His habit was adopted first by the rest of the court and then by the entire country. Tea was sipped in homes, in taverns, and in pleasure gardens by the aristocracy as well as their servants. Tea also enjoyed immense popularity in the American Colonies until the late eighteenth century. However, when King George III decided to use tea as a source of revenue and raise the import tax on tea sent to the Colonies, the Americans rebelled. The Boston Tea Party of 1773, when colonists dressed as Indians and dumped a ship load of tea into Boston Harbo u r, was one of the events that propelled the Colonies toward independence and probably led to a marked preference for coffee in the United States.
Tea is taken all around the world.
Its influence spans cultural as well as economic boundaries. Tea has played a vital role in world politics, wars, literature, romance, and cuisine. It has been ascribed a spiritual and mystical connection to the soul in the East, while in the West it has been considered in turn to be an evil liquor, a medicinal cure for almost any ailment, and a symbol of imperial oppression. To many, tea is the nectar of life.