Have your tea and drink it too! Chris Nierstrasz (University of Warwick)

Introduction How did the trade of rogue companies, private traders and smugglers popularise the consumption of tea in Western Europe ( )?

Introduction When and how did tea become a drink consumed by all layers of society?

Introduction Dutch East India Company (VOC) and English East India Company (EIC) Rogue companies Private trade Smugglers

The globalisation of tea trade

The popularisation of tea Graph A: Invoice value (in pounds) of EIC tea per English pound lbs ( )

Different flavours, different markets Green tea: Heison, Bing, Singlo Black tea: Peko, Congou, Bohea

Different flavours, different markets Graph H: The invoice price of Green tea, Singlo, Bing and Hyson paid by the EIC in Canton, pound per lbs ( )

Different flavours, different markets Graph I: The invoice price of Black tea, Bohea, Congo and Peko, paid by the EIC in Canton, pound per lbs ( )

Different flavours, different markets Bohea, the cheapest black tea is associated with the popularisation of tea and the smuggling of tea Companies adopted to Bohea at different times

Different flavours, different markets Graph D: Percentage of different tea in the return cargos of the EIC ( )

Different flavours, different markets Graph E: Percentage of different tea in the return cargos of the VOC ( )

Different flavours, different markets So VOC changed to Bohea at an early date, just like the Rogue Companies such as the Ostend Company and Swedish Company, followed by other companies such as the French and Danish Companies. Only the English East India Company was 20 years behind, why?

Smuggling and Private trade Graph J: The income from sales of tea (in pound), EIC and VOC,

Smuggling and Private trade Graph C: Total imports of tea by the EIC and the VOC in kg,

Smuggling and Private trade Both the VOC and the EIC do not really increase their share of their market ( ). So if tea consumption expanded in this period, where did this tea come from?

Smuggling and Private trade Graph K: Import of tea, VOC official trade and VOC on recognition, lbs ( )

Smuggling and Private trade

Answer of the EIC (1747): Import tea on licence from Dutch Republic ( ) Lower import duties on tea Double the export of silver Stop over in Asia to procure pepper for Canton Switch to predominantly Bohea tea

Smuggling and Private trade Answer of the VOC: Expand import of pepper and tin to Canton Establish a committee for trade at Canton

Smuggling and Private trade Result: Both Companies expand their official tea trade Pepper to be had in Canton, so Chinese Junk trade declines Dutch private trade in tea vanishes and only flares up occasionally afterwards