Tea culture in Northern Sweden was never a thing. Most tea was imported into Sweden after establishment of Swedish East Indian Company (SOIC) in 1733, but the golden spices did not make its way further up north. Bottniska Handelstvånget [Bothnic Trade Ban] restricted the northern most parts of Sweden to trade goods with anyone abroad or south of Stockholm, so it is unclear how delayed tea culture's arrival was. In an effort to introduce ‘high tea culture’ in the north of Sweden, we decided to invite the citizens of Umeå for a proper afternoon tea. The gathering took place at noon in the middle of a busy street, forcing us to constantly adapt to the cars, bicyclists and pedestrians.
Compiled research on the use of the street, introduction of exotic goods in Sweden, and whether or not tea belongs in a coffe-drinking country.
