The handle - less cup and saucer in the picture above are typical of those used
by many of our ancestors. These once belonged to Mr. and Mrs. Amos Norman of
Johnson township and were donated to the Champaign County Historical Museum by a
great granddaughter, Mary Norman Miller ( nee Dagger ), of Oberlin, Ohio.
Cups such as these commonly were used for drinking tea, a beverage that became
fashionable in America during the late 17th century following a burst of
popularity in England. It is said that the habit of afternoon tea began as a
common ritual about 1800 when Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford, grew hungry and
thirsty around 4pm each day and decided to enjoy her tea while gossiping with
friends.
Because few hostesses owned a complete set of china cups, guests attended tea
parties carrying their own cup, saucer and spoon. The tea was poured into the
cup and " then one nicely poured the hot tea from the cup and sipped daintily
from the saucer. " Truly refined members of society sipped their tea through a
cube of sugar held between their lips.
Eighteenth - century hostesses made use of silver mote spoons, spoons
approximately the size of modern - day teaspoons that had long twisted handles
to poke tea leaves from inside clogged teapot spouts. Silver tea scoops, or tea
- caddy spoons, were short - stemmed spoons kept inside the tea canister. The
most desirable scoops were those shaped like shells, grape leaves, shovels,
feathers, jockey caps, eagles, flowers and leaves.
Soon, there were people on this side of the Atlantic who enthusiastically
accepted the novel idea of drinking tea. Unfortunately, not all Americans were
familiar with the proper method of preparation. Women frequently put the leaves
in water, boiled them, threw the liquid away and ate the tea leaves. Because the
leaves were not overly tasty, some added butter and salt in an attempt to make
them more palatable. Other people boiled the leaves in water and served it as
a type of soup, the leaves still floating in the broth.
One of Christiansburg, Ohio favorite tea stories relates that a young man came
to the village in 1829 to open a store. Among the items he stocked was tea. A
lady in the neighborhood, eager to impress her guests, served tea. Afterwards,
she returned to the store and angrily told the grocer just exactly what she
thought of him and his new product. The grocer asked how she had prepared it and
she replied that she had cooked the tea leaves with the meat and it had added
not the slightest trace of flavoring.
Tea etiquette was an art unto itself and the " tea signal " was one of America's
nuances. The proper hostess continued to refill her guests' teacups until the
cup was placed upside down in the saucer and the teaspoon placed on top. A
visiting Frenchman who was unaware of the sign language became so distressed to
see the sixth cup being poured that, in desperation after drinking it, put the
cup and saucer in his pocket!
Elegant tea caddies like the one below were kept on prominent display. They were
lined with special paper and usually fitted with some type of lock and key to
deter pilferage.
In 1831, when a woman complained of violent chest pains, her Washington D.C.
physician prescribed laying sheets of the thin paper from the inside of a tea
caddy over her heart. There were physicians who recommended tea made from straw
as a treatment for a nervous breakdown.
When the English imposed the Stamp Act in 1765, colonists fiercely denounced the
unjust imposition of the tax on tea -- as well as on many other items such as
newspapers, taverns, and college degrees --- and the now - famous Boston Tea
Party on Dec. 16th, 1773, demonstrated the Americans' angry and widespread
opposition. A band of citizens disguised as Indians --- " cloath'd in Blankets
with heads muffled, and copper color'd countenances " --- boarded the ships in
the bay and threw the contents of 342 chests of tea into the water. Several
Nantucket Captains, however, are said to have retained a few chests and " with
some discretion disposed of them in an advantageous manner. "
A similar, but less - well - remembered , event occurred in December of 1774, in
Greenwich, New Jersey. Known as the " Greenwich Tea Party, " tea was unloaded
from the brig Greyhound and secretly taken to the home of a British
Loyalist. When townspeople learned that a fellow citizen was storing the hated
tea, a group dressed as Indians seized the tea and set it afire in the town
square.
