In sweltering Tucson, where the Maya clan has planted their stakes, we are feeling every excruciating second of summer. The average high temperature during the past week was a staggering 106°, and amidst sweaty brows and steaming asphalt we don’t even want to talk about hot tea anymore.

And so Manish doesn’t—in episode four of “Steeping Around,” he turns his attention to iced tea, introducing the first of a frosty four part series. We’re keeping the temperatures a little cooler over the next few episodes, examining every aspect of iced tea: its history, varieties, brewing, serving, and spicing.

“The history of iced tea is actually relatively short,” Manish begins. “Hot tea has been around for several thousand years; the Chinese have been making hot tea for a very, very long time.  But the popularity of iced tea really mirrors the availability of, well, ice.” The first notable mention of iced tea comes from cookbooks published in the mid 1800’s. Many recipes, called “Tea Punch,” featured chilled green tea amongst a few splashes of liquor. These cocktails likely packed the punch that they promised, and grew increasingly popular during and shortly following the time of US prohibition.

While housewives were chilling tea for nearly a century prior, the invention of iced tea is often mistakenly accredited to a man named Richard Blechynden who served it to the masses at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. According to the story, Blechynden’s free samples of hot Indian tea were a massive failure, as St. Louis was experiencing a summer much like the one that now plagues Tucson. In a fleeting attempt to reach the passersby of his booth, he tried something new: he ran the hot tea through frozen metal pipes, thus chilling it. By day’s end, he had served his final lingering samples of tea to a very cool and content crowd. “That golden brew was very much appreciated… and that’s the moment at which we notice iced tea’s popularity really take off.”

It’s popularity has continued to grow exponentially, particularly since the introduction of refrigerators to the average household. Today, over 85% of tea consumed within the US is iced. This includes bottled and packaged iced teas, available in most grocery and convenience stores. The large variety of shelf-ready teas vary greatly in quality and taste, and Manish offers his suggestions for those listeners looking for a more authentic product: most bottled teas use poor quality leaves and are very highly sugared, but two brands, HonestTea and ItoEn, are worth a second look. Brands such as these, which offer little or no sweetening and specify the variety of tea leaf used, like darjeelings or senchas, offer great promise.

In addition to the bottled and powdered iced teas, much of the tea consumed in this country is sipped at restaurants and is often a simple, unsweetened variety of iced tea. Certain regions however stand firm in their variations; in the South, for instance, you would be hard pressed to find a glass of iced tea that hadn’t been heavily sweetened. Southerners so love their “sweet tea” that on April Fool’s Day in 2003, the Georgia state legislature passed a tongue-in-cheek bill that made it a misdemeanor to fail to offer sweet tea in any restaurant.  Other variations on iced tea have begun to dot the surface of consumption as well, as coffeehouses are beginning to stretch into new markets and develop specialty menu offerings. It is not uncommon to find delicate varieties of jasmine teas, oolongs, and fine grade green teas adorning the average hanging chalkboard. “This is a trend that I hope will continue,” Manish muses.

Nevertheless, we shouldn’t depend on coffeehouses, restaurants, or bottling plants to give us the chilly strength needed to drift through our summer days. Next week, Manish will unveil the tricks of making an exceptional cup of iced tea from home. Avoid the furnace of your car, the blistering walk across a parking lot, and the dizzying line in front of the hot coffee counter—rejuvenation awaits you, in your refrigerator.

Until then, stay cool! To listen to this week’s episode, click here.

In his second episode, Manish emphasized the importance of water quality and proper portioning of water to tea leaves. This week, it’s all about “turning up the heat!” Manish focuses his tips on actual brewing techniques: heating water, required temperatures, and suggested steep times. And here’s where the so-called snobbery begins to peek out—microwaves are highly frowned upon as a method of heating your water.

For starters, it is very difficult to control the temperature of water heated in a microwave. Due to their unique heating process, it is very easy for water to quickly reach a temperature far too hot for tea. If, however, you do manage to get a cup of water to reach the right temperature, you are faced with another problem: once a cup is removed from the microwave, the temperature lowers at a rate significantly faster than that of water boiled stovetop. That’s not all—high levels of oxygen escape from microwaved water, leaving the resulting liquid a bit flat-tasting. It can also be unsafe…

We could go on and on.

