Coffee, Tea, or...?

On Saturday, 27 September, Historic Deerfield will host a one-day conference on the three hot beverages of the eighteenth century.

We still consume tea and coffee in much the same way as they did then, but at that time British-Americans enjoyed a third hot drink derived from a tropical plant: chocolate. Chocolate wasn’t yet the solid, sweet dessert that we expect today. It was more often a breakfast beverage, with a kick. (Then as now people recognized chocolate’s many restorative qualities.)

Historic Deerfield’s announcement says in part:

The introduction of tea, coffee, and chocolate into 17th-century Europe had an immediate and lasting effect on the tastes and habits of the western world.

Historic Deerfield will hold a one-day forum on the history and material culture of tea, coffee, and chocolate on Saturday, September 27, 2008. Participants will enjoy a day of lectures, tours, hands-on workshops, open-hearth demonstrations, and lively conversations about these three important, hot beverages.

• Curator Gerald W. R. Ward of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, will educate you on the delights of coffee and coffee-related objects,
• Parson’s School of Design adjunct professor Jennifer Goldsborough will discuss the role of tea in social life, etiquette, and decorative arts.
• Historic Deerfield’s Amanda Lange will speak on chocolate in early America and its equipage.

There will also be tastings, naturally. Here’s the brochure and registration form.