<P> American restaurants and workplaces typically offer machine - made drip brew coffee by default, while hot tea brewed by the cup with tea bags, an American invention, is available by request . Tea has played an important role in the United States, as families tend to gather around the kitchen and tea is often served here . Although many may equate tea to grandmothers, tea drinking is popular with all ages . Tea parties can be celebrated for many occasions, from the very small and intimate to the large family gatherings and celebrations . In the U.S. south a regional favorite called sweet tea--which is brewed, sweetened, and chilled in advance of consumption--may be served at all meals and throughout the day as an alternate to other beverages . In the United States, about 85% of the tea consumed is served cold, or iced . Iced tea is more frequently consumed during periods of hot weather or in lower latitudes, and hot tea is likewise more common in colder weather . Any confusion when one is visiting different parts of the country can easily be solved by explicitly asking for either "hot tea" or "iced tea ." Afternoon tea, as a meal, is rarely served in the U.S. except in ritualized special occasions such as the tea party or an afternoon out at a high - end hotel or restaurant, which may also offer cream tea on their menu . </P> <P> The American tea culture is a part of the history of the United States, as this beverage appeals to all classes and has adapted to the customs of the United States of America . In the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, now known as New York, tea was served with the best silver strainers, the finest porcelain cups and pots, and wooden tea caddies . Tea became a very popular drink in the colonies, and tea ceremonies were common among all classes . In Salem, MA, tea leaves were boiled to create a bitter brew, then served as a vegetable side dish with butter . By the time of the American Revolution, tea was drunk everywhere from the backwoods to the cities . </P> <P> However, tea and tea taxes became a bone of contention between the American Colonies and Great Britain . This led to the 1773 Boston Tea Party, a precipitating event of the Revolution, when angry Colonists destroyed the tea cargo of three British ships by dumping them into Boston Harbor . As a consequence, tea drinking became unpatriotic . Boycotts of tea led to an increase in consumption of other beverages, such as coffee or herbal teas infused with peppermint, sage or dandelions . </P> <P> To this day, coffee remains more popular than tea in the United States; however the U.S. still consumed 7.8 gallons of tea per capita annually . While coffee is by far more popular, hot brewed black tea is enjoyed both with meals and as a refreshment by much of the population . Similarly, iced tea is consumed throughout . In the Southeastern states sweet tea, sweetened with large amounts of sugar or an artificial sweetener and chilled, is the fashion . Outside the Southeast, sweet tea is sometimes found, but primarily because of cultural migration and commercialization . </P>

When did america switch from tea to coffee