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 most extensive and well-presented tea history available, Tea: 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.

Topics in Tea: The Drink that Changed the World include:

• From Shrub to Cup: and Overview.
• History and Legend of tea.
• Tea in Ancient China and Korea.
• Tea in Ancient Japan.
• The Japanese Tea Ceremony.
• Tea in the Ming Dynasty.
• Tea Spreads Throughout the World.
• The British in India, China and Ceylon.
• Tea in England and the United States.
• Tea Today and Tomorrow.