Historic Treasure of the Week - July 28, 1991
By David M. Buchanan
Vigo County Historical Society
Historic Treasure of the Week - July 28, 1991
By David M. Buchanan
Vigo County Historical Society
Tea time started by duchess
Term ‘brewing tea’ holdover from brewing beer
For most, the art of brewing tea begins with boiling water, the dropping a tea bag into it.
The term "brewing" tea is a holdover from brewing beer. Once the favored all-day drink for the average person, beer could be made at home, it was cheap and easy to get.
Tea was first brought to England in the 1600s from Japan. It was expensive, partially because of the high taxes placed upon it.
Like many items that begin as luxuries, more and more tea was imported and politicians learned it was politically wise to remove the taxes. The price went down and consumption grew. The demand for tea eventually outgrew the demand for beer, though the old beer term of brewing remained.
Tea comes from India, Sri Lanka, China and Japan. The plant is an evergreen, flowering shrub that needs a warm climate to grow. Varieties of tea depend on climate, soil conditions, altitude and how the plant is processed after it is harvested.
There are three types of tea: black, green and oolong. The difference between black and green tea is fermentation. Black tea is withered , rolled into bundles, left in vats to ferment, then fired. Green tea is steamed at first, then rolled and fired. Oolong is a blending of the two processes.
The tea is partially withered and partially fermented before firing. Although there are only three actual types of teas, many different varieties are marketed. The differences consist in the blending of the various types. Other differences are made by adding flavors from spices, fruits, flowers or herbs. The majority of tea consumed by Americans is black.
Tea time, which most of us know through television and movies, was started in England by the Duchess of Bedford. Every afternoon around 4, she began to feel a sinking feeling. It was probably hunger, because at that time the English only ate breakfast and dinner. The Duchess asked her servants to provide tea and cakes for her guests every afternoon at 4. People not only get a lift from the food and drink, but also enjoyed the casual conversation that accompanied tea time. Thus, a custom was born.
When tea was first introduced it was shipped in blocks. The tea was compressed into molds and shaped into bricks, much like the one in the photograph.
Designs carved into the molds left a raised imprint in the tea bricks, which served to identify the type of tea and its manufacturer, and created an artistic product that caught the eye.
The bricks were easy to stack, ship and store. When one wanted to brew tea, one removed a small amount and placed the rest of the block back in storage. The chunk of tea was brewed in the pot, a cup, or in small tea strainers which were dipped into the cup.
Tea bags are a recent invention. Thomas Sullivan, an importer in New York City, sent out samples of different teas. To reduce the cost, he sent small amounts in hand-sewn silk bags. To his delight, the orders poured in.
He filled the orders with his regular packaged tea, but complaints began immediately. He soon learned the customers thought he was offering a new form of convenience for brewing tea. So Sullivan substituted gauze for the silk and began shipping out the first true tea bags. Today, tea bags are made of fiber paper.
The practice of drinking iced tea started in St. Louis in 1904, where tea producers from India had a pavilion at the World’s Fair. Indian servants in turbans offered steaming hot cups of tea to all who passed by, but the cups were refused.
The tea producers hadn’t taken into account the sweltering Midwest summers. The last thing anyone wanted was a hot drink. In desperation, the supervisor, an Englishman by the name of Richard Blechynden, began pouring the hot drink over ice. The booth was soon crowded and the practice spread worldwide.
William Gladstone, the prime minister of England, said, "If you are cold, tea will warm you; if you are heated, it will cool you; if you are depressed, it will cheer you; if you are excited, it will calm you.
Apparently, Americans agree. In this decade we are projected to drink as much tea as the people of Great Britain. Per capita, the consumers of Great Britain drink six cups of tea per day.
John Biel gave a compressed block of tea t the Vigo County Historical Society. It is the type of compressed cake that area merchants might have offered before the invention of the tea bag and instant tea.
The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.