Take a seat — it's almost tea time. While teacups have been used in China since 220 CE or so, the teacup as you know it today wasn't commonly used in Europe until the early 18th century.

At the end of the 18th century, Polish Enlightenment writers still considered tea to be as suspicious as the blood of bovine animals, frogs, snakes or snails. Stanisław Trembecki, a poet and the ...

After originating in China in the 17th century, black tea became a global favorite when it was introduced to Europe in the 18th century. Nowadays, you can find black tea drinks everywhere ...

The main items smuggled in the 18th century were tea, wine, spirits and lace. In 1784 the Prime Minister, William Pitt the Younger, suggested that of the 13 million pounds (weight) of tea consumed ...

For example, the import duty on tea raised its price by around 70 per cent by the middle of the 18th century. Smuggling was usually organised by gangs, who were funded by investors or venturers.