ellian1118

The opium war and British tea
With the increasing tea consumption, Britain must spend a lot money every year imported from China, and British tea to Chinese export commodities – cotton, China didn’t need or want. To 1800, opium solved the problem, first is British, followed by the Portuguese began to Chinese export opium. The British east India company Bengal (then as part of Dragon Well tea / longjing tea the British empire) grow opium, through the wholesalers sales to China in Calcutta in exchange for silver, then use the same silver imports from China tea.
Although the Chinese government to import and use more and more severe punishment of Dragon Well tea / longjing tea opium, but illegal trade continues. Until in 1839, Chinese officials Lin zexu in guangdong, the 20,000 cases humen beach sea, opium sink into the seawater scour into opium silt into the sea that years later, England to China declare war, China, through the tea embargo shout back.
With China constantly produce trade crisis, have time Britain has been considering additional monarch tea producer, north India because of Dragon Well tea its climate and altitude is considered the most promising tea gardens. When one of Dragon Well tea / longjing tea the British east India company employees Charles Bruce (Charles Bruce) in 1823 discovered Assam after the tea upstream native who has built a small plantations, and eventually persuaded his employer (they always insisted that only Chinese tea kind is good enough) agree to implement commercial cultivation of Dragon Well tea / longjing tea Assam tea. The first tea Assam in 1838 arrived at London. Assam tea company was founded in 1849, soon its business and expand to darjeeling (Dariieeling), plus gael (Cachar), tin Sylhet hutt (darfur) and other parts of tie guan yin tea northern India.