Tea Currency

Throughout tea’s glorified history, it has been prized as a precious commodity.

So essential is tea in China, Tibet, Mongolia and Central Asia, that prior to the 19th century, tea was used as currency in the form of tea bricks. Tea was actually preferred to coins by nomads, as it was a universal currency as opposed to a merely local one. In Siberia, tea was employed as a standard form of payment until WWII.

In 1662, when the beverage was popularized in England thanks to the wedding of Portuguese royal Catherine Braganza and King Charles II, tea was priced at a hefty $100 per pound.

✦ In Victorian homes, only the lady of the house or perhaps most trusted servant would be entrusted with the keys to the chest.

And we know what happened in Boston when taxes on tea became too steep.

So next time you’re tempted to grumble over the price tag on that Tazo, think about how much it might have cost a few centuries ago.