Jo Steer

By this point in history, tea was helping to fuel the British economy.

What's more, drinking tea had become so habitual that it started to be viewed as something traditional or even patriotic, something truly British.

The price drop would continue throughout the 19th century.

Coffee also became more affordable, but didn't enjoy the same popularity as tea.

The working classes were known to dilute their tea quite heavily, and unlike coffee, watered down tea retained its flavor.

Black tea was more common than green tea, being arguably more palatable with milk and sugar.

The drink also had legitimate health benefits.

As the water in tea was boiled, it killed off any waterborne diseases and made tea a safe choice of drink.

And of course, in an often wet and cold climate, a warm cup of tea was a welcome comfort.

As we've seen, tea drinking was originally an upper-class habit, a fairly formal activity.

Even as it became more widespread throughout society, it retained certain associations.

Tea drinking was often treated as a ritual, and there were certain rules of etiquette.

If a lady was hosting, for instance, then she should be the one to pour from the teapot.

Once the drinks had been poured, the teapot should be positioned at the center of the table, with its spout facing towards the hostess.

Etiquette dictated that in order to stir the tea, the spoon should be moved gently back and forth between the 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock positions in the cup.

Stirring in a circular motion was considered a faux pas.

After stirring, the spoon should be removed from the cup and left on the saucer.

The cup should then be raised to the mouth with the saucer left on the table.

Sips should be delicate and polite with the cup placed back onto the saucer between each sip.

And while drinking, one should look only at the cup.