Dengyo Daishi
A Japanese Buddhist monk who spent two years (803–5) in China. He returned to Japan with tea seeds which he planted at his monastery. It is said that he later served the new drink to the Emperor Saga, who ordered tea to be grown more widely.

Devereux Court
The site of Tom's Coffee House, Thomas Twining's original coffee house. Devereux Court was situated just off London's Strand. The location no longer exists, although adjacent buildings eventually became Twinings shop at 216 Strand.

Duchess of Bedford
It is said that Anna, 7th Duchess of Bedford invented afternoon tea sometime during the 1840s. Although her simple pot of tea with a light snack was originally introduced to counteract her hunger pangs, it soon developed into a popular social occasion among the fashionable classes.

Earl Grey (1764–1845)
Charles, 2nd Earl Grey was Prime Minister from 1830 to 1834. He was a great reformer, but best-known for the blend of tea that still bears his name. The blend was a gift from a grateful Chinese mandarin. When his original supply ran out, Earl Grey asked his tea merchants, Twinings, to recreate it for him.

East India Company
A private company that had a monopoly over British trade with the East. The Company was granted its exclusive charter in 1600 by Elizabeth I, and was dissolved in 1858. The East India Company had a profound effect on the history of tea, initially through its control of the Anglo-Chinese tea trade, latterly by introducing tea-production to India.

flavonoids
One of a group of naturally-occurring phenolic compounds, many of which are plant pigments. Flavonoids are found in tea and have antioxidant properties.

fluoride
The ion of fluorine, created when fluorine combines with another element or group of elements. Fluoride protects teeth by becoming incorporated into a mineral called apatite, the major constituent of tooth enamel. Tea is one of the few naturally-occurring sources of fluoride.

flying tea
A frothy, breakfast-time beverage from Malaysia. Flying tea or 'tea terbang' is hot, strong tea with plenty of condensed milk. The mixture is poured back and forth between two jugs from as high as the pourer's arm can reach, until the tea develops a thick, frothy head.

free radicals
Highly reactive atoms or groups of atoms with a spare, unpaired electron. Free radicals cause damage to human cells, but their activity can be neutralised by antioxidants.

Garraways
A London coffee house owned by Thomas Garway from which tea was sold in 1660.

Garway, Thomas
An early dealer in tea, based in London. In 1658, he advertised tea at a London coffee house known as the Sultaness Head. Two years later, he was selling tea at his own coffee house, Garraways.