Question

Did the British drink tea before colonialism?

Answer 1

Yes, but it was an expensive luxury. Before the British established their colonial empire and tea plantations in India, they imported tea exclusively from China. During that time, it was a rare and costly drink reserved for the wealthy elite. It was only through colonialism—specifically by seizing land in Assam, utilizing cheap indentured labor, and mass-producing tea—that the British were able to break the Chinese monopoly and turn tea into the cheap, everyday staple drink for the British masses.