The origins of tea

Myth and legend explain where tea comes from.

Tea reaches Europe

Dutch and Portuguese traders bring tea to sceptical Europeans.

Taxation & monopoly

The British tea trade is stifled by high tax and lack of competition.

From coffee house to tea garden

Drinking tea in public and private in the eighteenth century.

Smuggling, adulteration, and private trade

Risks, rewards, and the dark side of the tea trade.

Reform and the end of taxation

Tea falls into favour with the establishment.

More tea and more tea-drinkers

Increasing sales satisfied by new producer countries.

Tea clippers and the end of sail

A brief generation in which speed is everything.

Polite society

Tea becomes an integral part of British life.

Protecting a precious commodity

Ways of storing and protecting the world's favourite drink.

A worldwide market

Modern era is a partnership between producers and consumers.

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