On Tea in London

If you are cold, tea will warm you;

if you are too heated, it will cool you;

If you are depressed, it will cheer you;

If you are excited, it will calm you.  

-William Ewart Gladstone

We use tea to calm our anxieties, to welcome a friend, to spend time together. It is a staple in all our lives, here and around the world. We write articles about our favorites and are always looking for something new to try (hello bubble tea). One could say it is here to stay.

Tea had its humble beginnings in China and spread through trade from there. Tea eventually made its way to Europe, through trade with the Dutch and Portuguese.

Wikipedia

One of the earlier references to tea in London was found in Sam Pepys’ diary entry dated 25 September 1660:

And afterwards I did send for a cup of tee (a China drink) of which I never had drank before and went away.

Another early reference to tea in London is the first advertisement for tea in the British weekly magazine, Mercurius Politicus, in September 1658:

That Excellent, and by all Physicians approved, China Drink, called by the Chineans, Tcha, by other Nations Tay alias Tee, is sold at the Sultaness-head, a Cophee-house in Sweetings Rents by the Royal Exchange, London.

Although tea in London was originally available at apothecaries as a medicine, tea as a ritual became popularized by Charles II and his wife, Catherine of Braganza in the 1660’s, who were both raised around the ritual of taking tea. 

Royal-Tea

While Queen Victoria reigned, her lady-in waiting, Anne, the Duchess of Bedford, began to request some tea and cake after lunch, as the time between lunch and supper could be as long as eight or nine hours.

This eventually caught on with Anne’s friends and it was a habit that she continued throughout her life, all the while influencing others in high society, and creating a cultural phenomenon.

Queen Victoria mentioned tea in her journals 7587 times, the 1st when she was only 13 years old on August 18, 1832 at Beaumarais, Anglesey.

The Queen wrote about having tea made over the fire at Balmoral, and enjoyed drinking tea with her daughter, Beatrice.

In 1837, Queen Victoria granted Twining’s Tea its first Royal Warrant for tea, and it became the official tea for the household. Since then, Twining’s has been supplying the Royal Household with their tea.

Twining’s Tea Company

Wikipedia

The first tea shop opened in 1706 by Thomas Twining, who bought Tom's Coffee House at No. 216 Strand, London. Twining sold both tea and coffee but saw more potential in tea. There was fierce competition in between the coffee houses at the time and Twining knew he’d have to carve his niche in tea. Twining’s was eventually reputed as having the best tea blends, selling more dry tea than brewed.

Tea at this time did not come cheap and was legally accessible only by upper classes. For example, in 1706, Twinings Gunpowder Green Tea was selling at a price that is equivalent today in the UK to more than £160 for 100g. because of this there was a robust black market.

Thomas Twining’s son, Daniel, grew the family business and began to export tea to America in 1749, according to the ledgers.

The Democratization of Tea

In 1784, the British tax on tea was lowered from 119% to 12.5% of the value of tea imported.

Because of poor water quality, the main drink of the poor was primarily Ale, but it faced higher pricing due to bad grain harvests and high grain prices.

The Twining family had many meetings with the Prime Minister to find a solution for lower taxes, and the merchants would make up the loss of revenue to the treasury.

This allowed the drink of tea to be available to everyone and weakened the black market.

Honourable quotes on tea

Since tea was so fashionable, it makes sense that there were opinions on the subject. How it is to be prepared, the proper way to take your tea, where to drink it and on and on.

Here are some quotable quotes:

Tea is one of the main stays of civilization in this country.  -George Orwell

Sir, I did not count your glasses of wine, why should you number up my cups of tea?  -Samuel Johnson, The Life of Samuel Johnson

 George Orwell, novelist and journalist, wrote his opinion on how to prepare the perfect cup of tea, aptly called “A nice cup of tea”. In the piece, he states there are 11 rules, including the type of tea to use (Indian), the best teapot (china), the strength of brewed tea (make it strong), to put the tea leaves straight in the pot, ending his 11-point list with how to pour the tea and the order in which to add milk and sugar.

Jonas Hanway, philanthropist, and founder of the Marine Society wrote an essay about tea “considered as pernicious to health, obstructing industry, and impoverishing the nation”. In response, Samuel Johnson, known to have published the first English dictionary, responded with his own essay titled, “Review of A Journal of Eight Days’ Journey”, in which he defends the highly fashionable drink. This being the man who was self described to be “a hardened and shameless tea-drinker, who has, for twenty years, diluted his meals with only the infusion of this fascinating plant; whose kettle has scarcely time to cool; who with tea amuses the evening, with tea solaces the midnight, and, with tea, welcomes the morning.” Johnson was known to have approximately 20 cups of tea per day, if not more.

Today’s Tea Drinkers

So, who drinks the most tea today? The countries who consume the most tea today are, Turkey, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Iran. They drink approximately 7, 5, 4 and 3 pounds of tea annually.

For the Turks, this means they drink approximately 1300 cups of tea per year, or 3-5 cups per day.

Of course, we all have our reasons for sharing tea. Comfort, getting together with friends, or deflecting questions from journalists. Whatever the reason, it’s sure to remain a favourite pastime.