““For All the Tea in China” is a delightful read — intrigue, suspense, eccentric characters, dastardly deeds, treachery, exotic locales.”  - Los Angeles Times

In fact, it’s a featured non-fiction title in March’s Costco Connection Magazine:

This well written history is fun to read, and I’m sure you, like me, will never look at a cup of tea the same way.

— Joshua Lilly, Inventory Control Specialist, books

I am happy to speak to schools or book clubs, by phone, skype or in person. Just ask!

Editor’s Choice Pick for 2010 – Booklist

Best Business Book 2010, History and Biography – Strategy+Business Magazine

Top 5 Gift Books for Moms, 2o1o – Travel Savvy Mom

A new book about how tea forged historical relations between China, India and the West, says that industrial espionage in the 1800s shaped the world much the way it does today. – Fast Company

With her probing inquiry and engaging prose, Sarah Rose paints a fresh and vivid account of life in rural 19th-century China and Fortune’s fateful journey into it…if ever there was a book to read in the company of a nice cuppa, this is it.

Washington Post Book Review

In “For All the Tea in China,” the most eventful era of the tea plant gets the inspired treatment it deserves. – Minneapolis Star Tribune

Pause to reflect that the tea you are enjoying is totally hot — as in, stolen! Nabbed! Ripped off! Nothing more than the subject of international corporate espionage! – Chicago Sun Times

The spy who loved tea. The Express  (p1, p2)

The most fun and exciting new book I have read this year. Beijing Today

Rose has done well. – South China Morning Post, Hong Kong

This story is nothing less than remarkable. San Francisco Book Review

Sarah Rose’s history of how tea came to be cultivated outside China reads like an adventure yarn.…That he succeeded, lived to tell tale is nothing short of amazing, Rose does full justice in her appealing book. - Charlotte Post and Courier

Somehow stories like these get lost as memories fade…for some reason the incredible trek of Robert Fortune has lain dormant – until author Sarah Rose dusted off his old journals and brought him back to life. – Connect Savannah

Sarah Rose spins this out into a popular history that provides cameos of the late Qing Dynasty, global economics, the development of botany, the tea industry, Victorian sanitation, and other interesting or delicious tidbits. - Asian Review of Books

[FOR ALL THE TEA IN CHINA] reads like a novel and will take you on a roller coaster of a ride from first page to last. – Newnan-Cowenta Magazine

[Robert Fortune] broke the tea cartel and brought tea-drinking, for both the rich and the poor, to its central place in British life today. – Great British Life

One of the niftiest and most interesting histories I’ve read lately. - Montrose Daily Press

The plot for Sarah Rose’s “For All the Tea in China” seems tailor-made for a Hollywood thriller…a story that should appeal to readers who want to be transported on a historic journey laced with suspense, science and adventure.

19th-century industrial spy stole no.1 drink – Associated Press

A delicious brew of information on the history of tea cultivation and consumption in the Western world…a remarkably riveting tale. Booklist, (starred review)

Journalist Rose  is a rarity, an author who skillfully narrates her own lush work, capturing every nuance perfectly. Library Journal, (starred review)

Sarah Rose steeps us in the story of Robert Fortune. National Geographic Traveler

“Written in an engaging and lively tone, Sarah Rose’s book is as much an adventure story as a piece of history.” Catholic Herald

Bloggers are pouring on praise too, people not related to me and not paid to read my book:

You easily picture the movie version with its Indiana Jones for the botany set. Who knew tea could be so…hot? Food for Thought at Barnes&Noble

How often has the fate of empires hinged on botanists? … I think about the clash between cultures at that time, or orientalism and imperialism, or nationalism and profit, and am fascinated by a prospect of a person moving through that mix and escaping unharmed. (Denver Botanic Gardens)

For All the Tea in China is a fascinating look at a bygone era of adventure and discovery and a decision that affects all our lives today, especially those of us who love our tea. (King County Library)

… a surprising page-turner. This story is absolutely fascinating. (Basil and Spice)

Author Sarah Rose delves into the seductive past and retrieves the best, most aromatic leaves for our enjoyment. (Cineaste’s Bookshelf)

An exciting bit of historical adventure that’s an exciting read, reminding us that concerns over globalization and intellectual property are nothing new. (The Die is Cast)

The story of how the British cracked the closely guarded secrets of the Chinese tea industry is an intriguing one… Anyone interested in the tale of how this came to pass should refer to Sarah Rose’s For All the Tea in China: How England Stole the World’s Favorite Drink and Changed History. (The Taste of English Tea)

Rose tells Fortune’s own dramatic story well. (Blogtrotter)

A “tea history” book for those who don’t like history, this book reads like a novel and will take you on a rollercoaster of a ride from first page to last. (Tea with Friends)

A fascinating tale….a good read for anyone who wishes to better understand one element that contributed to the building and destruction of empires or a reader who just wants a well written and entertaining read. (Civil War Novels)

Tea world, transformed forever.  (Tea Hawk)

I highly suggest taking a look at this scandalous slice of history….Tea lovers and history lovers: rejoice! (Newtonville Books)

A fascinating look at Fortune’s adventures, as well as an intimate look into the history of tea… I thoroughly enjoyed his tale. Rose is a compelling writer. (The Passionate Foodie)

A thrilling narrative that combines history, geography, botany, natural science, and old-fashioned adventure. (Birdbooker Report)

Not only is the narrative entertaining, but it’s also extremely informative.  I love learning something new.  For instance, did you know that black and green teas come from the same plant? (Collateral Bloggage)

If you think you know your tea–you’d best settle into a comfortable chair with a new brew …and dive into Sarah Rose’s immensely entertaining, wonderfully educational tale of Robert Fortune, a 19th century botanist whose trips to China on behalf of England’s corporate tea-giants changed the trade dynamics of the globe. (Books, Cooking, Food and Wine)

The author has written a well-researched tale with the skill of a good story teller.  A delightful new book that both entertains and informs! (Silver Tips Tea Blog)

A wonderful example of what a historical book can be. (Review of the Scrolls)

The tea industry would never again be the same in the wake of the massive global changes brought about by British Empire-building. (Tea Writings)

Tea has a dirty, murderous, and unsavoury history, one that not too many people know about while reading their history books in school. (Learning About China for Children)

Hopefully readers of this book will not only be tea aficionados; the story and writing is sure to appeal to a wide variety of other readers as well. (Southwestern Vine Street)

Fascinating, and duly filed away for future inspiration for a story! (Rabia Gale)

Tea has a dirty, murderous, and unsavoury history. (Red Room)

I could not put it down. It is obvious that an enormous amount of research went into this book. It is factual without being bogged down by information overload. There is something for everyone here, even if they aren’t specifically interested in tea. Who doesn’t love espionage and adventure? (teaviews)

It has adventure, it has science, and it has history. I could totally see a young Harrison Ford enacting the plot to this narrative, and I can’t believe this story is true. (Transported Tastes)

An interesting and fun read. (The Network Sense)

The book combines history, economics and a cultural insights, along with a traveler’s tale of the aptly named Robert Fortune, the botonist hired to steal the plants. Even non-tea lovers will find the book intriguing. (Frisco Kids)

Rose teaches a bit about travel in rural China, English gardens, the notions of face and guanxi, British trade as well as crucial Chinese history just after the First Opium War (1841) leading up to the Taiping Rebellion But what keeps us turning pages is a an adventure story… (Santa Cruz Green Watch)

The BBC chose FOR ALL THE TEA IN CHINA as Book of the Week.

Listen to all 5 episodes, with Maureen Beattie reading.

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