Tea’s presence in Colonial America
Tea trade to the Americas was first brought about by European colonization, and the trade soon spread to hold an important role for North Americans, as British citizens and then as a nation in their own right. The story of tea, specifically in America, but also viewed in a world context, can be traced through price records in the colonies. One of the earliest known records of tea comes from 1711, in an advertisement for “Fine Green and Ordinary Tea” alongside many other rare goods and remedies in a Boston Apothecary's shop.
By 1720, one pound of “Very Good Bohea Tea,” a variety from London, costs 26 shillings, worth about 26 bushels of corn. At the same time in Asia, cups of tea could be sold on the street for a penny, if that; value is added from trading costs to Britain and then across the Atlantic. Just 15 years later, many more listings are offered, from a minimum 8 shillings for “ordinary” tea, a price that more than doubles for the most expensive Hyrion tea. The price continues to fall in the next decades, then remains steady around the worth of 1-2 bushels of corn per pound of tea, then continues to fall slightly. The worth of tea is not affected significantly during the revolution any more than other goods, but tea culture does change.
The argument against the drinking of tea reaches a peak in the prelude the the revolution; primary source newspaper editorials from the time boldly profess that, while “in the hand of tyrants,” tea is a source of oppression, and further, tea is not healthy for the body, the economy, or even for society. One author writes that those who give up tea are the best citizens and patriots, “persons of the best character in general,” while those who drink tea are loyal only to Britain. Still, however, tea was an important and cherished part of the lives of middle class to wealthy families, who still retained much of British culture and roots.
Tea in the United States
Once independent, tea remained moderately expensive. One pound of tea in 1922 cost from $0.30 to $1.30 per pound, about the price of the same amount of gunpowder. European varieties continue to be less expensive than Asian, especially because very high duties, sometimes doubling the price of Chinese teas; British and Norwegian varieties have special arrangements that keeps taxes down. Around the time of the Civil War, tea costs three times the price of coffee and five times that of sugar. Demand continues to be “fair” throughout the 19th century, offering oolong, souchong, hyson, imperial, gunpowder, and the least expensive Japanese teas. The importance overall of tea as a commodity, not simply a grocery item, grew until 1900. Tea only remained highly valuable, however, until the mid 1700s, demonstrating the effect of industrialization and trade on the worldliness of commodities in the making of the modern world.
Tea trade to the Americas was first brought about by European colonization, and the trade soon spread to hold an important role for North Americans, as British citizens and then as a nation in their own right. The story of tea, specifically in America, but also viewed in a world context, can be traced through price records in the colonies. One of the earliest known records of tea comes from 1711, in an advertisement for “Fine Green and Ordinary Tea” alongside many other rare goods and remedies in a Boston Apothecary's shop.
By 1720, one pound of “Very Good Bohea Tea,” a variety from London, costs 26 shillings, worth about 26 bushels of corn. At the same time in Asia, cups of tea could be sold on the street for a penny, if that; value is added from trading costs to Britain and then across the Atlantic. Just 15 years later, many more listings are offered, from a minimum 8 shillings for “ordinary” tea, a price that more than doubles for the most expensive Hyrion tea. The price continues to fall in the next decades, then remains steady around the worth of 1-2 bushels of corn per pound of tea, then continues to fall slightly. The worth of tea is not affected significantly during the revolution any more than other goods, but tea culture does change.
The argument against the drinking of tea reaches a peak in the prelude the the revolution; primary source newspaper editorials from the time boldly profess that, while “in the hand of tyrants,” tea is a source of oppression, and further, tea is not healthy for the body, the economy, or even for society. One author writes that those who give up tea are the best citizens and patriots, “persons of the best character in general,” while those who drink tea are loyal only to Britain. Still, however, tea was an important and cherished part of the lives of middle class to wealthy families, who still retained much of British culture and roots.
Tea in the United States
Once independent, tea remained moderately expensive. One pound of tea in 1922 cost from $0.30 to $1.30 per pound, about the price of the same amount of gunpowder. European varieties continue to be less expensive than Asian, especially because very high duties, sometimes doubling the price of Chinese teas; British and Norwegian varieties have special arrangements that keeps taxes down. Around the time of the Civil War, tea costs three times the price of coffee and five times that of sugar. Demand continues to be “fair” throughout the 19th century, offering oolong, souchong, hyson, imperial, gunpowder, and the least expensive Japanese teas. The importance overall of tea as a commodity, not simply a grocery item, grew until 1900. Tea only remained highly valuable, however, until the mid 1700s, demonstrating the effect of industrialization and trade on the worldliness of commodities in the making of the modern world.