Twinings Tea, a history of manipulation and control?
A tea company are masters of political manipulation and social control?
Did Twinings Tea pioneer the sort of corporate lobbying, social manipulation—corruption some might say—we see today?
From a tiny 1706 shop on London’s Strand to a royal-warrant brand, discover how Twinings didn’t just sell tea—it rewired Britain.
This untold story uncovers secret blending, sky-high tea taxes and the 1784 Commutation Act, coffee-house rivalries, the invention of afternoon tea, imperial entanglements (EIC,, plantations), price control via the London Tea Auction, and the psychology that turned a Chinese leaf into Britain’s daily ritual.
See how lobbying, marketing, and mild caffeine dependence helped shape class signals, workday tea breaks, and “Britishness” itself.
