In the flickering light of December 16, 1773, a group of colonists, many disguised in faux Native dress, boarded British ships in Boston Harbor. They didn’t steal gold or weapons. They dumped 342 chests of tea—roughly 90,000 pounds—into the water. Their protest, now legendary as the Boston Tea Party, was not about tea itself but what it had come to represent: taxation without representation, British control, and a boiling point in colonial resistance.
More Than a Beverage: A Symbol of Power
In 18th-century Britain, tea was more than a morning ritual. It was a symbol of status, commerce, and empire. The British East India Company held a virtual monopoly on tea imported to the colonies, and after years of levying taxes (including through the Tea Act of 1773), colonists had had enough.
What began as a humble leaf steeped in hot water became, in the American imagination, the embodiment of oppression. And when those crates hit the harbor, it wasn’t just a protest—it was a declaration. A steeped rebellion that would help ignite a revolution.
The Aftertaste of Rebellion
Ironically, after the Boston Tea Party, tea drinking in America took a hit—literally and culturally. Many patriotic households switched to herbal infusions, often calling them “liberty teas,” made from things like mint, raspberry leaves, or goldenrod, in part to distance themselves from British imports. Even tea’s simplicity became political: to sip or not to sip.
Over time, though, tea reclaimed its place on American tables—not as a colonial burden, but as a beverage of choice, ceremony, and comfort. And in many ways, its political roots never left.
Tea Today: Still Steeped in Gathering and Action
From the tea-fueled salons of the suffragette movement to grassroots gatherings in church basements and backyards, tea continues to show up wherever people gather to share ideas, stories, or strategies. It’s there in the clink of mugs at community organizing meetings, in protest signs painted over late-night brews, and in quiet moments of reflection between waves of action.
In some cultures, offering tea is the first act of hospitality. In others, it’s a way to pause before something meaningful is said. For all its soothing properties, tea holds power—not just to calm, but to connect and catalyze.
A Sip of History, A Brew for Today
At Full Moon Tea Company, we believe in honoring that legacy. That every cup carries a story. That something as simple as steeping leaves in water can be an act of care, of community, and—sometimes—of quiet rebellion.
So whether you’re sipping solo on your porch or hosting a circle of friends to dream and plan, let your tea be a reminder: change doesn’t always come with shouting. Sometimes, it begins with a simmer.
