The popularity of tea in the United Kingdom has a long history, reflecting the nation's
development since the seventeenth century. It was in 1657 that Thomas Garway,
the owner of a coffee house, sold the first tea in London. The drink soon became
popular as an alternative to coffee, and by the year 1700, there were over 500 coffee
houses in the British capital selling the new drink. In those days however, it was not
something for anyone; the cost of a pound of tea in the year 1700 (up to 36shillings a
pound) was almost the same as it was in 1985 (average: £1.80 a pound).... but in 1700,
a working man earned one shilling a week, compared to £140 in1985!