Limited Edition New York 250th Anniversary 'Brooklyn Heights Tea' Teabags Commemorative Tin

Description: Part of our 250th Anniversary Celebration Cities series, Brooklyn Heights Tea marks New York’s role as the harbor city where independence faced one of its first great military tests.

The tin design depicts a view inspired by A South West View of the City of New York, in North America, an etching and engraving by Pierre Charles Canot after a drawing by Captain Thomas Howdell of the Royal Artillery, published in London around 1768. Looking south from the Lower East Side, the scene shows the East River, Nutting Island (now Governors Island), and Staten Island in the distance, as well as the city rising along the waterfront.

In 1776, New York became one of the Revolution’s most strategically important cities. After the British evacuated Boston, George Washington moved the Continental Army to Lower Manhattan, recognizing the city’s harbor, rivers, and access to the Hudson as vital to the war. That summer, British forces gathered in and around New York Harbor. On August 27, the Battle of Long Island became the first major battle fought after the Declaration of Independence. Though the Americans were defeated, Washington’s nighttime evacuation across the East River saved the Continental Army and allowed the fight for independence to continue. Soon after, British forces occupied New York City, holding it for much of the war.

Inside the tin is our Oolong tea, a traditional Chinese tea partially oxidized to bring out characteristics of both green and black tea. Its place between the two felt fitting for New York in 1776: a port city shaped by trade, divided by loyalty, and soon to be transformed by war.

Ingredients: Oolong Tea Leaves

Size/ Type: 3 oz loose tea sealed in black commemorative tea tin

Shelf Life: 3 Years

Brewing Tips: 195° for 4–5 minutes

Hand Packaged by Oliver Pluff & Co. in Charleston, South Carolina