Changes in Tea Consumption in United States in the First Half of the 20th Century

Abstract

This study examines the American tea culture and tea consumption patterns in the United States, analyzing development patterns of modern American tea culture, as well as trends and factors influencing tea imports and consumption. First, tea consumption in the United States in the first half of the 20th century increased at the same level or slightly higher than in the previous century despite population growth. Second, tea consumption increased dramatically due to the Prohibition Act in the 1920s and black tea particularly increased rather than green tea as more tea was imported from India, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia than from China and Japan due to the influence of the Pacific War and the Korean War in the 1940s and the 1950s respectively. Third, iced tea, which existed before the 20th century, was initially made of green tea but later changed to black tea, and as refrigeration improved, it became a representative American drink. Fourth, tea bags were invented in the previous century for economic feasibility and refine taste at first. Their quickness and convenience stimulated consumer sentiment, and when combined with CTC black tea, they gained an overwhelming advantage in the market. As stated above, American tea culture was still intact even after the 20th century, and it built its own unique tea culture that advanced from the original English tea culture, such as American tea food, informal and entertaining character, iced tea and tea bags.