Tea Blog

There are some tea merchants who pride themselves on sourcing directly from growers, eliminating intermediaries. In many cases, however, tea still passes through one or more middlemen before reaching retailers and ultimately consumers.

This has long been a common practice within the tea industry, as illustrated by historical documents that have survived through digitization.

One such example is the 1785 publication A Narrative of the Conduct of the Tea-Dealers, During the Late Sale of Teas at the India House, attributed to the Committee of Tea-Dealers.

You can explore

this digitized edition of the historical document detailing disputes within the tea trade
.
[Ed.: also available as a modern print edition via

this listing for a reprinted version of the 18th-century tea trade account
.]

Before diving in, be aware that the text is not exactly light reading. Like many historical works, it is dense in both language and structure, and likely to be more valuable for its historical insights than for entertainment.

Although relatively brief—running to around thirty pages—the document is written in complex and formal prose that can be challenging for modern readers.

From what can be discerned, it outlines a dispute between directors of the East India Company and a group of tea dealers. Key points of contention included communication issues and pricing—two concerns that remain relevant in modern supply chains.

The East India Company referenced here is the same organization involved in earlier conflicts with American colonists, most notably the events leading up to the Boston Tea Party.

Interestingly, one of the few tea dealers named in the document is a figure still recognizable today. A descendant of Thomas Twining, founder of Twinings of London, the “Mr. Twining” mentioned appears to have already been a notable participant in the tea trade of the late 18th century.

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