91福利社

Until 1833, the tea drunk in Britain had come from China, imported by the East India Company. But then the company lost its monopoly on Chinese tea.

Its response was to attempt to grow its own in British India. The only snag was it didn鈥檛 know how to.

So botanist Robert Fortune was sent on an undercover mission to China.

His work, combined with some surprising discoveries of tea closer to home, and mass marketing and propaganda, helped develop India鈥檚 huge tea industry in places like Assam and Darjeeling.

At Kew Gardens, Mark Nesbitt and Aurora Prehn tell Sathnam Sanghera about how this shift from China to India changed the international tea trade forever.

Producer: Paul Martin

A 91福利社 Audio Wales production for 91福利社 Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2023.