Tea originated in China as a medicinal drink over 2,000 years ago and was introduced into Europe during the 16th century by Portuguese priests and merchants. Drinking tea became fashionable in England during the 17th century and in time led to the English starting large-scale production and commercialization of the plant in India.
Tea originated in China as a medicinal drink over 2,000 years ago and was introduced into Europe during the 16th century by Portuguese priests and merchants. Drinking tea became fashionable in England during the 17th century and in time led to the English starting large-scale production and commercialization of the plant in India.
Tea originated in China as a medicinal drink over 2,000 years ago and was introduced into Europe during the 16th century by Portuguese priests and merchants. Drinking tea became fashionable in England during the 17th century and in time led to the English starting large-scale production and commercialization of the plant in India. At home, the English drank tea rather than coffee. 19th century inventories show that families owned twice as many teawares as coffee utensils. Women adopted the drink for their social gatherings and served tea after dinner. It was also an occasion to demonstrate wealth and good taste, and teawares were as responsive to changing fashion as dress and interior decoration. Early teapots were of small capacity because of the rarity of tea. Although there are a few 17th century teapots in existence, there is little likelihood of finding one dating before 1710. The earlier the teapot the smaller they tend to be as tea was a very expensive commodity until the middle of the reign of George I