Are you sure? I thought the English brought tea to India after stealing it from China in the 19th Century.[1]
Was there another source in India which the Portuguese had earlier access to? My initial cursory investigation via Wikipedia seems to indicate China as the initial source.[2] I'd be really interested, from an historical point of view, if this wasn't the case.
Charles II, after losing the Battle of Worcester, fled to Europe where he stayed for nine years [1][2]. There he discovered tea. He also discovered Catherine of Braganza, a tea drinker (like most of the Portuguese nobility) whom he married [3].
In 1660 the British monarchy was restored. Charles and Catherine then introduced the custom of tea drinking to the British court.
The demand for tea amongst the English aristocracy predated production in India.
The main impetus for the English to grow tea in India, was that it was costing too much to buy from the single monopolistic source, China. Basically, the Honourable Company was trading opium for tea. More money could be made, meeting English demand for tea, by producing it on Company controlled land.
The question is, where did Catherine of Braganza source her tea from? India, as suggested by the grandparent comment, or China.
In 1660 the British monarchy was restored. Charles and Catherine then introduced the custom of tea drinking to the British court.
[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_II_of_England
[2] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_II_of_England
[3] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_of_Braganza