The history of tea in Britain: Google celebrates the cuppa with a Doodle 

Exactly 358 years ago, the first advert for tea in England appeared in a publication describing it simply as a “China Drink.”

A couple of years later, the diarist Samuel Pepys wrote about drinking tea in his diary entry from September 1660. "I did send for a cup of tee, (a China drink) of which I had never had drunk before".

Europeans were reportedly drinking Chinese tea as early as the 16th Century thanks to the maritime exploits of led by Dutch and Portuguese traders.

It was being sold in British coffee shops in the 17th Century but it was mainly the wealthy who enjoyed a nice cuppa as it was still considered expensive. 

By the mid 18th century, however, tea became Britain\'s most popular beverage, replacing ale and gin as the drink of the masses. 

Before long, the East India Company was using fast ships called tea clippers to bring back leaves from India and China. One such ship was the Cutty Sark, which is the only surviving clipper of its kind and can still be visited in Greenwich after being damaged by a fire in 2007.  

Since then, some popular teas are barely recognisable from the leaves that first landed in the UK. From a maple bacon pancake brew to kombucha, a fermented, slightly effervescent black or green tea drink, Britain is experiencing new love affair with tea.

As tea became more readily available, dedicated tea shops began popping up throughout Britain, becoming favourite spots for daytime socialising. While this remains the case, what is actually being consumed is changing all the time. 

Builders\' tea is losing popularity to trendy green, herbal and fruit flavoured varieties. Of course, you can still get a traditional milk and two sugars in the local greasy spoon, but a new breed of café owners have cropped up, selling fine single estate loose-leaf teas served in authentic teaware, carefully paired with dumplings, open sandwiches and cakes, according to their flavour profile. 

Cold-brew tea is also becoming more fashionable. Tea aficionados believe that by adding tea leaves to cold water and refrigerating it, usually overnight, the delicate flavours of tea can be savoured more effectively than by simply adding hot water from the kettle.

Choosing the right tea for a certain occasion can also be important. Aung San Suu Kyi stirred controversy in June when she was criticised by the grandson of former dictator General Ne Win over her choice of tea at a state banquet. Aye Ne Win said serving Lipton tea at the state dinner was a “disgrace”.

It is a debate that has ranged since the leaves first landed in Britain - how to best drink a cuppa. It is estimated that 98% of people take their tea with milk, but only 30 per cent take sugar in tea.

In 2003,  scientists said they had found the secret to the perfect brew -  put the milk in first. The reason is that when milk is exposed to high temperatures, such as being poured into a cup of piping hot tea, its proteins tend to degrade, or "denature", producing a slightly stale taste.

Far from settling the discussion, however, it merely provoked a storm in a teacup. Dr Julia King, head of the Institute of Physics, said the secret was to keep the water temperature at 98ºC. Putting the milk in first was a cultural quirk that "has nothing to do with taste", she said. 

And there\'s the chinaware. As Friday\'s Doodle illustrates, tea cups come in all shapes, colours, and sizes, while some are very particular about the tea pot.

One such expert is architect Philip Miller, who accumulated 2,000 porcelain pots - despite never actually drinking tea himself. The collection, which is the largest from a single owner to ever be sold at auction, is expected to fetch up to £40,000 when it goes under the hammer this month.

It is also claimed that tea has several health benefits. Researchers have found that moderate consumption of tea can reduce your chance of death from a heart attack by at least a fifth. Tea is also a natural source of fluoride that can help protect against tooth decay and gum disease.

In the Netherlands - where school children as young as four are already served tea as a lunch time drink - official health guidelines were released last year encouraging adults to consume regular cups of tea. 

From peppermint to oolong: the health benefits of different teas

The Health Council of the Netherlands, an independent scientific body that advises parliament, noted that three to five cups a day reduce blood pressure, diabetes and stroke risks. 

On the flipside, there are some negative aspects. For example, people should wait a few minutes to allow the drink to cool as a study in 2009 found very hot tea was linked with an eightfold increased risk of cancer of the oesophagus.

Meanwhile, men who drink seven cups of tea are 50 per cent more likely to develop prostate cancer, according to a controversial 2012 study that contradicted previous research about Britain’s national drink. 

Below, our favourite food writers share their recipes for sweet and savoury treats, from Mary Berry\'s unbeatable Victoria sponge to Diana Henry\'s experiment to find the ultimate scone creation.

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This is a favourite recipe for afternoon tea: soft spiced sponge cake with stem ginger and sweet syrup

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