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Portuguese Jesuit Father Jasper de Cruz introduces tea to parts of Europe.
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China tea is introduced in coffeehouses within the capitol city of London.
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Immediately, China tea becomes very popular within Great Britain, especially London and other parts of England. Tea, though, was mainly consumed by the rich.
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Two pounds and two ounces of tea are formally presented to the King by the British East India Company. The tea then is imported to Portugal from Asian nations such as China and Japan.
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In 1662, Catherine (wife of Charles), queen of Portugal, tastes tea for the very first time. Liking this new and fairly exotic drink, she then makes it popular throughout the Iberian nation, especially within the courts.
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Tea is discovered by a collection of its drinkers to be able to "revive the spirits and cure mild colds".
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The British East India Company got their tea from a Dutch factory from Batavia. Batavia received their imports straight from China.
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As tea becomes more and more popular across Western Europe, tea imports increase.
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By 1750, tea has continued to thrive in Britain as a popular beverage, even going as far as to quadruple imports.
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By 1766, tea was being imported to Britain more than to the Dutch, Swedish, and French. These became nicknamed "tea fleets".
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Railroads connected the east to the west of Europe, making importing tea faster and easier.
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As railroads continue to be built and expand, tea supplies imported to the British Empire quickly increase in quantity.
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Prices of tea decrease slightly and remain low for several more decades.
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In the early 1900's, London becomes the centre of the first international trading of tea and tea products, respectively. Demands for tea cups, pots, and dishes increased along with the popularity of tea. It has now replaced gin and ale as the majority in Britain.
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Tea continues to be the top drink of the UK. Over 165 million cups are consumed daily in the UK; twice the amount of coffee.
