Tea Drinking in 18th Century America: Its Etiquette and Equipage

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.