How Did Britain Use Tea In The British Empire

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The Importance of Tea on the British Empire
Modern Britain has many objects associated with it, but one of the most well know associations is their love of tea. The widespread popularity of tea in the British Empire began in the late eighteenth century, and has been popular ever since. Tea was first popular among the wealthy, specifically the English court, as it was first introduced to the Empire by avid tea drinker, Catherine of Braganza, the daughter of the King of Portugal, when she married Charles II in 1662. With her, came the custom of tea drinking, which caught on almost immediately with the aristocracy (Standage, 189). Since then, tea reshaped the British Empire in many ways. The people of Britain changed culturally as tea became …show more content…
One innovation created were shops selling tea to women, as women were previously not allowed into establishments such as coffeehouses or other man-only buildings. Based off the idea of Japanese tea ceremonies, elaborate tea parties were created to show a person’s sophistication. The ceremonies had many similarities to the Japanese ones, using porcelain cups, following strict guidelines and procedures to serve the tea and food. Tea gardens were also opened in London as a social, public venue where people could drink tea. It was especially appealing as women were allowed to enter, and was often used for people to meet others of the opposite sex (Standage, 193-195). These were beautiful gardens, with streams, ponds, and various other scenery, where people could be relaxed and enjoy each other’s company (Bickham). With all of these establishments and social innovations, tea became an important part of the entire British …show more content…
The rise in popularity of tea began just as the Industrial Revolution was taking off, and tea played a role in the country’s industrialization. Factories embraced the use of tea to keep the employees’ minds alert and concentrated to operate the fast-moving machines, and to keep them energized to work without as many breaks. Therefore, “tea … kept the factories running smoothly” (Standage, 200); its many benefits boosted the efficiency of the workers. Its popularity also helped industrialization as it created a new industry: the crockery industry. Socially, people found it important to have fine dishes to serve tea, which boosted this business. It also reduced the need of Chinese porcelain, causing imports to decline and eventually stop in 1791 (Standage, 201).
Perhaps the most important change in the British Empire’s economy was the creation of the British East India Company. This company, once the Dutch East India Company was defeated in 1795, had a monopoly in Britain on the tea trade with China, and controlled almost the entire global tea trade (Standage, 192). Over the next century, the value of tea trade increased exponentially, valued in the beginning of the 1700s at just around 14,000 pounds, reaching almost 300,000 pounds by 1761 (“Table of the Value”). These numbers only count the legal trade, however, and a large amount of tea smuggling occurred as
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