Although the earliest record of tea cultivation only dates back to the fourth century, the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung is often credited with discovering the drink as long ago as the 28th century BC, when, according to legend, a gust of wind blew some errant leaves into a pot of water he was boiling beneath a tea tree. However the discovery was initially made, by the 1300s, tea drinking was common in China. The commodity was also first noted by Venetian spice traders around this time, although it didn’t reach Europe until the 17th century. Imported by Dutch sailors, tea rapidly became the most popular drink in England, and by 1800, 9,000 tonnes were being imported each year. Eager to exploit the lucrative trade, The British East India Company was soon sending high-speed tea clippers across the seas and setting up plantations in India and Africa. The following images, drawn from the archives of the Royal Geographical Society, offer an insight into tea culture around the world.



August 2007