Story of the discovery of tea.
From the publisher's announcement:
Apart from water, tea is more widely consumed than any other food or drink. Tens of billions of cups are drunk every day. Yet only two thousand years ago it was only chewed or drunk by a handful of monks in China and some tribal peoples in south east Asia. How and why has tea conquered the world? Tea was the first global product. It raised nations and shattered empires. It altered life-styles, religions, etiquette and aesthetics. Economies were changed out of all recognition. Diseases were thwarted by the magical drink and cities founded on it. The industrial revolution was fuelled by tea, sealing the fate of the modern world. Green Gold is a remarkable detective story of how an East Himalayan camellia bush became the world's favourite drink.