How did a drunk church-goer influence the Navy’s go-to-beverage? What does a Persian fruit beverage and sherbet powder have to do with each other? How did an American favorite drink fall from grace? And why does tomato juice taste so much better on a plane?

In this month's livestream, John and Patrick each reveal their top three produce-based drinks from history.

From orange juice’s vital role in World War II to grape juice’s unexpected place in the fight against alcoholism, these drinks don’t just quench thirst - they reflect the spirit of their times.

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In Sponsorship with Cornell University: Dyson Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

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Robert Fortune’s journey was far from over. After infiltrating China in disguise, Fortune now sets his sights on the Wuyi Mountains—steeped in legend, veiled in mist, and home to the most coveted tea in the world: black tea. Guided by his newly appointed servant, the enigmatic Sing-Hoo, Fortune pushes deeper into China’s forbidden interior, navigating treacherous paths and even more treacherous politics. But not all goes according to plan. His prized green tea shipment meets an unfortunate fate, while back in India, the impulsive botanist William Jameson jeopardizes the mission with his rash decisions.

Yet amid the chaos, Fortune finds unexpected wisdom among Buddhist monks, who not only reveal the secrets of cultivating tea but also teach him how to brew the perfect cup. It’s in these sacred temples, not the markets of London, that the future of tea begins to shift.

As Fortune’s precious tea plants take root in the Himalayan foothills, Indian tea is born—forever altering the global balance of trade. From British agent to American hire, Robert Fortune’s legacy would be one of ambition, deception, and botanical revolution. He didn't just steal tea—he transformed it.

Join John and Patrick for the thrilling conclusion of Fortune’s audacious adventure, as they uncover the spiritual, imperial, and agricultural dimensions of one of history’s greatest botanical heists.

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In Sponsorship with Cornell University: Dyson Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

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The British thirst for tea had become insatiable by the mid-19th century, but there was one problem: nearly all of it came from China. For the East India Company, this dependency was a costly vulnerability. What they needed wasn’t more silver to trade but a way to break China’s monopoly entirely. Enter Robert Fortune: a Scottish botanist with a talent for subterfuge, a taste for adventure, and an uncanny knack for survival.

In this first part of a two-part series, John and Patrick trace the remarkable early life of Fortune - from his humble Scottish beginnings to his acclaimed first expedition in China that put him on the map. With the East India Company desperate to grow its own tea in India, Fortune is entrusted with a daring mission: to steal the secrets of tea production from deep within the Chinese heartland.

Clad in local robes and speaking rough Pidgin, Fortune navigated a dangerous landscape few foreigners ever saw - sneaking through the storied city of Hangzhou and gaining rare access to a green tea factory. But what he found there would shock even him: Chinese producers were secretly poisoning the tea, adding toxic pigments to create a more vibrant hue for foreign buyers.

Join John and Patrick as they trace the first steps of this daring mission, where botany, espionage, and empire collide, and the fate of tea - and indeed, global trade - hangs in the balance.

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In Sponsorship with Cornell University: Dyson Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

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Join the History of Fresh Produce Club for ad-free listening, bonus episodes, book discounts and access to an exclusive chatroom community.

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