Today is a significant day – the first record of a Brit having tea

Something so spectacular, so monumental happened on this day more than 350 years ago that it changed the face of British culture forever.
One man, named Samuel Pepys, tried a cup of tea in the first known record of a Brit indulging in a lovely brew – and we never looked back.

We tasted aerosol tea and it left a lot of people confused as to why it exists
The year was 1660, and Pepys sat down with two companions to have a chat about war and peace (as you do).

In his diary entry on September 25, the historic MP said: ‘And afterwards I did send for a cup of tee (a China drink) of which I never had drank before, and went away.’

OK, he doesn’t sound exactly blown away, but Pepys’ famous diary is the first known mention of the drink by a Brit.

UNSPECIFIED — CIRCA 1754: Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) English diarist and naval administrator. Became Secretary to the Admiralty. Portrait by Godfrey Kneller. (Photo by Universal History Archive/Getty Images)

Samuel Pepys pretty much saved Britain hands down (Picture: Getty Images)
The origin of the ‘China drink’, as he puts it, spans thousands of years and multiple cultures.

The earliest record of people drinking tea is believed to be around the 3rd century in a medical document written by Hua Tuo – an ancient Chinese physician.

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But legend has it tea was discovered by Chinese Emperor Shen Nung in 2737 BCE, after a tea leaf fell into his bowl of hot water and the rest is history.
It became popular in Britain around the 17th century, and it was us that introduced it to India.