Smuggling Tea
By the eighteenth century, tea was a hugely popular drink in Britain, but, to the ordinary consumer, it was also hugely expensive. The monopoly on imports held by the merchants of the East India Company meant that tea prices were kept artificially high to protect profits, and on top of this government imposed a high level of duty. This created a demand among the British population for cheaper tea, and when that demand could not be met by legal means, a great opportunity was presented to those people who were less than concerned about breaking the law.
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Featured Teas - These favourites from around the world would have been smuggled in huge quantities to avoid paying high taxes. Fortunately, nowadays there is no import duty on tea. Click on the image to order the tea.
