What kind of tea, and where did it come from that was dumped in the Boston Harbor during the Boston Tea Party?
During the Boston Tea Party, which took place on December 16, 1773, the Sons of Liberty, a group of American patriots, boarded three ships carrying East India Company cargo and dumped 342 chests of **black tea** into the Boston Harbor as a form of protest². The tea was imported from China and was a blend of different types of tea¹. The specific types of tea that were thrown overboard were **Bohea**, **Congou**, and **Souchong**⁴. Bohea was a popular black tea that was a blend of oolong and black teas from the Wuyi Mountains and surrounding areas¹. Congou was used to denote a higher quality Bohea¹. Souchong was a sub-type of Bohea since it also comes from the Wuyi Mountains. It is a black tea that was smoked, though likely not as much as modern versions of Lapsang Souchong¹.
Source: Conversation with Bing, 1/25/2024
(1) Boston Tea Party | Facts, Summary, & Significance | Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Boston-Tea-Party.
(2) What Kind of Tea was Thrown Overboard at the Boston Tea Party?.
https://www.teaformeplease.com/what-...ton-tea-party/.
(3) What You Should Know About The Tea Involved In The Boston Tea Party ....
https://www.grunge.com/419753/what-y...ton-tea-party/.
(4) Destruction of British East India Company Tea | Boston Tea Party.
https://www.bostonteapartyship.com/t...ion-of-the-tea.