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In the seventeenth century, the journey between India and Britain took between 12 and 15 months. Transport costs and massive taxes meant that in those days, tea could only be afforded by rich people. Then, later in the eighteenth century, the taxes were reduced, and it became more available to ordinary people, Then when the Suez Canal opened in 1869, the journey became much shorter, and shipments could arrive in Britain within three months.