Tea trade led directly to the Opium Wars with China.

Evidence

But a loving, tranquil cup of tea has a violent hinterland. When all tea came into Europe from China, the British East India Company traded opium for silver and used that silver to buy tea. The trade was so important that it brought the two countries to war. The first of the conflicts, which we still refer to as the Opium Wars – they were in fact just as much about tea – broke out more or less as our teapot was leaving the Wedgwood factory. — Neil MacGregor, A History of the World in 100 Objects, 1410

Categorization

• XREF: Interesting link to the social implications of trade and conflict. — connects to: Britain’s opium trade monetized addiction and monopsony to reverse its China trade deficit — Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection: How Data Is…, 347
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Neil MacGregor, A History of the World in 100 Objects, 1410