On the contrary, heating your water over a stovetop is both easy and effective. For those of you who are beginning already to sputter about convenience, remember this: heating an equivalent amount of water over a stove takes only a few minutes longer than in a microwave. Those few minutes, in turn, add unique ceremonial value to your tea-making process. Amidst the hustle-bustle of day to day life, Manish advises his listeners: “We want you to enjoy your cup of tea. Enjoy the ceremony. Slow your day down a bit. Go ahead and heat your water… Give yourself a little time to tend to the water that will create that great cup of tea for you.”

And now, the nitty-gritty: different varieties of tea require different water temperatures and steep times to produce an optimal cup. For simplification, Manish divides tea varieties into five main categories: herbals, black teas, oolong teas, green teas, and white teas. As we go down the list, in this order, the temperature and steep time decrease.

For herbal varieties, which I will briefly mention are not in fact tea (but we will go into that later), you should use boiling hot water. Once the water has reached a rolling boil, remove it from heat and add your leaves. Allow them to steep for three to six minutes, depending on your strength preferences. Black teas should be prepared in the same manner. Oolongs should be brewed with bubbling water, not quite at boiling point. This usually occurs from 180-190°F. Allow the leaves to steep for two to three minutes. For green teas, heat your water to about 170-180°. You will see small bubbles starting to rise, one by one, on the sides of your pan. Steep for one to two minutes. Finally, for white teas, which are very delicate and should in turn be brewed delicately, use water that is only steaming. This will occur at about 150-160°, and you will begin to see small bubbles forming on the sides of your pot. Steep for only a minute.

If you are using a tea kettle, don’t worry—we haven’t forgotten about you. Place the kettle on your stove and walk away, as you normally would. Wait for the whistle, return, and remove your kettle from heat. If you are brewing an herbal blend or a black tea, go ahead and add your leaves. For oolongs, wait two minutes. By that time, the water will have reached an appropriate temperature. For green teas wait three minutes, and for whites, wait four. The same steeping times will apply no matter your method of heating.

Once you have allowed your tea leaves to steep for the correct amount of time, strain the liquid from them and into cups. Savor your sips—even the tea you have enjoyed countless times before will taste different, better. But don’t discard those soggy leaves just yet—you can use the same set of leaves for a second and even a third infusion. Manish details the art of multiple infusions during the Question of the Week segment of the show. To discover how exactly to pull flavor from your leaves time and time again, have a listen! And to all you future tea-snobs: Welcome. It’s nice on this side of the fence.

Click here to listen to the third episode of Steeping Around.

“Surprisingly, the first tip that I give to most people about making tea has nothing to do with tea or the leaf itself,” Manish begins. Ninety-nine percent of any cup of tea is actually water, so it follows that water quality is of extreme importance. “It simply does not matter how expensive your tea or preparation vessel is, if your water is of poor quality, your tea will be of poor quality.” The ancient Chinese adopted very stringent guidelines regarding water used for tea. They required water taken from mountain streams caused by melting snow, and additionally that the water be collected from the center of the rushing stream rather than from the slower-moving banks. Today, very few of us have access to these pristine mountain streams, let alone the time or inclination to visit them before brewing our morning drinks, so how ought we determine the quality of our water from home?
Perhaps the easiest way to ensure your standards of water is to purchase it bottled. If you choose this tactic, beware: distilled water and even water processed by reverse osmosis will not optimize the flavor of your tea. Some mineral content is actually a good thing, as it balances and compliments the flavor of the leaf. Rather than seeking out the purest water available, look for natural spring or glacier water.

Now, while minerals are a crucial ingredient in your water, many of those present in average tap water will prove enemies. If you use your water at home, make sure that it is filtered. If it is filtered, make sure that you actually change your filter in some routine fashion. Here is the general rule of thumb: if your water tastes good to you at room temperature, your tea will taste good.

