What comes to mind when you think of tea in America? Is it the Boston Tea Party? Perhaps you think of the Southern innovation of sweet tea? The Camellia sinensis tea plant, native to China, was a guarded secret for almost a thousand years. This secret was finally shared when trade routes were developed, and teas were introduced to the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and then finally to the American colonies. America has had a unique history with this beverage, and although secondary to coffee, the US has evolved into a nation of tea drinkers.
