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The Gunpowder Gardens: Travels Through India and China in Search of Tea

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The Gunpowder Gardens: Travels Through India and China in Search of Tea (Paperback)

by Jason Goodwin (Author)

4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)

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2 new from �19.99 5 used from �10.38

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Product details

Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; New edition edition (27 Feb 2003)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0141006781
ISBN-13: 978-0141006789
Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.8 x 1.8 cm

Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 549,510 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Jason Goodwin, inspired by his grandmothers who spent their lives in China and India observing the custom of afternoon tea, set off to explore the relics of this imperial age and its worldwide trade, delving into the extraordinary history of tea. Evoking a vanished world, he follows the origin of tea, its use, influence and importance, from the the Canton factories through the establishment of British India and the Opium Wars, all the way to that great tea metropolis, London.

About the Author

Jason Goodwin is a historian, journalist and travel writer. He is the author of ON FOOT TO THE GOLDEN HORN: A WALK TO ISTANBUL and LORDS OF THE HORIZON: A HISTORY OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE. GREENBACK, his history of the American dollar, is being published by Hamish Hamilton in February 2003.

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	53% buy the item featured on this page: The Gunpowder Gardens: Travels Through India and China in Search of Tea 4.0 out of 5 stars (1)
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A brisk aromatic infusion, 28 Oct 2003

By A Customer

OK, so it's about tea. Perhaps you're already feeling that it's not your cup of Darjeeling? Please sit down and let me pour you a cup while I explain. I'll be Mother. Biccy? Ah sorry, I've only got Rich Tea.

Well it seems that the author had one grandmother from colonial China and the other from colonial India. He noticed that while they both observed near identical tea rituals, they used distinctly different teas. The book describes his journeys to China and India to root out the sources, processes and history of tea. Along the way he meets several interesting characters who he observes very acutely and describes them in a humourous, critical and sometimes rather moving way. The travellogue is also interspersed with history, observation, anecdotes, and even tea songs.

The Chinese kept tea sources and production methods shrouded in mystery for decades and there still seem to be secrets which they attempt to preserve. Tea first arrived in Britain about 10 years after coffee and played a dramatic role in the British Empire flavouring events in China, India, and even America. It provided employment for millions and wealth or bankruptcy for a few.

To be honest, the book is quite hard to read at first because of the unusual structure, but once you get stuck in, it's fascinating. I've only really warmed the pot here - there are many interesting angles to this subject. You finish the book feeling that you've been on an entertaining journey yourself, with an amusing and knowledgable guide.

OK time to drink up now, I'll do the washing up.

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