April Tea: A Historic Chat

Introduction: I pledged to do a tea party each month this year and blog about it. To see the entire list, go to the label in the right column called "Tea Parties."

Lithograph depicting the Boston Tea Party

April's Tea Party theme is tea and history. I had the delightful opportunity recently to participate in a tea party with a young woman who is studying American history. She's been researching the American revolution in detail including, of course, tea! (She was so sweet to invite her younger brother to join us for this tea! He was quite the tea fan!)

There were 6 of us total. The dishes we used have special significance. The mother of our hostess collected this set for her and the creamer/sugar was a recent gift from her mother-in-law.

I was delighted to share in a lively chat about the Boston Tea Party and other important moments in tea's history, such as the development of afternoon tea. We also discussed the role of tea in the Opium Wars. Truly, one can trace the history of trade and international relations through the history of tea. It never ceases to fascinate me.

I recommend using a tea party as a means to get students involved "hands-on" in their learning experiences. It was a wonderful afternoon for me and I learned as much as I shared. Thank you!