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How did tea become Britain\u2019s national drink? Its story begins in China, where it was first popularised during the Han and Tang dynasties - but it first made its mark in London\u2019s coffee houses on 30th September, 1658, when it was advertised to the public in a \u2018newsbook\u2019, marketing the exotic beverage as "an excellent and by all physicians approved China drink".\nHowever, British tea importers faced stiff competition from the beer industry, which wasn\u2019t thrilled about losing customers to this new sector. Breweries even spread rumours that tea was bad for your health in a bid to retain their market share. Yet, once Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza married Charles II in 1662, the Royal family\u2019s much-publicised fondness for a cuppa brought it out of the coffeehouses and into homes, where it became a genteel, domestic drink.\nIn this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly trace the history of England\u2019s infatuation with tea, from Pitt The Younger\u2019s association with the \u2018tea tax\u2019, to shops like Twinings springing up across the country, cementing the drink\u2019s place in British society\u2026\nFurther Reading:\n\u2022\xa0 \u2018Tea\u2019 (The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge): https://fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/explore-our-collection/highlights/context/stories-and-histories/tea\n\u2022 \u2018The history of tea\u2019 (The National Trust): https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/discover/history/the-history-of-tea\n\u2022 \u2018Tea: Helen & Olly's Great British Questions\u2019 (Answer Me This!, 2010): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8tGlGvn3N0\n\n\ufeffLove the show? Support us!\xa0\nJoin\xa0 \U0001f334CLUB RETROSPECTORS\U0001f334to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode each SUNDAY\u2026\xa0\n\n\u2026 Plus, get weekly bonus bits, and unlock over 100 bits of extra content.\xa0\nJoin now with a free trial on Apple Podcasts or Patreon and support our show \u2764\ufe0f\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices