Tea Drinking in 18th Century America

The American Tea culture is a part of the history of the United States, as tea appealed to most classes and adapted itself to the pre-colonial era. In the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, now known as New York, tea was served with the best silver strainers, the finest porcelain cups and pots, and wooden tea caddies. Beautiful tea equipage (tea pots, tea cups, silver tongs, serving dishes) were a perceived necessity as were proper tea etiquette. Tea became a very popular drink throughout the colonies, and tea ceremonies were especially common to the upper and middle classes. By the time of the Revolutionary War, tea was drunk by all classes of society and became a core of tea’s social history. Rodris Roth, provides an overview of tea etiquette and tea equipage. Jennifer Petersen has annotated the original work with additions of graphic explanatory photos.

Jennifer Petersen, Specialty Tea Institute Tea Mentor(R) is a professional tea educator, author and marketing mastermind coach. Jennifer is a tea enthusiast with over 20 years as a master tea blender, retail/wholesale business, and tea restaurant & gift shop owner. She is the owner and director of Tea Business School. Her business, tea, and etiquette and protocol classes have been featured in The Columbian, The Oregonian, Vancouver Business Journal, NPR, OPB and several trade books. Ms. Petersen is a Certified Tea Specialist recommended by the Specialty Tea Institute. She served more than ten years on the STI Advisory Board and chaired the 2005 STI Tea Symposium in Seattle, Washington. She is co-chair of the STI Education Committee and served on the marketing committee. She is a member of the Specialty Tea Institute, National Restaurant Association, Specialty Coffee Association of America, Mid Atlantic Tea Business Association, Hawaii Tea Society, and Washington Women Entrepreneurs Organization - networking with other food and beverage professionals.