A palatable History (lesson)

The Tea Trade:
England was the last of the great European seafaring nations to establish a foothold in the Chinese and Indian tea trades. It was the Portuguese, founding the colony of Macao on the south-east coast of China in the 16th century, who first developed a taste for it. They were followed by the Dutch and French. The first imports of tea to England came in the mid-1650s, the period of Cromwell’s rule.

Shipping Tea:
Tea required careful handling on board ship. It had to be kept dry and away from strong smells. Tea bound for London from China was usually stored in chests.

1957 Vintage Tea Chest:

Selling tea:
One of the most important early tea retailers in London was Fortnum & Mason, in Piccadilly (established 1707). Nowadays, Fortnum’s sells around 60 varieties of tea, not including herbal infusions and tisanes. They include; Mandarin Jasmine, Rolling Clouds and the reputedly aphrodisiac Silver Tips.

Just another Scotsman:
The first dominant name in the modern tea trade is Thomas Lipton, a Glasgow entrepreneur who opened his first shop in 1871. Lipton imported tea directly from Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and was also a master of self-promotion. His slogan was “Direct from the tea gardens to the teapot”. He also coined the advertising phrase “Accept no substitutes”. Lipton received a knighthood from Queen Victoria in 1898.
Sir Thomas Lipton: The turning point in Lipton's career came after his success as a chain grocer when he entered the tea business. In 1889 he celebrated the arrival of his first twenty thousand tea chests in Glasgow with a parade of brass bands and bagpipers. The going rate for tea was then around three shillings a pound, but Lipton priced his at one shilling sevenpence.