Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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There are few things quite as indulgent or as quintessentially British as the ritual of afternoon tea. It's something that's served across the country, a steaming pot of tea accompanied by an array of sweet and savory treats. To understand the origins of this tradition, we'll go back to the beginning, to the late 17th century, when tea first arrived in Britain.
We'll see how this once exotic beverage became associated with traditions and rules of etiquette, and how the cravings of a duchess left a lasting cultural impact. So just relax and let your mind drift as we explore the sleepy history of the afternoon tea. Our story begins in 1662. This is the year that Catherine of Braganza married King Charles II.
He was the King of Scotland, Ireland, and England, which then included Wales. Catherine herself was a Portuguese princess. Her father was King John IV of Portugal, one of the most important leaders in Europe. Through her arranged marriage, Catherine became queen consort of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Today, Catherine is often remembered as the first tea-drinking queen of England.
As was customary at the time, a dowry was to be paid upon marriage, a gift from the bride's family to her groom. Catherine's dowry was generous indeed. It included the Portuguese territories of Bombay and Tangier, trading rights in Brazil, and a lump sum of 2 million Portuguese crowns. These were valuable assets, and no doubt added to the appeal of the match. But that wasn't all.
When the princess moved to England, it seems that she also brought something else with her, a box filled with dry tea leaves. Unknown to her or any at the time, these tea leaves would change English society. In fact, they would alter the culture and habits of the whole island, what would become the United Kingdom.
Catherine, a young queen in a foreign country, must have treasured those sips of her favorite tea. It would have been a comforting habit, as she had likely been used to drinking it daily in Portugal. The Portuguese had been importing tea to Europe since the start of the 17th century. But to the English, it was a rare, exotic import.
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Chapter 2: What is the history behind the tradition of afternoon tea?
Tea wasn't entirely unheard of when Catherine arrived, but it was very new and by no means common. In 1660, just two years before, the famed diarist Samuel Pepys wrote about trying his first ever cup. So we can't give Catherine all of the credit or say that she alone introduced England to tea.
We can say rather that she popularized it because soon after her arrival in London, Catherine's favorite drink was being sipped throughout court. It became fashionable among well-to-do ladies who sought to replicate the habits of the queen. We should also consider the timing of Catherine's arrival. In recent years, England had endured one of the most turbulent periods in its history.
The monarchy had been abandoned and the country had become a de facto republic. This was led by Oliver Cromwell, a devout Puritan who valued hard work and piety above all else. He aimed to reform the nation's morals by closing theaters and inns. Many sports and celebrations were also banned. In Cromwell's England, there had been no place for fun, frivolity, pleasure, or indulgence.
The coronation of Charles II a year before his marriage marked the return of a ruling king. It's often referred to today as the Restoration Monarchy. Charles's reign offered a return to normality, an end to the chaos of the preceding years. The public must have sighed in relief as buildings were reopened and bands lifted. In Charles's England, godliness and enjoyment were no longer adults.
Once again, people were allowed their simple pleasures. This is the world into which Catherine arrived along with her tea habit. It was just the right time for a tasty new drink and a new ritual. The tea was imported from China, where its history stretched back hundreds, if not thousands of years. To this day, tea remains an important part of Chinese culture, as do the rituals around it.
It's possible that in the 17th century, word of elaborate Chinese tea ceremonies reached England. But whether or not English tea drinkers were directly inspired by the Chinese, they gradually came up with their own rituals and rules of etiquette. In the late 17th century, tea was generally enjoyed by women, either in a private boudoir or a room called the closet.
This was a small room, but gorgeously decorated. It was well suited to entertaining friends. The tea set would be kept within this room and displayed on its own designated tea table. Some sets might be kept within a decorative wooden box, while others were left out on opulent tea trays. The set included delicate, beautifully decorated pieces, including Chinese porcelain that had been imported.
Water would be heated at the fireplace and then poured into a porcelain teapot onto a scattering of dry tea leaves. the tea would be left to brew for five or so minutes. And then it would be poured through a tea strainer into delicate porcelain cups. Unlike the Chinese, the English added milk to their tea, perhaps to soften the flavor.
Another possible explanation is that many porcelain teacups were delicate, The addition of milk helped to cool down the porcelain and reduced the risk of the cup cracking. Milk was also thought to be healthy. According to medical theory at the time, it was a digestive aid that could prevent disease and support the inner working of the body.
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Chapter 3: How did Catherine of Braganza influence tea drinking in England?
Twining helped to normalize women shopping for tea and drinking it in public. According to a later account, great ladies used to flock to Twining's house in Devereux Court in order to sip the enlivening beverage in very small china cups. Catherine of Braganza had popularized tea, and later Thomas Twining had made it more available.
But it still maintained its exclusive price tag and was unaffordable for the majority of society. It became a mark of status among the aristocracy to offer tea to visiting guests. The drink was even included in family portraits. Paintings showed children and adults sipping tea from their small china cups.
Tea drinking was seen as a mark of good taste, as only the very wealthy could afford such a habit. Between 1720 and 1750, the British East India Company more than quadrupled imports of tea. In fact, it became the company's primary focus, with entire fleets dedicated to its import. As a result, tea gradually became more accessible.
lords and ladies continued to take tea in their opulent drawing rooms and country gardens. But now, on occasion, the drink was also enjoyed by their servants and even the poorest members of society. The social reformer John Hanway wrote about this in 1767. According to Hanway, laborers mending roads would sip tea as they worked, as would farmhands moving hay about the fields.
He even described a certain lane where homeless beggars could be seen drinking tea. It was no longer the reserve of the privileged few. Nonetheless, on the whole, tea remained something of a luxury, as it continued to be taxed heavily. For most of the 18th century, tea was much more expensive than coffee. This made it a profitable business for smugglers.
At one point, it's thought that more than 3,000 tons of tea was smuggled into Britain each year. Then in 1784, the British Parliament passed the Commutation Act. This lowered the tax on tea significantly from 119% to 12.5% and helped to end smuggling. Now that it was so much more affordable, tea became increasingly widespread.
It was one of Britain's most popular imports, above alcohol, sugar, and even chocolate. 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.
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