In addition to making sure that your water is of the right caliber, you must also determine that you are using the proper proportion of water to tea. In general, it takes about two to two and a half grams of tea for every cup of water. An important distinction: we are talking about an actual cup, six ounces, not the cup that you pull from your cabinet. “I challenge any of you to take the mug that you use to make tea and find out how much water it actually holds,” Manish advises listeners. It is common, especially in the United States, for tea and coffee mugs to hold anywhere from twelve to twenty ounces of water. Two grams of tea, or its teabag equivalent, will leave you with a thin, tasteless cup.

“But how do I know what two to two and a half grams of loose tea looks like?” you may be wondering. Not to worry—this is precisely the question that Manish answers during the ‘Question of the Week’ segment of the show. Two methods are suggested, each manageable from the comfort of your home kitchen, and neither involving complex scales, rulers, or immense effort. Press some tea leaves into the palm of your hand. For most varieties, you are seeking about enough to fill a half-dollar sized circle. For larger leaf varieties such as white teas, chamomile or peppermint, a slightly larger circle or a rounded top will do. Second, close your eyes. Place a penny into the palm of one hand and a small amount of tea into the other. When your hand with tea feels of close weight to the other, you have about two and a half grams of tea.

These are two of the most important aspects concerning the making of quality tea. Next week, tune in for two more. By the end of the next episode, your traditional morning cup of tea will never taste the same again. And that, my friends, is a good thing.

To listen to episode 2, click here.

Why devote a radio show to this one, simple beverage? Is there really enough to be said about tea? This was Manish’s first instinct, but upon a bit of thought and brainstorming the answer came as an astounding yes—frankly, there are many misconceptions and misunderstanding about the drink, and it would be our goal to shed them, one by one, and allow listeners to experience the simple joy that tea drinkers often take for granted. The tagline for the show, “Taking Back Teatime,” holds true. We do not expect listeners to settle in with fine china and bite-sized treats for a classy listen, nor do we hope for a ceremonial, spiritual listen. We are taking tea back to the basics—leaves, hot water, a cup, and most importantly, you—the person who will enjoy it.

So in order to “warm our kettle,” so to speak, Manish devoted the inaugural episode to introductions, as is customary. He slowly unravels a tale of his personal history, from New York to Tucson, from a degree in psychology to a career in marketing, and from Maya Tea’s humble one-product beginnings to the all-encompassing tea company that we have become. “The tea industry has changed a lot in the past ten years. When I first started out, everything was sort of standard—English Breakfast, Earl Grey—the variety and the creativity was just starting to blossom,” Manish reminisces. Now, the industry thrives on vibrant, varietal flavors and artistic blends, which he likens to the wine market. “When you try to choose a wine and you look along the shelves, there are numerous choices, all kinds of wine: whites, reds, different countries, different grapes, different years and appellations, and it goes on and on… but at the grocery store, you think ‘I just want a bottle of good wine’.” Manish intends to simplify the dense market that tea has become for his listeners. When it comes down to it, the ultimate purpose is enjoyment, and everyone deserves to enjoy an excellent cup of tea.

On that note, in the final segment of our first episode Manish turns his attention to tea itself as he answers the first question from the audience. Prior to the recording of the episode, we had asked our Facebook followers to provide us with a tea-related question which we could answer. For over a week, we had not one response. Manish began to sort through his memories for the more frequent questions that he has answered over the years, and at last he had settled on one: How ought a traditional coffee drinker transition to tea? Then, lo and behold, the following morning a question appeared on our Facebook page, written as follows: “If you were trying to change from being primarily a coffee drinker to drinking more tea, what teas would you recommend and what preparation methods?” The irony was not lost on us. And fatefully so, Manish answered the question. You will all have to give an ear, however, to uncover his answer.

Welcome to our radio show, and welcome as well to the first of a series of blogs recapping it. We look forward to “Steeping Around” with you.

To listen to “Warming the Kettle,” click here.

