What type of tea was tossed into the sea?

On Dec. 16, 1773, a group of American colonists climbed aboard three ships laden with British tea and threw it into Boston Harbor, destroying close to 300 chests valued at around 10,000 British pounds.

This deliberate act of non-peaceful protest was initially know as the “Destruction of the Tea.” By the mid-19th Century, historians had relabeled it the “Boston Tea Party,” one of the earliest and most important uprisings in our nation’s history.

This attack was a statement to the British Parliament on a number of issues, including taxation without parliamentary representation (which the newly applied Tea Tax was an example of), the British undercutting of tea prices set by Colonial and Dutch merchants and, eventually, a rejection of British tea culture.

However, there is seldom a discussion of the actual teas involved in the Boston Tea Party. The teas thrown in the harbor common to the Colonial-era tea drinker, were:

Lapsang souchong:

This is the same kind

On Dec. 16, 1773, a group of American colonists climbed aboard three ships laden with British tea and threw it into Boston Harbor, destroying close to 300 chests valued at around 10,000 British pounds.

of tea that is widely available now. It is a particularly strong and smoky version, but quite smooth. It is difficult to attest to its accuracy as, although the tea may be the same, the changes in the materials

used to smoke it may be quite different. About 10 chests of this tea were destroyed in the Boston Tea Party.

Bohea:

This was the everyday tea of the

Colonials, as well as the British. It was the most widely imported and sold and the cheapest. This tea was usually served with milk or cream and sugar, and I can understand why. This is not a delicate or sweet tea. It’s quite intense and bitter and one of the least pleasant cups of tea I’ve ever had. I can’t imagine drinking it regularly without plenty of milk and/or sugar. Sales of sugar would often increased along with sales of Bohea tea, which is not a surprise. At least 240 chests were destroyed.

This is a green tea named after Philip Hyson. It’s a high-quality tea with a light, sweet flavor. This was an expensive and special tea and the Tea Tax was actually highest on Hyson than on other teas. About 15 chests were destroyed.

Young Hyson: Congou:

All of these originated in China, but this tea had a long and respected history there before being shipped to Europe and the Colonies. It’s a high-end black tea and it tastes like it, with a smooth and rich flavor. It will remind you of a

good Keemun with it’s mellow depth of flavor. About 15 chests were destroyed.

This is a pan-fired and cheaper green tea. Like Bohea, you can taste the lower price and quality. It’s harsh and slightly bitter compared to Young Hyson, it would also benefit from milk and sugar, which is usual for a green tea. About 60 chests were destroyed.

After the Boston Tea Party, other attacks on tea ships were carried out in 1773 and 1774. Tea and its taxation became symbols of British oppression, to be destroyed by any means required. On Jan. 20, 1774, the Virginia Gazette published the poem, “A Lady’s Adieu to her TEA-TABLE.” The last part shows the anti-tea sentiment growing at the time:

No more shall I dish out the once lov’d Liquor, Though now detestable,

Because I’m taught (and I believe it true)

Its Use will soften slavish Chains upon my Country,

Singlo:

COCONUT-POPCORN CRUNCH PIE