Ever wonder how we became a nation of coffee drinkers, people unable to live without that morning Java Jolt?? Was it that nasty incident several years back in Boston involving the incorrect brewing of tea in the harbor?? How is it our craving for that caffeine buzz can feed the frenzy of decorating with items that facilitate the arrival of that delicious libation??
Coffee undoubtedly came to America, or the colonies as such, by Captain John Smith, founder of Jamestown and BFF of Prisiclla Alden. Captain Smith had been visiting abroad in Turkey where it is assumed he partook of the stuff, liked it, and had to have it. Tea, on the other had, was brought to the colonies by the Dutch through the Dutch West India Company. I know this may sound a bit counter-intuitive given the fact that England is THE tea drinking country in the world, but the English didn't get in on the tea action until a bit later. You might remember the ill-fated Stamp Act of 1765, enacted by his Royal Idiocy King George that taxed a whole lot of stuff, including tea imported from the Dutch. King George really wanted the colonists to buy tea imported by the British West Indies Company. This action brought about the first American slogan for the masses: No Taxation Without Representation, which continues to be the motto on the car tags for the District of Columbia to this day (am not making that up!!!). Then there was that incident in the Boston Harbor which I am pretty sure erupted over the fact that they were trying to brew iced tea not in the prescribed manner, which really set off a bunch of people who were attending a costume party dressed as Indians. At least that is the version I heard....
Anyway, Americans then, as now, were not a group to trifle with. We did the normal boycott thing and started buying black market tea from the Dutch. Even though the Stamp Act was repealed a year later, it was too late and colonists started getting that caffeine high from coffee.
Back in the 1800s, the citizenry of New Orleans, prior to the invention of the Hurricane drink at Pat O'Briens, drank an interesting concoction called bruleau, a mixture of coffee, orange juice, orange peel, sugar, and cognac that had been burned and added in. It could only be found in the coffee houses there, which eventually turned into our now infamous saloons of New Orleans.
Neither coffee nor tea is grown here in the States; all imported. Useless Factoid: Japan, one of the biggest tea consuming countries in the world, is the third largest importer of coffee. Importation of our daily fix comes via coffee bags, normally burlap or some type of low grade linen, and tea comes shipped loose in wooden crates. There has been a trend in recent years to recycle those used shipping vehicles into all sorts of home decor items. There are the ubiquitous pillow covers and then there are some really fun and unusual creations.. Here is a picture from an Etsy store that, although a tablecloth is not unusual, I really like the addition of tulle, making it a great party item for weddings and such, but could also be fun as a tablecloth for a foyer. Or for a grand entrance hall, placing a big chandelier with that rustic look, peeling paint and all, for an entry hall that tells you this is a special home. This can be found at MyModernHome on Etsy.
And let's not forget tea crates!! Tea is shipped loose in crates marked by the shipper, sometimes with fun slogans on the side. I took a picture of a tea crate being used as the base for a coffee table (sorry, couldn't resist....) and think they are interesting because of the fun slogan and shipper stampings. They were purchased at the Dallas Market for $45.00 each, a steal after looking at prices for these types of boxes, and then the glass tops were an addition. What great conversation pieces they are!!!!
Now that I have covered coffee and tea, what about me??? Keep tuning in and learn about the fun at our home with four rescue dogs, my three jobs, and my quirky view of life as I see it. Let us know the wheres and hows of your caffeine fix and until next week, keep those comments coming!!!
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