In 166 the first tea chests arrived in Amsterdam, Holland: it was the first cargo of tea to be officially registered at a Western port. The Netherlands, at this time, had control over the trade of rare commodities from the Orient, but the English who, a few years later, founded the East India Company in direct competition with the Dutch company, soon questioned their dominance. The introduction of tea in England took place in a specific way: the coffee houses were at the time very fashionable.