American tea culture facts for kids
American tea culture is all about how people in the United States prepare and enjoy tea. While many places might offer coffee by default, hot tea is always available if you ask for it. Tea parties are fun events for all kinds of gatherings, from small get-togethers to big family celebrations.
In the southern parts of the U.S., a special drink called sweet tea is very popular. It's brewed, sweetened, and chilled before serving. People often drink it with meals or throughout the day. About 85% of the tea drunk in the U.S. is served cold, or iced. Iced tea is more common in warm weather, and hot tea is popular when it's cold. If you're not sure, just ask for "hot tea" or "iced tea"! Fancy afternoon tea, like a meal, is rare. It's usually only for special events or at nice hotels.
Contents
History of Tea in America
Tea has been a part of American history for a long time. It was a drink enjoyed by everyone, no matter their social class. In the old Dutch colony of New Amsterdam (now New York), tea was served with beautiful silver and porcelain. Tea parties were common for all. In some places, like Salem, Massachusetts, people even boiled tea leaves and ate them as a side dish with butter! By the time of the American Revolution, tea was popular everywhere.
Tea and the American Revolution
Things changed for tea when the British government added taxes to it in 1767. These taxes made tea more expensive for Americans. Even though cheaper, smuggled tea was still available, the British later passed the Tea Act in 1773. This law allowed a big British company, the East India Company, to sell tea very cheaply in America. They wanted to make sure Americans still bought British tea and paid the taxes.
However, Americans were angry about being taxed without having a say in the government. This anger led to the famous Boston Tea Party. During this event, colonists dumped British tea into the Boston Harbor. Other protests against tea shipments also happened. Because of this, drinking tea became a sign of being unpatriotic. Many Americans started to boycott tea. Instead, they began drinking other things like coffee or herbal teas made from plants like peppermint or dandelion.
Tea's Comeback
After these historical events, tea continued to be a part of American life. The market for special teas in America grew a lot between 1993 and 2008. Many new tea shops and stores selling unique teas opened up during this time.
Iced Tea is a Favorite
Iced tea is usually made from tea bags. You can also find powdered "instant iced tea mix" in stores. This is made by drying out brewed tea. You can buy iced tea in cans or bottles, just like soda. These pre-made teas are often sweetened with corn syrup and might have flavors like lemon or raspberry.
In restaurants, iced tea is usually served without sugar. But in the southeastern U.S., "iced tea" often means "sweet tea" unless you ask for it unsweetened. It can be hard to dissolve sugar in cold iced tea, so sweet tea is often made with sugar added while the tea is still hot. Some restaurants even serve iced tea with fruit flavors, like passion fruit.
Iced tea is so popular that there's a special spoon for it! An iced tea spoon is like a regular teaspoon but has a long handle. This helps you stir sugar into the tall glasses used for iced tea.
The Invention of Tea Bags
Tea bags were invented in 1908 by Thomas Sullivan, a tea importer from New York. He accidentally created them when he sent tea samples to his customers in small silk bags to save money. His customers thought they were supposed to brew the tea right in the bags!
They liked how easy it was to use the bags. Sullivan didn't realize his mistake until customers complained that their regular orders didn't come in the small bags. Since silk was too expensive to throw away, he then made tea bags out of gauze. Later, tea bags made from paper fiber were invented in America.
Today, most tea sold in the U.S. comes in bags. However, you can still find loose leaf teas and ready-to-drink iced teas.
Instant Tea
In 1946, Nestle USA introduced the first instant tea, Nestea. Instant teas are made by brewing black tea and then drying it into a powder. This powder can be mixed with water to make tea quickly. While instant tea was popular for a while, many Americans now prefer to make iced tea from tea bags or drink ready-to-drink bottled teas.
A Comeback for Fine Teas
For a long time, special teas like yellow tea and white tea were hard to find in the U.S. Even green tea was uncommon because of a ban on exports from China. When trade between China and the U.S. started again in 1971, these teas became available in America once more.
In the early 1980s, people in the U.S. started wanting better quality teas from all over the world. Before this, much of the tea in America was mixed to be used in large iced tea bags. These teas were chosen because they wouldn't get cloudy when cooled down. Even though cloudy tea is just as good, clear iced teas looked better to customers.
Now, there's a growing demand for high-quality black teas, both in tea bags and as loose leaf tea. This has led tea makers to go back to older, better ways of making tea.
Different Kinds of Teas
Today, many different kinds of black teas are popular in the U.S. Also, exotic teas from Africa, Asia, and South America are becoming more common. Americans are usually open to trying new types of drinks, so teas from all over the world are enjoyed here.
Decaffeinated tea is also widely available. This is for people who want to drink tea but want less caffeine. Decaf tea is usually more expensive and can have less flavor than regular tea. However, for those who are sensitive to caffeine, decaf tea is a great option.
U.S. Regional Tea Traditions
Sweet Tea
Sweet tea is a very popular drink in the southeastern United States. It's made by adding sugar (or corn syrup) to hot tea, then cooling it with ice. In these states, if someone says "tea," they usually mean sweetened iced tea. If you want it without sugar, you'd ask for "unsweet tea." Sweet tea is so common with meals in the South that it's sometimes called the "table wine of the South." It's made by brewing strong tea, adding a lot of sugar while it's hot, and then diluting it. It's served over ice, often with a slice of lemon.
In the northern and western parts of the U.S., "tea" usually means the hot drink. Iced tea is always called "iced tea."
Sun Tea
Sun tea is made by putting tea and room-temperature water in a glass jar and leaving it outside in direct sunlight. It takes a long time to brew, usually two to four hours. You can also make tea without any heat by just putting tea bags in room-temperature water overnight. However, it's important to be careful with sun tea. Because it brews at warmer temperatures, bacteria can grow. The Centers for Disease Control suggests keeping sun-brewed tea in the refrigerator and throwing it away after 24 hours.
Alcoholic "Tea" Drinks
Some alcoholic drinks have "tea" in their name but don't actually contain tea. For example, the Long Island Iced Tea is an alcoholic cocktail that just looks like iced tea. There's also a drink called a John Daly, which mixes iced tea with vodka. It's based on the Arnold Palmer, which is half iced tea and half lemonade.
Images for kids
-
An advertisement from 1856 for a tea and coffee warehouse in Boston.
-
Inside the Oriental Tea Company store in Boston during the 1800s.
-
An advertisement from 1897 for Chase & Sanborn, a company that sold imported tea.
-
Sylvia Sweets Tea Room in Brockton, Massachusetts, 1940–41.
_(LOC).jpg)
