Instant tea in United States history

During the early 20th century, tearooms became common in many large cities in the United States. These were largely owned, operated and frequented by women, who saw these establishments as good alternatives to the saloons when men mainly congregated.

However, these tearooms went out of fashion and largely disappeared during the 1920s. Tea reemerged as an important beverage after World War II, Lipton introduced the four-sided tea bag in 1952, and instant tea came out five years later.

Advances in processing technology allowed the development of instant tea, which was first produced in England in 1940, with commercial production in the United States beginning in 1950.

The demand in the United States is for instant teas soluble in cold water, because it is iced tea which is the real basis for the success of instant tea in that country. Production and consumption in the United States is greater than in the rest of the world.

The methods used for instant tea production have been protected by patents, and the patents published up to 1969 have been reviewed in 1977. The United States has now become the world’s second largest importer of tea. By the 1990s, almost one hundred million tons were being used each year in teabags or processed into instant tea.

Instant tea in United States history