For the grateful person, there are millions of things to be thankful for every day. Fortunately the authorities that be (though we aren’t sure exactly who they are) have sorted out all the many things that have blessed our lives so that we may take note of them one at a time. They are organized by date, and there are many that have passed recently that you may not have been aware of.

For example, did you celebrate National Star Wars Day at the beginning of this month? Or, how about National Poetry Day on April 28th?  Then, who could’ve possibly forgotten National Pancake Day on February 23rd?  One of our favorites, and yours too, I hope, is coming up soon—and this holiday is so grand that it warrants a whole month of celebration. That’s right, June is National Iced Tea Month! Get your tall glasses and frosty cubes ready, because we will be pouring over this all month long!

Why celebrate iced tea, you ask? For the same reasons we celebrate Star Wars and Pancakes – they are just plain good. So it is with iced tea, and particularly during the month of June, when the chilled glass sweats almost as much as we do. Nothing better accompanies the summer heat; the cool, crisp liquid brings our body temperatures down and the slap of caffeine helps us the muster the energy to master our summer chores.

There are varied ways to make and enjoy the drink, and most people stand bitterly behind their methods as they would their religious or political views. If you’re from the South, you probably wouldn’t think about making tea without an equal part sugar. If the stirring spoon doesn’t stand up for at least two seconds, keep adding to the batch! If you’ve lived in Arizona for some time, you’re likely partial to vats of iced tea brewed in the sun all morning long. You probably also use about ten large teabags per jar of water. I forgive you for the teabags. That said, we can move on.

For the month of June, let’s celebrate by stepping outside of the box and dissolving the walls that divide us tea-lovers. It’s easier to be creative with iced tea than you might expect, and more importantly, it’s fun. And with a whole month to experiment, you can find innumerable ways to enjoy one of America’s favorite drinks. Let me get you started with a few ideas:

1. Think green grass and white balls. That’s right, I’m talking about the classic Arnold Palmer. For those of you who don’t know, this is simply equal parts black tea and lemonade poured over ice. Why not have the best of both worlds?
2. The English had it right—don’t be afraid to add milk to your tea! But, try it this way: Brew your black tea really strong, add sugar, and pour it into a tall glass full of ice, about 2/3 full. Top it off with a layer of evaporated whole milk. This is called a “Thai Iced Tea.” Between the strength of the tea and the sweetness of the sugar and cream, you won’t need more than one!
3. Add stuff to the mix! Whoever said iced tea had to be just tea leaves, water, sugar, and lemon? Add anything you want—try fresh basil or mint from the garden. Shave ginger root into the pitcher for a hint of spice. Muddle some fresh berries and add them to the mix! You don’t even have to use tea—many herbs can be prepared in the same manner (think hibiscus). Try using yerba mate, lemongrass, or mint in its place.
4. Spike it. Don’t be afraid. In fact, the first glasses of iced tea enjoyed in America were accompanied by liquor, and were called “punch.” This dates back to the early 1800’s, and the drinks were popularized about a century later during the prohibition.  Talk about making tea more fun! Try any variety of flavored vodkas, the tea of your choice, and a squeeze of lemon, all over ice of course. You’ll forget that it’s summer.
5. One final tip for June: Take any of the above ideas, mix a large pitcher of the beverage, and pour it into ice cube or popsicle trays for the freezer. You can even layer flavors for varied effects. For you heavy-handed folk, go a little light on the vodka if you intend it to freeze. Use these cubes to ice other drinks, or enjoy them alone. Who ever said popsicles were just for kids?

The whole point is enjoyment, which is why we drink iced tea in the first place, and why it is worth celebrating. So, have a bit of fun. Get your lawn chair out, grab your iPad or your favorite magazine, push a pair of sunglasses onto your nose and pour yourself a cold one; it doesn’t really matter how it’s prepared. Chill out, with Maya Tea!

First, foremost and always, we would like to thank you - our customers. You make it all happen for us. You push us to our best performance, encourage us to stay current and innovative with our tea blends and bless us with your patronage. While we truly love tea, it is you that we are passionate about. It brings us immeasurable joy to watch a new business establish roots, to see the small café thriving alongside major corporations, and to receive word that our efforts and products make a difference. Thank you for allowing us into your lives!

