Cartage March 05 2017

In the 17th century, the journey between India and Britain took about 12 to 15 months. Transportation costs and extremely high taxes made tea such an expensive product that only rich people could afford to drink it. However, later in the 18th century, taxes were reduced, and the the Suez Canal opened in 1869, reducing the journey to about three months thus making it much more affordable to the masses.