How did the tea trade start between Chinese and British ?

(i) In the late 18th century, the English East India Company was buying tea
and silk from China for sale in England.
(ii) As tea became a popular English drink, the tea trade became more and
more important.
(iii) In 1785, about 15 million pounds of tea was being imported into
England.
(iv) By 1830, the figure had jumped over 30 million pounds.
(v) In fact, the profits of the East India Company began to depend on the
tea trade.