Inside the Philly Tea Service Inspired by the American Revolution

A Colonial-themed LiberTea at the Rittenhouse Hotel to celebrate America’s 250th / Photograph by Laura Swartz

We here at Philly Mag have been inundated with America 250-themed press releases all year, as seemingly every business, brand, and institution scrambles to tie itself to the semiquincentennial. Which is understandable — everyone wants a piece of the celebration! — though some of those connections have felt, shall we say, a bit tenuous. Every now and then, though, a 250th-inspired event comes along that feels genuinely thoughtful and delightfully specific.

At The Rittenhouse Hotel, that idea takes shape in LiberTea, a new afternoon tea service, available in the Mary Cassatt Tea Room through July 12th. (Reservations are available on OpenTable.)

The concept is rooted in a lesser-known Revolutionary War tradition: When colonists boycotted British-imported tea from the East India Company, they instead turned to local herbs, spices, and botanicals to create their own blends of “Liberty Teas.”

The result is part history lesson, part culinary exercise — and, in this case, part personal narrative. The teas were developed by tea manager AJ Memmo, who says the project grew out of both his fascination with Philadelphia’s Revolutionary history and his own experience with herbal teas after being diagnosed with a heart condition in 2007 and cutting out caffeine. That shift, he says, opened up an entirely new world of tisanes — and made the colonists’ improvisational approach feel unexpectedly personal. “The colonists began turning towards local ingredients to appease their appetites without their beloved Chinese and Indian teas,” Memmo explains. “It’s not exactly apples-to-apples, but it resonated with me. I wanted to represent that experience on this menu.”

The Mary Cassatt Tea Room at the Rittenhouse Hotel is hosting a history-themed LiberTea for America’s 250th. / Photograph courtesy of the Rittenhouse Hotel

From there, he built three signature blends, each anchored in a different flavor profile and historical reference point.

First, “The Boycott,” a spearmint-based tisane layered with lemon balm, orange, rose hip, and rose petals. “Mint had become naturalized in the colonies in the early 1700s and was already a staple in our young country’s hospitality sector,” Memmo says. “I wanted to incorporate a botanical that could cut into the sharpness of the mint but could also be found locally, hence the wild rose and rose hip.”

“Her Flag” pays homage to Hyperion Tea, which was a popular Liberty Tea. The blend — yerba mate with raspberry leaves, chamomile, and lavender — also draws inspiration from Betsy Ross. “Yerba mate is made from an evergreen holly tree famous for its high concentration of caffeine and theobromine (stimulants). Chamomile and lavender are basically the poster children for calmness,” Memmo explains. “The dichotomy of those ingredients creates a perfect balance, similar to the balance necessary to hand stitch America’s symbolic identity during the chaos of war.”

Fun fact: Since women were largely in charge of household purchases, the tea boycott was also a way for American women to step into political life. They organized rallies, distributed petitions and anti-tea pledges, and found rebellion in their home gardens. “I wanted to tell a story, and who better to assist than Philadelphia icon Betsy Ross?” Memmo says.

A 1775 British cartoon satirizing a boycott of British tea organized by women in North Carolina

The third blend, “Winter at Valley Forge,” is a “warming concoction” that leans into Pennsylvania’s agricultural landscape and the brutal winter endured by Continental Army soldiers when they were camped at Valley Forge. The spiced apple-based herbal tea “would have been a popular tool to help many young soldiers survive the frigid elements during that time,” Memmo says.

LiberTea service is $70 per person and includes your selection of one of those tea blends, along with tiers of tea sandwiches and sweets, some of which also carry on the patriotic Americana theme. Amongst the scones and smoked salmon, you’ll find red, white, and blue vanilla bean macarons; peach cobbler bars; and peanut squares, a riff on Goldenberg Peanut Chews.

Bites served during the LiberTea service / Photographs by Kae Lani Palmisano

You can also add on a themed cocktail: “The Declaration” riffs on a Tom Collins, using Bluecoat gin infused with butterfly pea flower for a deep colonial-blue hue. And “The 13” is a Manhattan variation inspired by the Cherry Bounce, a libation favored by George Washington, and boasting a 13-ingredient spice profile to honor the 13 Colonies.

LiberTea runs through July 12th at the Mary Cassatt Tea Room, offering a surprisingly intricate meditation on how a simple cup of tea became a canvas for the American revolutionary spirit. “Looking in practically any direction in this city offers an opportunity to learn more about our country’s origins,” says Memmo.