Painting
Afternoon Tea
In Britain tea began as a luxury for only the wealthy to enjoy. One of Queen Victoria’s Ladies of the bedchamber Anna Maria Russell nee Stanhope the seventh Duchess of Bedford is credited with the invention of afternoon tea when she was too hungry... More
Painting
Chai for the People
Chai tea was originally created as a way to make watered down tea taste more appealing by adding milk sugar and a blend of spices. At the time Britain had colonized tea farms in India and had the upper hand on all tea being traded which made it... More
Painting
Matcha and the Zen Buddhists
Monk Myoan Eisai was a Japanese buddhist priest who brought matcha green tea powder from China to Japan. The zen buddhists used the matcha to keep awake during long sessions of meditation; this eventually led to the creation of the Japanese tea... More
Painting
Raid on a Customs House in Poole
An infamous smuggling gang, the Hawkhursts, saw their demise after raiding a fully stocked customs house in Poole. They were successful in stealing all the tea, leaving the liquor behind, this would be the gang’s last time terrorizing Britain as... More
Painting
Shennong Discovers Tea
The discovery of tea is credited to the mythical chinese ruler Shennong, when the wind blew tea leaves into his hot drinking water around 2737 BCE. The legend of the “discovery” of tea is not the only thing Shennong is credited for, he was also a... More
Painting
The Knowledge Holders of Rooibos
The Cederberg Region of South Africa is the only place in the world where rooibos is grown. All information regarding rooibos was founded by the Khoisan people. In 2019 they were given acknowledgment and 1.5% of the value farmers get when they sell... More
Painting
The London Tea Auction
The London tea auction was established in March 1679 by the East India Company, and became a grand tradition that lasted for 300 years.
Painting
The Opium War
Britain began by paying for Chinese tea with silver but, eventually they felt it to be too expensive. It was then that opium was introduced to China, this led to a public health crisis. In 1839, a Chinese official ordered the destruction of massive... More
Work by
Caitlin Todd
Illustration
““Steeped Through Centuries” illustrates the influential impact of tea on various historical and cultural developments. Exploring the way tea, since its discovery, has been an ever present ingredient...” [More]