From the very beginning, Upton Tea Imports has been proud to offer quality tea education in our Upton Tea Quarterly catalog to accompany our premium tea selection. Join us in revisiting our classic article series Reversals of Fortune in the Tea Industry, where we examine fascinating turns of events in tea and trade history with surprising outcomes.
Over time, failed military conquests and expensive ventures of the Yuan Dynasty and its fleets led to currency collapse. With power changing from hand to hand, what will happen next in ancient China’s trade escapades? Enjoy reading the next installment to find out why Europe’s craze for foreign goods and spices created a demand that stoked the fire of an emerging global trade market.
Enter Portuguese ships on their nation’s voyage of discovery. Will this coastal nation’s merchants become influential players in this enterprise, and how will their actions impact the global spread of tea?