In this time of economic hardship, we are truly honored and thankful to be here. We are grateful to have joined hands with new customers and thankful for the years that we have shared with old. We are overjoyed to have been able to integrate three new members into our team over the past year, now totaling nine. We are blessed by all that they bring to the table and are privileged to be able to contribute to their lives as well. Welcome Kelly, Lupita and Tere!

We strive always to remember our thanks for each and every day, and to allow it to shine through in the work that we do and our connections with others. Each moment is a gift and having people to share it with an honor. Thank you for sharing in our lives, and may you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and holiday season!

With love, from the Maya Tea Company

We may never find these godly scents in a bottle, but you can find them in a cup. Ancient and mysterious, Puer tea embodies some of the most pleasurable scents known to man: Soil. Earth. Clay. Must. The flavor mimics its robust scent- smooth, earthy, and non-offensive. Manish Shah, owner of Maya Tea Company, once described Puer’s unique flavor profile as follows: “It’s like a thick stack of National Geographics stored away in an attic for ten years…”. This description was given to a potential client, and my jaw hung open as I sat next to him sputtering desperately that Puer “is not that bad” and assuring the customer of its worthiness.

While perhaps not the most flattering of descriptions, Manish pegged one of the most important aspects of Puer – age. Puer is indeed stacked and set aside for years, often inside a clay pot contributing to its natural aroma. The tea leaves are stored while slightly damp, allowing for a natural fermentation process that continues slowly as the tea ages. For that reason, Puer is the only variety of tea that gains value as it gains years – while other teas grow stale with time and are arid after only a few short years, most Puer is not consumed until it reaches its tenth year and as it gains considerable years its value grows exponentially. Often, pressed Puer cakes that have been preserved for over a century fetch a retail price of over $13,000.

As you might imagine, there are hoards of consumers that make their Puer selections by vintage, snubbing low-cost varieties for those that are most valuable. Differences in flavor are distinctive between varieties, and I encourage people to choose their tea with a blind eye for the price tag. On several occasions I have prepared high grade Puers and have found myself disappointed with the resulting infusion; I much prefer the fuller flavor of the loose variety, which also proves a better friend to my wallet.

Why Puer? Taste, first and foremost. Value, for those of you who are a collective type. Lastly and always most importantly, for good health. All teas have been proven to lower cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure and the risk of cancer while boosting metabolism and bone density. As a variety of tea, Puer offers all of the aforementioned characteristics, yet due to its unique processing it carries a few extra tricks up its sleeve. Studies within China, France and Japan have shown Puer to aid in the detoxification of the liver, prevent intestinal infection, and aid in digestion. Often the crew of Maya Tea frequents local food establishments during lunch together, and when we return after an hour of gorging, shuffling through the front door with limbs dragging behind and settling down heavily into our seats, we turn to Puer as our savior. The fermented leaves help our overstuffed bellies to process quickly and effectively, the caffeine allowing our sluggish minds to settle into work.

As a whole, our company relies heavily on Puer as the cure for the self-inflicted “food coma”, as a gateway to our alert and active minds, and as a soothing and soulful way to connect to the earth around us. Puer has never disappointed us. So the next time the scent of precipitation is carried in the breeze or you retire from hours spent in glorious mud, have indulged too much during mealtime or are sitting down with a National Geographic, settle in with a cup of Puer. You will be pleasantly surprised.

Here is something that you may not know about  us:  the company itself also wears many hats.  Did you think we operated solely in tea?  Think again.  Our talents and efforts bleed into several other areas.  A true entrepreneur, founder Manish Shah never closes his eyes to opportunity.

