In the 18th century tea was only for the upper class and was imported from China
by ship. It was expensive & heavy duty had to be paid for import.
In the 19th century it became available for the common people.
Smugglers first made tea available for the lower classes.
The government lowered taxes on tea import so that everyone could enjoy tea.
Great Britain started to grow tea in India, which became a British colony in 1858.
Good tea harvests in India resulted in lower tea prices, making it affordable for all