Section I Summaries:
For each of the six beverages, and for the epilogue, write a 1⁄2 page summary of the author’s main points. Explain when, where, why and how that beverage became important and what effect it had on world history. Give specific examples of how the beverage affected history.
Section II Reading Questions:
The questions provided for this book are meant to get you thinking about history. It isn’t merely enough to read about history; you must “do” history. Answer the questions completely on a separated paper. You do not have to rewrite the question but you must answer in complete sentences.
1. When did tea first become a mainstream drink in Asia? In Europe?
2. How did the consumption of tea in Europe differ from how it was consumed in China or Japan?
3. If tea arrived in Europe around the same time as when coffee did, why did it not find the immediate success that coffee had?
4. How did tea transform English society? Who were its main consumers and what were some of the new rituals that surrounded tea?
5. How was tea an integral part of the Industrial Revolution?
6. What was the connection between tea and politics?
7. How was tea connected to the opium trade and the Opium War of 1839-1842?
8. What role did the tea trade and production play in the British rule over India?
Six Glasses - Screen-cast video - Part 5 - Empires of Tea
Notes - 6 Glasses - Part II - Coffee, Tea, Coca-Cola, & Water