Maya Tea Company itself got its start at a local farmers’ market here in Tucson.  Eleven years ago, Manish sat alone at a booth selling small bags filled with his own formulation of chai.  One simple product, one man, one day a week.  The growth of the tea company mirrored the growth of the farmers’ market, and in 2002 the administrator of the market stepped down and Manish was asked to fill his shoes.  Manish became the market coordinator, and today this event is still operated from within our small company.  Monday through Friday our phone lines buzz with potential vendors and customer inquiries, and with dawn on Saturday and Sundays our two market locations begin to crawl with agriculture.  From large scale farms to local backyard growers, bakeries to barbecue, flowers to eggs, vendors and their booths line the manicured courtyards of our Oro Valley and St. Phillips markets fifty-two weeks a year, offering the fruits of their labor to the community.

Every week we work to organize these community events, sending press releases, planning market festivals, and processing applications.  Amidst our large bags of tea and mixing machines are market tables, signs and tents.  Our efforts endlessly intermingle between the two.

Then, there are the spices.

The Cafe Terra Cotta, a beloved local restaurant and one of our longest wholesale tea customers, sadly closed its doors during last year’s economic downturn.  Alongside the savory southwestern dishes that they specialized in, they also produced a line of spice mixtures for the public to replicate their delicious sauces, glazes, marinades and dressings.  When the business closed, Manish stepped forward and offered to carry on their spice legacy.  Terra Cotta’s exclusive spice recipes are now mixed and packaged here alongside our tea blends, and we are proud to continue to provide the exquisite flavors of the Southwest to our customers.  This week we have introduced these spice mixtures to our website  so that you may carry on the Terra Cotta traditions from your own kitchen.

To browse the line of Terra Cotta spices, click here.

In the spirit of experimentation and creativity, we have included the line of spices in our research and development sector, and in our spare time (ha!) we tinker with new spice mixtures.  Our chefs hats are always kept handy in our back pockets, and just as you check in regularly for new tea offerings you should keep an eye on our spices as well.  We hope to offer additional Southwestern spices within the next few months, including our current project, an Adobado sauce mixture.

Here is something else you may not know… I am the company bookkeeper.  That is my specialty, and every week I balance our registers, pay our bills and manage our accounts.  It is my honor and privilege to write these blogs, providing you with a glimpse of the inner-workings of the Maya Tea Company, who we are and what we do.  This is just an example of the versatility behind our doors, and between you and me, this is my favorite hat.

Cheers!

Slewn among the comical essays and chapters was an excerpt that he wrote in 1999, two years prior to his sudden and unexpected death.  The few paragraphs were written in response and presumably annoyance to Americans who had no understanding of the wonders of tea.  When it comes the the value of loose leaf tea, well, Douglas says it best.

Here is a unique glimpse into the mind of a genius.  Enjoy.

Tea

May 12, 1999

One or two Americans have asked me why the English like tea so much, which never seems to them to be a very good drink. To understand, you have to make it properly.

There is a very simple principle to the making of tea, and it’s this—to get the proper flavour of tea, the water has to be boilING (Not boilED) when it hits the tea leaves.  If it’s merely hot, then the tea will be insipid. That’s why we English have these odd rituals, such as warming the teapot first (so as no to cause the boiling water to cool down too fast as it hits the pot).  And that’s why American habit of bringing a teacup, a tea bag, and a pot of hot water to the table is merely the perfect way of making a tin, pale, watery cup of tea that nobody in their right mind would want to drink.  The Americans are all mystified about why the English make such a big thing out of tea because most Americans HAVE NEVER HAD A GOOD CUP OF TEA.  That’s why they don’t understand.  In fact, the truth of the matter is that most English people don’t know how to make tea anymore either, and most people drink cheap instant coffee instead, which is a pity, and gives Americans the impression that the English are just generally clueless about hot stimulants.

