Course:HIST104/Tetley Chai Tea
Tetley Chai Tea
Tetley is a company that distributes under the Tata Tea Group label worldwide with numerous products, including Chai tea.
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Tetley Company Logo -
Tetley Chai Tea (Round Tea Bags)
Tetley Tea Group
The two brothers Joseph and Edward Tetley began peddling salt from the back of a
pack horse in Yorkshire in 1822[1]. Eventually the two brothers added tea to their supplies,
and went on to establish their own registered company in 1837, naming it „Joseph Tetley &
Co.“[2]. The brothers moved the company to London in 1856, which by then had a reputation of
being ‘the world’s tea trade capital’. The brothers decided to only focus on the supply of tea,
and the company continued to do so, even after the two brothers parted company and „Joseph
Tetley & Co.“ was renamed to “Joseph Tetley & Co., Wholesale Tea Dealers”[3].
With the increasing profits from the tea industry, made easy by the British colonies,
Tetley & Company steadily grew. In the 1880’s they began to sell tea to the United States of
America. Joseph Tetley Junior took over the company after the death of his father in 1889,
and decided to expand the brand in North America with the help of American agents to help
distribute Tetley Tea in United States[4].
In 1908, Thomas Sullivan accidentally invented tea bags, when he used silk bags for
sending out sample tea instead of the more expensive tins[5]. The recipients were convinced
that they were supposed to brew the tea by leaving it in the little silk bags and placing them in
their cups. Tetley Tea was one of the forerunners in the tea bag business, and despite the sales
of tea bags only made up about 5% of sales by the 1930’s, Tetley Tea continued to advertise
and promote tea bags[6]. While the tea bag was gaining prominence in North America, it
was not yet well spread in other parts of the world. In Europe World War 2 affected the tea
industry, as Japan was temporarily interrupting trade routes at sea, and the world was struck
by hyperinflation and economic struggles after the war. In 1953, Tetley Tea launched the
Tetley Tea Bag in Britain, where it turned into an instant success, making Tetley one of the
most successful tea bag sellers in the world[7].
Tata Tea Group Take-Over
In 2000, the UK based Tetley Group was acquired by Tata Tea Limited, an Indian
company that is part of the Tata group[8]. With the acquisition of the world’s second largest tea
company Tetley (market leader in the tea industry in Canada and Britain), Tata Tea Limited
(now Tata Global Beverages Ltd.) emerged to a global player in the tea industry[9]. Not only
was the Tetley Group takeover by Tata Tea the largest takeover of a foreign company by an
Indian company (more than $410 million), but was celebrated as an important historically
event, which stood for Indian self-governance and as ‘a final stand’ against the once
overwhelming British colonial presence in India[10].
Today: Tetley/Tata
Today the chai produced by Tetley is as multinational as the company it belongs to. Tata Tea owns more than 39,000 acres of land in North and South India, which is exclusively used for growing tea[11]. Furthermore it owns land in India to grow different spices for their chai, such as black pepper, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and other spice powders. Even though Tata also grows tea and spices in other countries around the world, like China, Indonesia, Sri Lanka or Kenya, it tries to promote authentic chai from India using high quality spices and tea grown and cultivated in India[12].
Masala Chai Tea
Masala Chai directly translates to Spiced tea (Masala = spice, Chai = tea). Therefore, any tea containing a mixture of spices can be directly considered a Masala Chai. Today, this is just the traditional version of the Chai tea we now know in North America. Masala Chai tea originates in India where it is often the beverage of choice being served on vendor carts.
Common Masala Chai Spices:
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is native to Sri Lanka, however has a long history that dates back almost 5,000 years[13]. The spice was both mentioned in the Sanskrit as well as the Bible, and was both popular in ancient China and ancient Egypt[14]. It was introduced to Rome by traders in the first century AD, but after the fall of the Roman Empire the flow of cinnamon to Europe was stagnant. During the era of exploration in the 15th and 16th century, cinnamon emerged as the most sought-after spice in the world[15]. Today it is mainly grown in China, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Burma.
Cloves
Cloves are native to the Moluccas Spice Islands in South East Asia and spread via traders and explorers throughout the world. Today they are mainly grown in Indonesia, Madagascar, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Grenada and Malaysia[16]. Arab traders brought them to the Arab world and Europe, however it is said to have been already popular in China during the Han Dynasty. Venetian traders brought the spices to Europe in the 8th century and in the mid 1600’s, the Dutch controlled the cloves trading and occupied the Spices Islands[17].
Cardamom
Cardamom originates in India and Sri Lanka, however different varieties of this spice were also grown in West Africa early on[18]. It was popular as a spice in Europe during the Middle Ages and Rennaissance, however it had been very popular amongst the Arab world before, who used the spice in their coffee[19]. Today the spice is cultivate in India, Sri Lanka, Guatemala and Mexico. Africa is the biggest producer of Cardamom after India today[20].
Ginger
Ginger originates in Southern China and was used by the Chinese more than 3,000 years ago[21]. From there it spread to the Spice Islands before Phoenician traders brought it to West Africa, as early as the second century[22]. The Phoenicians recognised its potential to cure stomach ills. In ancient times Romans were not only interested in Chinese silk, but also their ginger[23]. It continued to spread to West Africa and the Caribbean’s[24]. Today it is cultivated all over the world including the United States, India, China, Indonesia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone,Jamaica and the West Indies[25].
