I assume that tea had become much cheaper by 1830, anyway, because William Cobbett http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Cobbett (in his “Rural Rides”) lamented that the English diet had changed from bread and beer to tea and potatoes.

I can’t speak for coffee’s ‘decline’, but I would guess the tea’s connection with Britishness has a large part to play. Which in turn has a lot to do with the East India Company, and lots of the stuff I outline above. But, of course, Seattle was the original home of Starbucks, no? Rum indeed.

But of course in America coffee (the nasty water-y lukewarm and filtered stuff) is the common man’s drink what you ‘ave with your Dunkin’ Donuts by the gallon for breakfast and tea is probably considered an effete upper middle-class pretension.

Wouldn’t venture a guess as to why it worked out that way round though.

Oh, and if I had to put a date on it, I’d say 1780s… it had definitely reduced in price substantially by the end of the c18th.

Bit gutted now that I didn’t talk about tea after the enlightenment, cos it’s clearly really interesting (witness all these points that are being raised) but i got so overexcited…

I wonder if you could make a sensible argument that coffee has rather overtaken tea as a class divider in modern times?

…It’s overpriced (while you can certainly get a ludicrously expensive cup of tea, it feels less justified when Starbucks shove you a cup with the teabag floating limply in some lukewarm water and then charge you two pounds, than it does when you’re getting a mochachocaexpressochino with whipped cream and sparkles);

it can be used to justify some lavish spending (‘I can’t drink instant – I must buy an expresso maker / cappuccino dispenser / imported luxury beans (http://www.monmouthcoffee.co.uk/) / whatever else forthwith!’ (you can tell I don’t drink coffee, can’t you?));

and, finally, its supposed Italian origins facilitate a high level of snobbery and sort of oh-so-cosmopolitan attitude in both the drinker and the advertiser (http://ads.biteus.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/lavazza-billboard_4.jpg).

As opposed to this, you have the near-fabular significance of ‘PG Tips’ as a synonym for cheap tea, and, of course, ‘builders’ tea’, which has now become a recognised phrase (and a recognised way to order tea). I am also, bizarrely, reminded of Adrian Mole wondering why tramps ‘always ask for money for a cup of tea – don’t any of them drink coffee?’ As ridiculous (and funny) as that is, the idea of asking for a cup of tea seems to have acquired a kind of ‘basic comfort’ significance that coffee does not have.

I suspect that coffee’s rise in modern times began in the 80s (but have no idea why I think that), and that tea’s descent to ubiquity was a result, as you say, of pricing structures changing (something the slave trade probably helped…)

Ah, what I meant was, that if ‘civility’ is at its root to do with genteel roman businessmen down the forum, it rather undermines the idea of ‘civility’ as a feminine concept…

….although i agree that it’s often considered that politeness is what is owing to a ‘lady’.

You put in as much sugar as you like. Defy tea snobbery! Personally, I drink Yorkshire Tea.

Ah, so true. Markgraf’s Tea Snobbery is legendary. He is well schooled in the rigours of teattiquette! One of many reasons why we love him.

(I put sugar in jasmine tea LAST WEEK, no one tell him!)

http://www.badreputation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/markgrafteafinal.jpg