333. George Washington's Tea Culture

We don’t know when George Washington started to drink tea. However, we know that his first recorded order for tea dates to December of 1757, when he wrote to England seeking "6 lb. best Hyson Tea" and "6 lb. best Green Ditto.". From Dr. Dave Wang’s paper CHINESE CIVILIZATION AND THE UNITED STATES: TEA, GINSENG, PORCELAIN WARE AND SILK IN COLONIAL AMERICA, Virginia Review of Asian Studies, one can find the photo, George Washington’s teapot and tea cups in his Valley Forge Headquarters. (Courtesy of Valley Forge National Historical Park.)

My friend, Jeffrey Bingham Mead, the President of Hawaii Historical Education Council, send me Tea, a paper by Mary V. Thompson, Research Historian, Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens. Mary finds that Washington drank tea throughout his life. She presents us a vivid picture of how Washington enjoyed Chinese tea. She explored the kinds of Chinese tea Washingtons drank and also teapots and cups very intersecting, Mary told us that even Washington’s slaves have tea ware. Possibly George allowed his slaves to enjoy tea. It needs more research to find out if the slaves really enjoyed tea. A reader will find from her paper two beautiful photos showing you Washington’s teapot and tea bowl imported from China. Thank Mary, who presents us a Washington tea culture. Enjoy Mary's paper based on her 37 years of research now.