Tea Inventions in America: Teabags and Iced Tea

By 1904 the United States was ready for the world to see her development at the St. Louis World's Fair. Trade exhibitors from around the world brought their products to America's first World's Fair. One such merchant was Richard Blechynden, a tea plantation owner. Originally, he had planned to give away free samples of hot tea to fair visitors. But when a heat wave hit, no one was interested. To save his investment of time and travel, he dumped a load of ice into the Brewed Tea and served the first "Iced Tea". It was (along with the Egyptian fan dancer) the hit of the Fair.

Four years later, Thomas Sullivan of New York developed the concept of "Bagged Tea". As a Tea Merchant, he carefully wrapped each Tea Sample delivered to restaurants for their consideration. He recognized a natural marketing opportunity when he realized the restaurants were brewing the Tea Samples "in the bags" to avoid the mess of Tea Leaves in the kitchens.