Misc. Spices
Other spices often used in chai are black pepper, fennel, nutmeg, liquorice root, saffron, star
anise, vanilla and allspice.
Chai Tea
Although there are many variations of Chai tea from culture to culture, and region to region, chai typically is made of black tea - such as Assam or Darjeeling, with milk, sweetener (such as sugar or honey) and spices. These spices are typically chinese star anise, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, fennel and ginger [26]
Chai tea is primarily consumed nationally for its unique flavor and taste in modern day, but the spices that make up the tea have long been used in Eastern Medicine[27]. It is often thought of as a great and natural anti-oxidant, stress reliever, mood elevator, immune and circulatory system stimulant and breath freshener[28].
Chai tea is found in numerous forms such as instant powder, tea bags, and pre-packaged spice blends among many other forms.
Tetley Chai Tea
Tetley as a company took the basic Masala Chai from its Indian roots, and made it their own. Tetley Chai Tea can contain upwards of 30 differents spices[29]. Tetley Chai Tea predominantly features a blend of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, star anise and cloves[30].
Popularity of Chai in North America
Chai tea is gaining popularity in North America, and in 2009 Chai drinks made up 23% of all purchases in both retail outlets and restaurants[31]. Chai arrived in North America in the 1940’s, and was served in Indian restaurants, and didn’t become widely available until the 1960’s and 1970’s[32]. The main reason for the gaining popularity of Chai amongst North Americans (on the West Coast) was mainly attributed to the increasing popularity of yoga and the interest in Asian religions, especially Buddhism[33]. With the boom of tea and coffee shops, but also local cafes and gourmet cafes, chai gained in popularity by being added on the menus[34]. By 1995 chai had reached gourmet cafes, local cafes, as well as tea and coffee shops in Baltimore, Boston, New York and Washington D.C.[35]. Starbucks however set the next milestone in 1995, by adding hot and iced chai to its menus, as well as began to sell chai products in the form of teabags[36].
Different Culture, Different Chai
Traditional chai is made of Black teas, milk, sugar, honey and various spices, however
depending on what region, culture or even household you are in in India the recipe will vary
to fit taste.
American (and Western) chai in general differ very much from the original masala chai. Chai
is very much open for interpretation, since chai is just another word for tea in many different
Indian languages, however the chai in the Western world, especially in America has been
altered to such an extend that it is difficult to recognize it as a traditional chai[37]. Usually the
chai offered in North America are less spicy, but instead more sweet, or have fruit aromas
added in order to make it more refreshing and ‘exotic’[38]. Now there exists all sorts of chai for
the American palate such as Chocolate chai or Vanilla chai, which can only be explained as
different cultures adopting and altering other cultural products to fit their very own taste and
cultural habits. For the Western consumer this is evident in the sweeter, creamier and often
fruitier forms of chai, as well as the phenomenon of iced chai, as opposed to the traditional
more spiced, hot masala chai from India[39].
Chai: Bringing People Together
Throughout the colonial period of British domination of India, the British rulers and
administrators often used a policy known as ‘divide and rule’[40]. Many give the involvement
of the British in India part responsibility for the rise of communalism and the worsening
attitudes towards different religious groups – mainly Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims[41]. Tea vans
for example often served the Hindus from one window, whereas the window on the other side
would serve Muslims[42]. This was most evident during First World War, when the British was
gathering troops from India.
Tea or chai in particular however encouraged intercaste and community socializing, and worked as a bridge between people from different cultural and religious backgrounds[43]. Public teashops were meeting points, where different people would enjoy chai together, despite their different social standings in the caste hierarchy. The chai and the tea shops were seen in places where it was possible to form intercaste as well as intercommunal friendship, without affecting their social or traditional standing in the village[44]. The teashops acted as a cultural and social contact zone between people of different social standings as well as religious or even more defined cultural differences could take place. The consumption of chai then encouraged dialogue and the building of friendships between many people.
References
1 “Brewing the Perfect Cup of Herbal Tea."
http://neholistic.com/articles/0004.htm
2 “Brewing the Perfect Cup of Herbal Tea."
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4 "About Us: Tetley Tea History."
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8 Augustine, Amanda. "Tata Tea Limited." Evaluation and Analysis of U.S. Acquisitions
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?
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.
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33 Damaghi, Dahlia. "The Changing World of Chai." Tea & Coffee Trade Journal, http://www.teaandcoffee.net/0902/special.htm
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35 Collingham, E. M.. "Chai: The Great Tea Campaign." In Curry: a tale of cooks and conquerors.
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36 Collingham, 201.
37 Collingham, 201.
38 Collingham, 202.
39 Collingham, 201.
40 http://chaitea.net/
41 http://chaitea.net/masala-chai-a-vocabulary-lesson-in-chai/
42
http://www.tetley.ca/English/AboutTea/Facts.cfm
43
http://www.tetley.ca/English/TetleyTeas/Products.cfm
44 re: 40 - http://www.chaitea.net/
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