Traveling from East to West over thousands of years, tea has played a variety of roles on the world scene — in medicine, politics, the arts, culture, and religion. Behind this most serene of beverages, idolized by poets and revered in spiritual practices, lie stories of treachery, violence, smuggling, drug trade, international espionage, slavery, and revolution.

Liquid Jade's rich narrative history explores tea in all its social and cultural aspects. Entertaining yet informative and extensively researched, Liquid Jade tells the story of western greed and eastern bliss. China first used tea as a remedy. Taoists celebrated tea as the elixir of immortality. Buddhist Japan developed a whole body of practices around tea as a spiritual path. Then came the traumatic encounter of the refined Eastern cultures with the first Western merchants, the trade wars, the emergence of the ubiquitous English East India Company. Scottish spies crisscrossed China to steal the secrets of tea production. An army of smugglers made fortunes with tea deliveries in the dead of night. In the name of "free trade" the English imported opium to China in exchange for tea. The exploding tea industry in the eighteenth century reinforced the practice of slavery in the sugar plantations. And one of the reasons why tea became popular in the first place is that it helped sober up the English, who were virtually drowning in alcohol. During the nineteenth century, the massive consumption of tea in England also led to the development of the large tea plantation system in colonial India — a story of success for British Empire tea and of untold misery for generations of tea workers.

Liquid Jade also depicts tea's beauty and delights, not only with myths about the beginnings of tea or the lovers' legend in the familiar blue-and-white porcelain willow pattern, but also with a rich and varied selection of works of art and historical photographs, which form a rare and comprehensive visual tea record. The book includes engaging and lesser-known topics, including the exclusion of women from seventeenth-century tea houses or the importance of water for tea, and answers such questions as: "What does a tea taster do?" "How much caffeine is there in tea?" "What is fair trade tea?" and "What is the difference between black, red, yellow, green, or white tea?"

Connecting past and present and spanning five thousand years, Beatrice Hohenegger's captivating and multilayered account of tea will enhance the experience of a steaming "cuppa" for tea lovers the world over.

"In this lively, exhaustive survey of the history and politics of tea, Hohenegger travels from ancient Asia to 15th century Europe to present day concerns about fair trade practices and organic farming. Focusing mainly on the drink's most enthusiastic supporters, the Chinese and the British, Hohenegger uses tea to tell no less than the 'the story of the traumatic encounter and clash of cultures between East and West.' Trailing tea over continents and centuries as it grows in popularity and becomes a power unto itself-in the form of the East India Tea Company-Hohenegger covers an interesting mix of topics, including Zen Buddhism, the Opium Wars, the first and only 'tea spy,' and, of course, the rise and fall of the British Empire, each of which were integral in the beverage's journey from storied 'elixir of immortality' to simple commodity. The book's third part, a series of brief discussions on topics more typically the purview of purists, such as water quality, the role of the tea tester and the ongoing debate between the opposing MIF (Milk In First) and TIF (Tea In First) camps, is surprisingly engaging. Told with authority and affection, this narrative history is a stimulating treat." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

For general readers, Hohenegger provides a history of tea, with attention to social and cultural aspects. She covers tea's early lore and culture, how it was involved in the clash between East and West, and different topics such as its discovery and etymology, different types, and the origins of the tea bag and iced tea. The last section focuses on contemporary issues concerning today's trade, such as sustainability, fair trade, and organic agriculture. Hohenegger is guest curator of an exhibition opening at the UCLA Fowler Museum in 2009, "From East to West on the Way to Tea." Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

"[T]he author's light, humorous style is welcome and refreshing." Library Journal

Spanning a 5,000-year history, tea has played a variety of roles on the world scene — in medicine, politics, culture, and religion. Now, this lively book explores the stories behind this most serene of beverages, of treachery, violence, smuggling, drug trade, international espionage, slavery, and revolution. Illustrations.

Beatrice Hohenegger is guest curator of a traveling museum exhibition on the history and culture of tea, slated to open in 2009 at the Fowler Museum of Cultural History in Los Angeles. She is fluent in English, French, Italian, and German, and holds a M.A. from the department of history and philosophy at La Sapienza University of Rome. She lives with her family in Los Angeles. For more information on Liquid Jade please visit www.liquidjade.com.