary Gift in This Book Is Found

The author’s mother wrote a wonderful memoir in the first chapter of this book. To me, it was the highlight of this book!

Good Book

This book has three parts: 1. Iris MacFalanes recollections of living as a tea planter wife in Assam, which was a very interesting piece of primary documentation. 2. A cultural history of tea cultivation, focusing on Assam and the role of tea in the British Empire (the narrowing to one main location allows for a reasonable change over time and gets way from the shotgun effect that a lot of pop history uses). 3. A treatise and justification of tea drinking; which as someone who drinks copious amounts of tea in a coffee world I applaud.

Boring

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Add recent information about scientific studies of tea components and effects on brain and physiology instead of constant repetition of "stimulating and relaxing to the constitution". More comparison with coffee and alcohol. Updated information on recent tea growing economics and effects on growing countries. Why can't we grow tea in US? Discuss Celestial Seasoning, Liptons and Bigelow; recent changes in tea market and future trends.

What could Alan Macfarlane and Iris Macfarlane have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Consolidated history of Indian and Chinese tea growing. Way too much about boring history of the abusive planter families and the arrogant British colonialists.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Narrator was fine.

Did The Empire of Tea inspire you to do anything?

Switch to alcohol.

Found very informative and yet very entertaining

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Empire of Tea?

I found particularly interesting the analysis of how the British and Japanese empires that adopted tea developmed more quickly at the same as when Germany and France as coffee drinkers developed more slowly,

Any additional comments?

Very interesting approach to content I would not have thought much on before.

A little dry, but worth the listen

I enjoyed this audiobook. There is a lot of good information, and it looks at several perspectives. Just be prepared for some very dense material.