WE LOVE our VeTEArans!

In honor of Veteran’s Day, we thought we would share a story about a favorite veteran, and his favorite hot beverage. Amanda Greenfield, a writer for the Tea Can Company, shares her memories.

My grandfather was a tea connoisseur. His parents were born in Ireland. When they moved here in the early 1900s, they brought with them many of the old traditions from Kilkenny, including, you guessed it, their love of TEA!

Tea was the cure for everything, he said. He would drink it for headaches, body aches and pains, insomnia and even anxiety. He was in World War II you see, and lived through a time where everything was rationed. All over the world, trading was impacted with some nations being entirely blocked off and destroyed by the Axis Powers. The country that held most of the tea that shipped to the United States was England. Japan and Germany knew this was one of their biggest imports and wanted to disrupt the tea chain. The “Blitz”, or “The bombing of Mincing Lane” was the direct result of their efforts.

According to Teabox.com, “Mincing Lane did not store tea but was the repository for just about all the records of 30 million tonnes of stocks, trades and finances destroyed by the bombing. That is when the government moved into action. Almost all foods and clothing items were rationed; this lasted until 1952, seven years after the war had ended. The weekly allowance was two ounces of butter and cheese, eight of sugar, four of bacon. And two ounces of tea, enough to make three cups a day.”

England was able to ration their tea, because, despite the war, continued to buy it. Tea was so important to the English, that Churchill ordered warships to have unlimited amounts of tea. It is often said that he claimed tea more important than ammunition!

American’s, however, weren’t as lucky. My grandfather recalls the days when he couldn’t even get one cup of tea a week. One of his jobs was training bomb smelling dogs to walk the beaches to sniff them out. He would often work 12-15 hour shifts at a time, bone weary and exhausted from long trudges in the deep sand pockets of the Jersey Shores. After his shifts, in order to get warm, he would often drink a hot cup of water, while craving a cup of delicious tea. You see, because of our fight with Japan and having no trade with them or China, Green and Oolong tea’s were non-existent, reverting American’s to drinking black tea only. The shortage of tea coupled with complicated trading routes made it harder for Tea loving American’s to get it.

I often remember sitting with my grandfather, drinking tea in my church clothes on Sundays, so many years after that war had passed. He would always close his eyes after the fist sip, taking in the bountiful goodness of the healing flavor, always grateful that it wasn’t just hot water. He would smile as he drank it, always thankful for the taste of what he called “his boyhood.”

Tea is in our history, in our memories and in our hearts. It is something we can connect the generations through, reaching over impossible divides of time, connecting us all together again as we once were. I know that some of my fondest moments are of drinking tea with him at that old table in my fancy shoes, and I will hold onto those memories forever.

Happy Veteran’s Day to him, and all of those who have served.

We thank you, wholeheartedly, for your service.