Tea: Addiction, Exploitation, and Empire

This is not only entertaining, but more informative than the other brief histories out there. The author traces the history of tea largely through economics and politics, but uses enough examples and anecdotes to keep it interesting. I was surprised that there wasn't more about tea growing in Africa, as the author was a tea estate manager in Malawi at one time, but I would recommend this book.

A look at tea from its origins to the present, with first-hand experience by the author from his time in a tea plantation in Malawi.

I really enjoyed reading about the production of tea from a practical point, and was impressed at how much information was included regarding the changing work conditions of plantation workers. It got rather depressing, as they were treated horrendously during the colonial era especially, but (as with chocolate, coffee and other cash crops), these things are important to highlight for those of us who may not have thought about the origins of our luxury goods.

I would have liked to read more about the ancient history of tea, and this book concentrated more on what happened in Britain and the colonies. It did show more tend to jump around from subject to subject, such as going off on tangents about tea production in the middle of chapters that were supposedly about its history. I would have also loved to have read more about what happened on the plantation Mr. Moxham was managing. If he wrote an autobiography, I would definitely pick it up. show less

The history of tea has fascinated me since I read about cake tea in a Robert van Gulik's Judge Dee mystery. Roy Moxham's work focuses on tea in British history, from the earliest time tea is served in England to the years in the 1960's the author worked assistant manager on a tea estate in Malawi. Particularly intriguing was the period of 1700-1787, where tea in England was heavily taxed. This lead to an atmosphere much like drugs of today, with smuggling, adulterated products and violence. Only when the tariffs were reduced did tea become a less expensive and less a object for criminal activities. British expansion in India and China was influenced by the popularity of this drink, as the English became the largest tea drinking nation show more in Europe.

Great for any history buff and wonderful when enjoyed with your favorite cup of tea. show less

http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/books/reviews/article87615.ece OR http://tinyurl.com/d3oc2
Tony Gould wrote a very good review of this excellent book. His final warning is true: "a nice cuppa will never taste quite the same again."
And here's an interview with Roy Moxham:
http://www.metro.co.uk/metro/interviews/interview.html?in_page_id=8&in_inter... OR http://tinyurl.com/bsnae