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How did the English East India Company bring tea to the London market?
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tea
Rows of tea (Camellia sinensis) growing in Japan, with Mount Fuji in the background.
The English East India Company initially brought tea to the London market in 1669 by transporting it from ports in Java. Following this, the company expanded its operations, and by the early 19th century, it financed the tea trade with China through the export of opium.12
As the trade grew, the company established a significant presence in the Chinese tea market, with imports increasing more than 40-fold by 1750. Eventually, the trade evolved further when the British introduced tea cultivation to their own estates in India and Ceylon, with these teas reaching Mincing Lane, the center of the tea trade in London.31