In Japan, tea became less and less of a medicine and more of a component in ritual. The point of drinking tea was no longer just to enjoy its medical benefits, but also to master the art of performance, poise, and self-control. These qualities would be practiced in a tea ceremony and then applied elsewhere in life (like Socrates’ idea of drinking wine in the symposium). As usual, though, Standage doesn’t linger on the history of his beverages outside of the West.