Throughout the Colonies, women gathered to make their opinions heard. In
Edenton, North Carolina, fifty - one ladies met as a friend's home on October
25th, 1774, and vowed to do their part as patriots. They solemnly resolved " not
to conform to the Pernicious Custom of Drinking Tea " and thereafter abstained
from drinking and tea made from tea leaves. A brass teapot mounted on a post now
stands in front of the house where the Edenton Tea Party took place.
The ladies in Pepperell, Massachusetts, voiced their opposition by piling their
tea in front of the meetinghouse and burning it. In another instance, nine year
old Susan Boudinot was visiting the royal governor of New Jersey when she was
offered a cup of tea. She accepted the cup and lifted it to her lips. But
instead of drinking the tea, Susan curtsied and tossed it out the window. It was
not that she had bad manners, just that she suddenly had realized she was about
to drink hated British tea.
People substituted strawberry, ribwort, sassafras, and sage leaves for tea
leaves. They made " Liberty Tea " from loosestrife and " Hyperion Tea " from
raspberry leaves. The raspberry leaves, in particular, were said to make a
" very delicate and most excellent tea. " A recipe in the 1846 Kitchen
Directory, offered a recipe for " Beef Tea " , which called for a pound of
fresh lean beef boiled, steeped in water, strained, and seasoned to taste with
salt and pepper. Leaves gathered from the currant bush could " hardly be
distinguished from green tea ". A foreign visitor disagreed, however, and
observed that it was a " detestable drink but one which Americans had the
heroism to find good".
Following the Revolutionary War, people whole heartedly resumed drinking
imported tea again and men like John Jacob Astor purchased their own ships and
bought tea and silks from the Orient. They accumulated vast fortunes.
Teashops often displayed trade signs in the shape of a teapot above their
doorway. One, quite elaborate tin teapot, was fitted with steam pipes so that
puffs of steam would waft from its spout in cold weather.
There were many Native Americans who developed a fondness for tea. According to
Hohn Sugden in his book, Blue Jacket, the wife of the Shawnee chief,
Kakinathucca, in 1788, " washed it ( her breakfast ) down with green tea boiled
in a copper kettle and served from a teapot in cups and saucers of yellow ware".
Francis Parkman, in The Oregon Trail, tells about tea their cook prepared one
day. It " had a particularly curious and uninviting color. ' Oh, ' said the
cook, ' there was not tea enough so I stirred in some soot to make it look
stronger. '"
During one of the devastating cholera epidemics in the 1700's, there were people
who, as a preventative measure, existed on a diet of ham, bread and butter and
tea. Much to their distress, the plan was not infallible.
In the 1870's, members of the Women's Christian Temperance Union, which,
incidentally, was founded in Ohio, urged abstinence not only from alcohol but
also from " strong drinks like tea and coffee ". They supported their claim by
reporting the death of a young woman who had attended a quilting party. " She
went into convulsions and died, the direct result , " it was said, " of drinking
string tea too rapidly ".
Notwithstanding the negative connotation of drinking tea, it continued to be in
demand.
And now, for readers with an adventurous palate, here is a recipe for Green Tea
Ice Cream. The author has not been tempted yet to try it.
1 pint heavy cream
1 pint milk
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup strong brewed Japanese green tea
10 egg yolks
In a heavy saucepan over moderate heat, bring cream, milk and sugar to a boil,
stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. Stir in tea and remove pan from heat.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks until smooth. Whisking continuously,
slowly pour cream mixture into bowl. Return mixture to pan and stir continuously
with a wooden spoon over very low heat, taking care not to let mixture boil,
until it is thick enough to coat spoon. Remove from heat and place bottom of pan
in a sink or large bowl filled with ice. Stir until mixture is cool enough to
touch. Freeze in an ice cream freezer, following manufacturer's directions.
Makes 1 1/2 quarts.
Newsletter by Barbara E. Sour, Trustee / Editor