Why do we love tea so much?
As Brits, we have a real love affair with tea, so we were wondering, why do we all love it so much?
First traded in Britain
Tea was first traded in Britain by the merchant Thomas Garway in dry and liquid form at his coffee house in Exchange Alley in London, holding his first public sale in 1657.
The first advertisement for tea appeared in 1658 and announced the sale of ‘China Tcha, Tay or Tee’, in the Mercurius Politicus newspaper. The advert was taken out by the owner of The Sultaness Head Coffee House
Selling tea
The first record of tea being sold was in 1660, when Garway sold it for £10 per pound, which was a huge amount of money in those days. He claimed tea was “wholesome, preserving perfect health until extreme old age, good for clearing the sight,” able to cure “gripping of the guts, cold, dropsies, scurveys” and that “it could make the body active and lusty.”
Tea taking over popularity of coffee
Tea was on sale at more than 500 coffee houses in London by 1700. This caused great upset among Tavern keepers in the city as coffee houses became more and more popular. It even caused alcohol sales to decline.
Introduction of tea gardens and tea dances
Tea gardens began opening all across the country by 1732, with tea being served as the high point of the afternoon. Tea would also finish off an evening spent dancing.
This quickly led to the idea of tea dances, which remained fashionable in Britain until World War II.
Drink of the masses
By the 18th century, tea was the drink of choice for the masses, overtaking ale and gin and becoming Britain’s most popular beverage, and it remains the same today!