A Thirst for Empire

How the global tea industry influenced the international economy and the rise of mass consumerism Tea has been one of the most popular commodities in the world. For centuries, profits from its growth and sales funded wars and fueled colonization, and its cultivation brought about massive changesin land use, labor systems, market practices, and social hierarchiesthe effects of which are with us even today. A Thirst for Empire takes an in-depth historical look at how men and womenthrough the tea industry in Europe, Asia, North America, and Africatransformed global tastes and habits. An expansive and original global history of imperial tea, A Thirst for Empire demonstrates the ways that this powerful enterprise helped shape the contemporary world.