English people are well known for plenty of tea that they drink. Per person in the UK consumes (消费) around 1.9 kg of tea every year. Tea is drunk by all sections (阶层) of society.
But tea is not native to Britain. Most of the tea is grown in India and China. Tea first arrived in London in the 1600s. At this time, British ships were exploring the world and came across the drink in China. It was not long before green tea was available to buy. However, this was only available to the rich.
At the beginning of the 1700s, the amount of tea arriving in Britain increased slowly. Black tea arrived at this time. At first people drank this tea exactly as it was in China. They soon discovered that it mixed really well with a little milk and sugar, giving the drink a special British characteristic.
In the 1800s tea was still a product enjoyed only by people with money. At this time they began to have "afternoon tea". This includes drinking tea with a snack around 4 p. m. to avoid feeling hungry. It is a tradition that is still going today but has become less popular in recent times.
In the late 1800s, the price of tea dropped a lot as more tea began to arrive on ships from India and China. It was no longer a drink just for rich people. Tearooms-shops where you could buy and drink tea-started to appear across the country. People enjoyed drinking tea and social activities in these places. At the start of the 20th century, Englishmen began to make tea in their homes whenever they felt like it. Kettles (烧水壶) became necessary in every kitchen.
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