Author Sarah Rose’s new book For All the Tea in China: How England Stole the World’s Favorite Drink and Changed History, just released March 18th, is gaining press and some very positive reviews. For anyone interested in the fascinating and complicated world that formed the East India Trading Company (mid 19th century), I highly suggest taking a look at this scandalous slice of history.
Rose tells the true account of Robert Fortune, a botanist approached by the East India Trading Company to steal tea seeds from China. But this is a time of pirates and merchants, when patents didn’t exist, and when Britain exploited their control of India because of their lack of control over China. Was Fortune the hero who brought the western world quality teas, or was he a thief and a cheat?
Tea lovers and history lovers: rejoice! To read an excerpt click here