Not Even The British Are This British

28Jul07

John Flinn, the travel editor for the San Francisco chronicle recently wrote an excellent piece about his travels in Darjeeling. His vivid descriptions of all the places I used to haunt as a child are spot-on! The story starts off with an indignant (Indian) guest at the Planter’s Club lamenting the fact that the club […]

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The British Cuppa Comes Full Circle

06Jul07

In a remarkable role reversal, the UK (more specifically, Taylors of Harrogate) is seeking out Indian planters to help them establish their very own tea gardens! Yes, in the UK. So with a bit of patience, luck and advice from India, in a few years time ‘Yorkshire Tea‘ really will come from Yorkshire! [via: The […]

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Bewitch’d With Indian Poyson

01Jul07

It’s safe to say that not everyone was thrilled with the increasing popularity of tea during most of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In Britain, a slew of commentators were pointing out the evils of this newly discovered beverage. This particularly poignant passage bemoans the effect of tea on the British national psyche. It appeared […]

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Arson Aboard The Cutty Sark

21May07

On February 16, 1870 the Cutty Sark left on its maiden voyage – bound for Shanghai and loaded with “wine, spirits and beer”. She returned to London on October 13, with a precious cargo of 1,450 tons of tea.[via]. She may not have been the fastest vessel on the seas, but there’s no doubt that […]

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Tea Espionage

09Mar07

Robert Fortune, a British horticulturist, is best known for establishing tea plantations in India (from China) on behalf of the British East India Company. His methods are the stuff of spy novels. You see, in the 1800s China had a pretty tight monopoly on the global tea trade. The British empire was so threatened by […]

Filed under: britain, china, gardens, history   |  4 Comments