How the British Empire shaped the nation’s favourite drink: From Victorian high society, to drug trafficking and war with China, what REALLY lies behind the humble cup of tea

For generations, the humble cup of tea has been synonymous with Britishness, the liquid heartbeat of the nation.

Whether you drink it with or without sugar, with milk or just a slice of lemon, it is the perfect drink for any problem, celebration or moment of suffering.

But a new BBC radio series delves into the dark history of Britain’s great tea, revealing its role in the opium trade and subsequent war with China.

Introduced by historian Satnam Sanghera, Empire of Tea also delves into the drink’s long association with India and how it first became popular in Britain among high society figures and royalty in the 17th century.

But program participant William Dalrymple’s claim that “extortion, corruption and bloodshed” took place to give the British their beer sparked criticism, with one rival pundit branding his claims a “guilt-seeking expedition”.

Tea was first brought to British shores from China in the mid-1600s, but was initially the preserve of royalty, aristocrats and the very wealthy.

It became more popular with the arrival of Catherine of Braganza, a Portuguese royal who became Queen of England when she married Charles II in 1662.

Her court brought to Britain the experience of its own explorations of Portugal.

Even more knowledge about tea came to English shores in 1688, when the Glorious Revolution brought the Dutchman William of Orange to the throne.

However, until the end of the 18th century, tea remained a luxury: a pound of black tea cost a British worker the equivalent of nine months’ wages.

The ritual of afternoon tea appeared much later, in the Victorian era.

The tradition is believed to have started when the wealthy Duchess of Bedford began enjoying a cake or crustless sandwich with a cup of Darjeeling tea when she wanted an afternoon boost.

It quickly gained popularity among fashionable families, and sales of porcelain tea sets for them soared.

Tea drinking gained further popularity in the 19th century, when it began to be promoted as a less harmful alternative to beer, port and gin, which were consumed in huge quantities.

The dominant force in the tea trade was the East India Company, formed in London at the end of the 16th century.

At its peak, the private firm, considered the first major multinational company, had its own army and the right to mint its own money.

By the end of the 18th century, tea accounted for 60 percent of the East India Company’s trade, generating huge tax revenues for the British government.

To buy tea at a more reasonable price, the East India Company promoted the illegal opium trade.

They smuggled opium grown in India into China and sold it to willing Chinese traders, then used the proceeds to buy tea.

But Mr Dalrymple, author of a critical history of the East India Company, said “enraged” Britons looked at the organization as “we would look at drug-trafficking operators today”.

They were seen, he said, as “people operating on the margins of legality, if not outright illegality, who profit from the suffering of others.”

Answering the question, Dr Zarir Masani, an expert on the British Empire, told MailOnline: “Opium was widely used. It was very much a social drug, used in moderation among China’s upper class circles.”

He added: “Tea came from China and opium went to China, but what is ignored is the fact that it was driven by demand, it actually created jobs, although perhaps questionable by today’s standards.”

“This is a completely unhistorical way of branding the East India Company as corporate raiders.”

The Chinese emperor’s decision to ban the opium trade in 1839 sparked a military conflict with Britain.

All traders were forced to hand over their opium, which was then publicly burned.

As British traders were furious over the confiscation of what they considered their property, the government intervened and crossed swords with China in the First Opium War.

The conflict, which lasted until 1842, ended in a decisive defeat for China.

The Second Opium War, which lasted between 1856 and 1860, forced a divided China to once again legalize the opium trade.

However, by that time the East India Company had attempted to establish tea plantations in India.

Scottish botanist Robert Fortune disguised himself as a Chinese botanist to infiltrate China and then transport live tea plants to India.

He also took with him nine workers who were well versed in how to grow tea to a high standard.

Throughout the 1830s and 1840s, dozens of plantations were established in the Assam region of India.

While Chinese tea remained a luxury product, the Indian variety was marketed as a patriotic drink produced in the British Empire.

Queen Victoria was also enlisted to assist in the propaganda efforts. She spoke about the quality of tea grown in India after tasting it.

By 1900, Chinese tea, which previously accounted for almost all British imports, accounted for only 10 percent of British consumption.

By this time, British workers had been consuming tea in large quantities for over a century. Average tea consumption in 1900 was a staggering 6 pounds per year.

Historian Lizzie Collingham, author of The Hungry Empire, tells the BBC that “sweet tea literally fueled the Industrial Revolution.”

“Ten to 15 percent of the calories and energy for workers in factories and smelters comes from the sugar in tea,” she said.

She added: “Between 1663 and 1773, in those 100 years, the growth in consumption is synchronized, happening in tandem.

“So I think for tea this figure is 15 times higher, and for sugar it is 20 times higher. They rise together.

The tea break even became a source of industrial unrest in the 1970s and 1980s.

In 1981, workers at British Leyland’s Longbridge car plant in Birmingham went on a 10-day “tea-break strike” after bosses tried to reduce the length of the two-day breaks they took to drink beer.

The strikers eventually won a partial victory and bosses agreed to a smaller reduction in breaks.