British Tea: An Imperial Backstory
Stories & History · English · Portrait · 30 sec · whiteboard animation
This stories & history whiteboard animation was made with AutoScribble — the script was written, every scene hand-drawn and the narration recorded automatically in about 10 minutes. You can make one like it from a single sentence.
Transcript
British tea isn't quite as British as it sounds. Its imperial story runs through China and India.
In the nineteenth century, British traders sold opium into China to help pay for tea. Meanwhile, Britain expanded tea production in colonial India, using both Chinese plants and expertise and tea native to Assam.
So the real story isn't British invention. It's trade, empire, and exploitation.