It turns out that the office is still closed today for Hari Raya celebrations, so I had a lot of extra time that I used to finish Empire of Tea! This concludes my reread of three tea books and it means I need to get my thoughts/comparisons down soon before I forget.
Despite its title, Empire of Tea is perhaps the most focused of the three books that I’ve read, looking at tea’s influence on Britain. Unlike A Thirst for Empire, which looked at the British empire in its totality, Empire of Tea seems to focus mostly on Britain, although we do get good discussions on what cargo ships travelling to China would have experienced, and a first chapter about how the drink reached China.
Although there is some overlap in subject matter, Empire of Tea manages to delve into some unique corners of history, such as:
- Taxonomy of the tea plant (the only other place I’ve seen cover this in greater detail so far is The Tale of Tea)
- Poems about tea
- Supercargoes and how they would have bought tea in China
- The interesting fact that tea was also referred to as “catlap” and “scandal broth”, which means that when we talk about tea videos in relation to various feuds/drama, we are actually taking from something that has its roots in the 18th century!
- More detail about the role of tea in Victorian England
I’m pretty happy to have read all three and I look forward to sharing with you guys more details (how they compare, if you really need to read all three like I did, etc) about A Social History of Tea, A Thirst for Empire, and Empire of Tea. If you have questions about any of the books, please let me know!
You are by far the first blogger that I’ve seen to have a fixation on tea books!! Might you recommend a beginner friendly book on this subject? Lovely review btw Eustacia :>
I love tea! If you want a memoir about falling in love with tea (and comes with recipes and tips on how to brew tea), I really loved Infused by Henrietta Lovell. If you want something a little more straightforward, The Philosophy of Tea by Tony Gebely is short and to the point, while The Art and Craft of Tea by Joseph Wesley Uhl is a bit longer but has a fantastic introduction to the different types of tea, the main countries that produce it, and how to make tea.
You can also let me know if you have any questions about tea and I’ll try my best to answer! I love helping people find teas they like (:
Thank you so much for all the recommendations!!!!