The UK Tea Academy

FIVE TEAS THAT LAUNCHED AN AMERICAN REVOLUTION with Bruce Richardson

Hosted by Jane Pettigrew

Discover how the five teas originated from the same East India Company warehouses that supplied the tea for the caddies of King George III and, years later, the teapots of Jane Austen. Tea historian Bruce Richardson weaves the stories behind the Chinese teas that were tossed into Boston Harbour on December 16, 1773 and led to the American War of Independence.

The world knows well how Britain’s love for tea gave rise to the crafting of countless tea-things—a frequent term used in Austen’s novels—but history has neglected the devotion that residents of Colonial America had for fine furniture, silver, and porcelain dedicated to their own tea ritual. Their thirst for tea led to a party, a revolution, and the birth of a nation. All this commotion over a simple cup of tea!  

Suggested Chinese teas to brew and sip at home while Bruce tells the story of the Boston Tea Party: Black congou, Black souchong, Black bohea, Green singlo, Green hyson.

About Bruce:

Bruce Richardson and his wife Shelley founded Elmwood Inn Fine Teas in their home state of Kentucky in 1990. Bruce serves as a Contributing Editor for the American consumer magazine TeaTime and the author of a dozen books, including A Social History of Tea and The New Tea Companion, both co-authored with Jane Pettigrew. He was the editor for the Benjamin Press expanded edition of Okakura Kakuzo's classic Book of Tea in 2012.

In 2011, Bruce was named Tea Master for the new Boston Tea Party Ships Museum where he is shaping the iconic role tea played as a prelude to America's struggle for independence from George III.

He is a frequent lecturer at museums, festivals, and universities across the US, Canada China, and Japan, including two appearances at the UK Tea Academy.