So the best advice I can give to an American arriving in England is this:  Go to Marks and Spencer and buy a packet of Earl Grey tea.  Go back to where you’re staying and boil a kettle of water.  While it is coming to the boil, open the sealed packet and sniff.  Careful—you may feel a bit dizzy, but this is in fact perfectly legal.  When the kettle has boiled, pour a little of it into a teapot, swirl it around, and tip it out again.  Put a couple (or three, depending on the size of the pot) of tea bags into the pot.  (If I was really trying to lead you into the paths of righteousness, I would tell you to use free leaves rather than bags, but let’s just take this in easy stages.)  Bring the kettle back up to the boil, and then pour the boiling water as quickly as you can into the pot.  Let is stand for two or three minutes, and then pour it into a cup.  Some people will tell you that you shouldn’t have milk with Earl Grey, just a slice of lemon.  Screw them.  I like it with milk.  If you think you will like it with milk, then it’s probably best to put some milk into the bottom of the cup before you pour in the tea.  If you pour milk into a cup of hot tea, you will scald the milk.  If you think you will prefer it with a slice of lemon, then, well, add a slice of lemon.

Drink it.  After a few moments you will begin to think that the place you’ve come to isn’t maybe quite so strange and crazy after all.

Saturday at dusk I sat perched upon a rooftop, straining to see past the silhouette of a pine, mesmerized by the streaking reds and blues, the pulsing greens, and the glimmering silvers that painted the evening sky.  Festivities gave way across America as people gathered by the barbecue, kicked back beers and huddled under the sky, celebrating the day two hundred and thirty-three years ago that our forefathers declared an independent nation.

So what does this have to do with tea?

Let’s back up a bit… a lot, actually.  By the early 1700’s, Great Britain had issued a monopoly on all tea imported and distributed within their country. The East India Trading Company was the sole legal importer of tea, and for these rights they paid a hefty 25% tax on all imported goods. Tea was bought in massive amounts at auction in Britain and then imported from there to the colonies, where it faced an additional tax. This, in turn, raised the price of tea significantly for the end user, and as a result boosted illegal importation of tea from countries such as Holland. In fact, so much tea was brought into the country illegally that by the 1760’s the East India Trading Company began to suffer despite their monopolized rights. In order to help the company, Britain allowed the East India Company to import directly to the Americas, cutting out the brokerage in Britain and increasing their profit margin dramatically. The high taxes on the tea for the colonists were left in place however, and for colonists in America, angry at the high levels of taxation they faced with no representation in the government, this was the last straw.

By the early 1770’s American colonists had issued a boycott of all tea products and had successfully turned away several ships of product from their ports. In 1773 when three large ships entered the port of Boston, several men guarded the area to be sure that the product could not be unloaded while over seven thousand colonists gathered in an adjacent meeting to discuss the tactics of their strike. For twenty days the colonists urged the ships’ captain to return to Britain with the product, and at the objection of the Massachusetts governor, for twenty days the ships sat stationery. On December 16, 1773, the eve of the twentieth day, over a hundred men lightly disguised as Indians boarded each of the three ships. Hacking with their tomahawks, they broke open each of 342 chests of tea and spilled the contents over the edge and into the open waters below. Over 90,000 pounds of loose tea was lost to sea on that night.

This event, dubbed the “Boston Tea Party”, was not received well in Britain. In response, British parliament enacted the Coercive Acts, which essentially closed down the port of Boston to all commerce and incoming ships and demanded payment for the lost product. This punishment dramatically hurt the settlers in Massachusetts, and sympathies began to pour out from other colonies. The intention of the Coercive Acts was to keep the colonies in line, yet it only served to unify them against British rule. The first Continental Congress was held as a result in September of 1774, and within a year the colonies were pitted against British armies in the Revolutionary War.

The Boston Tea Party is considered to be one of the first acts of protest in our nation, and as the colonies united to become states of America and our own constitution was written the right to free speech and protest was remembered and protected. In recent months, news has been flush with members of the Republican party gathering together in many cities across the nation to protest recent spending by the Obama administration. They have called these gatherings “Tea Parties”.

The 4^th of July celebrates the day in 1776 that the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain was written. Two hundred and thirty-three years later, we remain a strong, independent nation, and Britain has remained a close ally, despite the rocky start to our relationship. In remembrance, I’d like to propose a toast to our country and also to the one that we parted ways from long ago, and what better to toast with than our English Breakfast tea.

Here’s to our country: Happy Birthday.