President George Washington loved his teatime so much that he ordered a bachelor tea service from China long before he married. Read tea historian Bruce Richardson's account of our first president's tea habits.
The Tea Things of George Washington
5 Facts You Don’t Know About the Boston Tea Party
Boston and British Ships of War Landing Their Troops, 1768 by Paul Revere December 16 marks the anniversary of one of the most iconic events in American history. On that night in 1773, about 150 men disguised their faces and tossed 340 chests of tea from three ships docked in Boston Harbor. The already contentious…
Was Brick Tea Thrown Overboard at the Boston Tea Party?
Was brick tea thrown overboard at the Boston Tea Party? Tea historian Bruce Richardson shreds that myth.
A Broken Teapot Fetches $800,000 at Auction
Gasps, and then applause filled the room as the gavel fell at Woolley & Wallis Auctioneers in the cathedral town of Salisbury last week when an unpretentious teapot—missing its lid and with a broken handle— fetched over $800,000, courtesy of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. Remarkably, the keen-eyed owner paid only $20 for the relic…
Best Afternoon Tea in Boston
Are you looking for the Best Afternoon Tea in Boston? The tea scene here is heating up as hotels are taking advantage of the fact that this city has been associated with tea since that infamous tea party unfolded in Boston Harbor in 1773.My position as Tea Master for the Boston Tea Party Ships &…
The Traditional British Cup of Tea Is Changing
The UK needs to nurture younger tea drinkers.The traditional English cup of tea, once considered a necessary luxury, is undergoing its biggest change since tea was first advertised for sale in London in 1657. British tea consumption has fallen from 2.5 ounces per person per week to less than an ounce. That means Britons are drinking…
Recycling Used Tea Leaves in the 18th Century
Print by T. Rowlandson c.1810 British MuseumTea was an exotic new beverage during the 1700s and there were few directions on how to steep the expensive leaves cultivated on the other side of the globe. There were no tea books and steeping suggestions were not included with your purchase because tea would not come in…
Liberty Teas of Colonial Boston
Colonists rejected King George's tea in favor of local concoctionsAs the tea dust rose above the water of Boston Harbor following the 1773 rebellion, colonists faced a minor dilemma. What would they do to assuage their tea habit that was so ingrained in Boston society? Colonial ladies still had their tea tables, cups, and equipage, but…
Teas Thrown Overboard at The Boston Tea Party
The anniversary of the Boston Tea Party is approaching and I've noticed two recent citations referring to 10,000 pounds of Darjeeling tea being thrown overboard in Boston on the evening of December 16, 1773, and a mention that some of the tea was in brick form. Both references are not true.All the East India Company…