Brief History of London Tea

Tea has been imported into England since the 1660's and the fast Clipper sailing ships would have passed within a few yards of where the modern English Garden premises are located as they journeyed the last few miles up the River Thames to the City of London.

The British East India Company monopolised the early tea trade from China and for many years it was drunk only by the aristocracy heavily sweetened with sugar which the Company was also keen to promote. The tea trade became so important and so expensive that when the British government banned the use of bullion the Chinese were forced to accept payment in opium that the British picked up in India even though it was illegal in China. Thankfully that bit of history has long gone!

Tea growing expanded to other areas of the world in particular India and vast quantities of tea still come in to The Port of London from India as well as China, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Kenya and all over the world.