IN PERSON: In this course, we will trace the story of tea from its earliest use to the place it holds today as the world’s most popular beverage, using lectures, slides and videos. We'll learn how tea spread from China to Japan, across Asia to the Middle East, and later by sea to Northern Europe, and how the tea trade led to the growth of slavery in the Caribbean due to the demand for sugar in Europe. We'll discuss how the tax on tea caused widespread smuggling and the Boston Tea Party, one of the key events leading to the American Revolution. And how demand for tea caused the Opium Wars between China and Britain in the 19th century, the British espionage that led to tea cultivation in India and the U.S.-U.K. clipper ship sailing races. We'll also explore tea's social history in Britain and the U.S., from the early debates about its health-giving properties to the rise of the tea bag and industrial production, and learn about the traditions surrounding the consumption of tea around the world. | Lecture + Q&A.
Max enrollment: 35.
Location: Judea Reform Congregation, 1933 W. Cornwallis Rd, Durham NC 27705
