In the early nineteenth century, as tea consumption increased, the East India Company looked for new sources of supply. Since the Chinese had a monopoly on tea-growing, the solution was to plant tea elsewhere.

The first experiments with Chinese tea seed were conducted in Assam, North East India. They were not successful, although the same seeds subsequently grew well in Darjeeling, North India.

Then in 1820, botanists discovered some unidentified native trees in Assam. They sent leaf samples to London for analysis. The samples were immediately recognised as tea - a plant previously unknown in India - and the Indian tea industry was born.

The first shipment of Indian tea reached the London market in 1838. Indian tea-growers and their British managers were quick learners, and Indian tea became a great success. Two factors contributed to its popularity: there was no duty on Indian tea; and anyone could ship it back to Britain because the East India Company no longer had a monopoly on trade with India.