Before coffeehouses dotted American streets, tea was at the center of colonial life — and at the heart of the American Revolution.

In the 18th century, tea was more than a beverage. It was a daily ritual, a symbol of refinement, and eventually a point of defiance. When Parliament imposed taxes without representation, colonists responded not with speeches alone, but with action — most famously casting tea into Boston Harbor in protest. Tea became a quiet battleground where liberty was stirred one cup at a time.