The Boston Tea Party

In 1698, The East Indian Company had sole monopoly to import tea to all British colonies. A bill was passed by The English Parliament as they still had authority over the colonies stating that the British American colonies could not import their tea from anywhere else like China.

This eliminated foreign competition and also gave Britain the chance to heavily tax all tea that was imported from Britain. The tea was auctioned off wholesale and the British companies that bought the tea were able to export it out the colonies and merchants in Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Charleston. There then arose a big problem. The tea was taxed at 25% to be paid by the East India Company to bring it into Britain and an additional tax was on the tea only consumed in England. However when the tea was bought by the Dutch government, no such taxes existed.

So it was inevitable that the British Americans smuggled the Dutch tea in at cheaper prices and no tax. Eventually over a period of 5 years, the Tea Act brought in lower taxes and the tea was then readmitted into the American colonies at a cheaper rate than the smuggled tea. The East Indian Company that was once facing bankruptcy was back in business and seven ships were sent to the colonies. Two thousand chests spread between the seven ships were on route when a protest erupted, the smugglers and the Dutch tea company were out of business. Legitimate tea importers were outraged that the Tea Act of 1773 gave the monopoly back to the East Indian Company.

The tea ship, the Dartmouth, arrived into Boston Harbour late in November of 1773. A mass meeting had been called and thousands of people turned up. By British law the Dartmouth had 20 days to unload its tea cargo before it was confiscated by customs officials. The meeting passed a resolution that the Dartmouth captain was to turn back without unloading and paying the import duty. Governor Hutchinson refused permission for the Dartmouth to leave without paying the duty! On the last day of the Dartmouth's deadline 7000 people gathered at the Old South Meeting House. Govern Hutchinson still refused the ship to leave without paying, and the tea party began.

While control of the meeting was trying to be regained by Samuel Adams, with some people dressed in Mohawk costumes and as warriors, this was an attempt to put a national American symbolism over European tradition. That evening the three ships were boarded and over the next few hours 342 chests of tea were dumped overboard and into the water of Boston Harbour.

Delicious Tea Varieties For The Tea Connoisseurs

If you are fond of tea then you should try out the different kinds of it that comes with its respective taste and health benefits. Right from the time the Chinese had popularised the beverage, the drink has had its very own reputation and in a health conscious world people are keener towards consuming tea than depending on coffee or any other refreshing drink. If you want delicious taste along with the health benefits then you can opt for flavoured black and green teas or the delicious white teas. The categorization happens on the basis of the method of leaf selection and processing.

While on the face of it the processing and consequent differentiation is through the processing of leaves, there are other methods like the means by which leaf shoots are plucked and other such. There are several kinds of tea under the different categories. Some of the recently mentioned categories are Guangzhou Milk Oolong, Keemun Ho ya, Fukujyu, Super Butterfly Oolong, Queen's China Oolong. These exotic ranges of rare beverages derive their individual names from inextricable links to legends and myths that have been surrounding the cause of creaminess in one drink and aroma in another. The different brewing techniques depend on the leaves and also the desired taste.

The flavoured green tea and the black tea are highly consumed by people and will surely refresh your morning with not just fine taste but also with great health benefits.

Some of the major advantages of drinking teas regularly are:-

The antioxidants in this particular tea work miraculously to fight against the free radicals which might be the cause of some of the worst diseases.

This is a natural means of slowing down the process of ageing.

This and also green tea helps in encouraging the good cholesterol over the wrong cholesterol thus promoting the well-being of the heart.

The consumption of tea is good for the complete care of the heart and ensures a better circulation of blood, thus reducing chances of stroke.

The fluoride in the teeth can help fight against teeth cavity and decay thus protecting your complete teeth enamel.

The herbal beverage is beneficial for those who suffer from diabetes because the ingredients help to reduce the glucoses levels in blood.

For all those who loved this beverage from an early age will probably know the differences in plucking and manufacturing of a variety of tea leaves. Today, their are many business centres in the market where one can easily find all varieties of teas at a most affordable price. Their are many shopping sites also where you can even purchase this unique beverage online in either tea bag format or buy loose tea. It is advisable to go for the later because in this you have the choice on the amount of tea used according to the number of people served, hence it is more economical and beneficial.

Vadim Naroditsky is a passionate tea lover for about 20 years now. His favourite teas are Japanese teas, Jasmine teas, Herbal teas etc. At Apollo tea house come and see his collection and easily buy loose tea, black teas, green teas etc of your choice.