Blog post #9

From the Stone Age to the present, Standage has had its signature beverage-and takes us on an exciting trip through world history.  As we complete the coffee stage, we get to a much sweeter era: "Tea and the British Empire"(169). Tea is a drink that "conquered" the world(171).  A chinese proverb says, "Better to be deprived of food for three days than of tea for one."(172)

In the mid-eighteenth century, Britain began establishing control of India and Canada, seeing up colonies in Australia and New Zealand, and dominate European sea trade with the east.  This was a step to them being the first world "superpower", and it came along with a new system of "manufacturing"(176).  Manufacturing brought workers together to ultimately result in the Industrial Revolution. Tea, Having began as a "luxury" drink, became the beverage of a working man(177).  

Tea had to be imported at great cost and effort from China. Once it spread through Britain, tea spread throughout the world and became the "most widely" consumed beverage on Earth after water...isn't that crazy(178)?  The story of tea isn't just anything; it is the story of imperialism, industrialization, and world domination. One cup at a time. 

According to Chinese tradition, the first cup of tea was brewed by the emperor Shen Nung. This would be sometime around 2737-2697 BCE.  They say that Shen Nung was boiling some water to drink and used some branches to fuel his fire.  A gust of wind carried the plants leaves to his pot, resulting in a delicate and refreshing drink.  

Shen Nung said, "quenches thirst, lessens the desire for sleep, and gladdens and cheers the heart."(179)

Blog post #8

Throughout human history, certain drinks have done much more than just quench thirst. As Tom Standage relates these, six of them have had a surprisingly persuasive influence on the course of history. So far in "A History of the World in 6 Glasses" we have gotten through beer, wine, and coffee.  That means that there are 3 more significant beverages that we need to taste left in the book: tea, spirits, and cola!

  

In the last blog post, we left off on coffee and how it was made. As we continue, we will get further into what and how coffee has conducted a major form of societies "communication" (153).  What I mean by this could be shown in a coffeehouse.  When a seventeenth century European businessman wanted to hear the latest business news, follow low prices, keep up with politics, or find out what other people thought of a new book, all he had to do was walk into a coffeehouse. There, for the price of a cup of coffee or "a dish" he could read the "latest" newsletters and pamphlets and chat with friends (153-154). 

Europe's coffeehouses held many writers, politicians, scientists, and businessman (unlike today where they hold preppy girls who discuss the latest gossip).  Sometime around the "Royal exchange" coffeehouses were packed with businessman.  Even many books were sold and a guys coffee shop in "Chancery Lane"(155).  Goods of every kind were sold in many coffeeshops that "doubled" as auction rooms(155).  

Still, not only great ideas were discussed in these coffeehouses but so was gossip, rumors, and news.  

The first coffeehouse in "western Europe" opened in the university city of Oxford, where a Lebanese man named Jacob set up a small shop in 1650(160).  When coffee became popular in Oxford and the coffee houses selling it began to expand in number, the university "authorities" tried to shut it down (161). They were worried that coffee houses "promoted idleness" and distracted the members of the university from their studies (163). They could not be more wrong. In the coffee houses, many intellectual discussions were conversed.  It was up to you to choose what conversations to be engaged in.

Coffeehouses began to evolve and develop in many other countries. Today, we call many "Starbucks".

Blog Post #7

Keila Delgado

Pages read: 133-165

       In the next few chapters of A History of World in 6 glasses, we start to talk 

about the origins of coffee, how it developed and how it left impacts on our 

history.  

Coffee originated in Arabia, and affected the country of Europe greatly.  In 

Europe, people would start of their day with breakfast and some "light bear" or 

wine.  Instead of waking them up, it would only leave them feeling relaxed and 

dizzy.  When coffee started being discovered it was basically the antidote of 

alcohol. Instead of waking up in the morning and feeling woozy over wine or 

beer, people started drinking coffee to stimulate their senses and make them 

more alert.  Coffee houses opened in Britain in the 1650's and in Amsterdam 

during the 1660's.  As coffee grew, Europe became worrying about their dependency on this 

foreign product and how to establish their own products

The first to compete were the Dutch, who gained control of the island Java, which is now 

Indonesia. Within a few years, coffee was shipped directly from java to all sorts of places. 

The Arabs could not compare with the prices and certainly enough, the Dutch were granted 

the control of the coffee market. As you can see, coffee has left great impacts all various parts 

of the world and continues to be refreshening to the start of peoples mornings.