Coffee versus Tea in the New World | AESOP'S THE FOX AND THE GRAPES | 1700's | HISTORY | FRONTIER | 

The wee bit about the history of whiskey, kinda makes me proud of my heritage. English, Scotland, and Ireland. Still like my Bourbon. Can't blame Kathy for being worried about you falling off the roof. The fort is coming along nicely. Great video, Peter and Kathy. Keep your powder dry. Till next time

A most pleasant presentation, Peter. What could be finer on a cold morning than a cup of hot coffee and a hand-written letter from friends? Very nice indeed...

I'm exceedingly happy that you are amused by the coffee horn , Peter . I was chuckling to myself during it's construction :- ] On another note .. Peter Kalm's " Travels in North America" in 1754 is a wonderful resource and I have been thoroughly enjoying the Swedish botanist's descriptions of his experiences. We would be much poorer had we not the benefit of being able to access these old journals. Perhaps, 200 years from now, folks will have the pleasure of reading yours :- ]

So true what you say about patience and letters. It is a sad condition in South Africa, where the post office no longer functions. I have not had mail delivered for over three years and live in a seaside suburb of Cape Town. Parcels are only delivered by courier and physical letters are in the past. Watch out world, it could happen to you..... Thank you so much for your nicely done videos - very much appreciated. 🙂

I got to enjoy this episode in my new cabin and I've filled it with spinning wheels, and wool fleece. ❤ it's so wonderful.

I think that is the most beautiful thumbnail for a vid I've seen

Now THATS dedication to playing with friends!

Hi Peter. A lovely film as always and enjoyed your bit of tea history. This is slightly off piste but you’ll see the connection as I ramble on…..if you can stay awake long enough! As you rightly say, tea and coffee were the preserves of the wealthy in England. However, in the 1700’s coffee became ‘cheaper’ and so was more available to those that were wealthy but not as wealthy as the very richest members of British society and so coffee shops began to spring up in the more affluent towns and cities but as you would expect, most were in London. The London coffee scene grew up in parallel with the expanding news paper industry and the wealthy began to meet in the coffee shops to read the latest news and discuss the big issues of the day. The clientele of these establishments would be made up of quite a diverse group that included the political elite, poets and artists. One regular visitor was Sir Francis Dashwood of Dashwood House, West Wycombe, a small village a few miles west of High Wycombe which in turn is roughly 35 miles to the west of central London. Sir Francis would be what was described in those days as a bit of a Rake which according to the Cambridge English Dictionary is defined as ‘A man, especially one who is rich or with a high social position, who lives in an immoral way’ among other traits that I am too polite to mention here but involved certain types of ladies, not all of whom were from a lower social standing! Now Sir Francis was the 11th Baron le Despencer (1708 - 1781) and was at one time the Chancellor of the Exchequer. He moved in high society and as a Member of Parliament he knew all the eminent politicians of the day. ‘What’s that got to do with coffee?’ I hear you cry! Well, from these coffee houses sprung some of the early ‘Gentlemen’s Clubs’ but most notoriously, Sir Francis formed what was to become popularly known as the Hellfire Club! After early meetings at various locations including Dashwood House, Sir Francis least the ruined Medmenham Abbey that sat on an island in the River Thames a few miles hard riding across country from his Country Estate. Members were invited to join and the membership was drawn from high ranking politicians and the wealthy of High Society including Royalty. It is claimed that Benjamin Franklin was also a member but some sources contest this idea but it is certainly true that Franklin and Sir Francis were close friends and so it is highly probable that he was a member. The Hellfire Club had various names but was originally known as the ‘Order of the Knights of St Francis’ and they used parodies of Church festivals and Services as backgrounds to their meetings of drunkenness and debauchery where their deities were Bacchus and Venus……you get the idea! The Club eventual moved from Medmenham after the group were exposed in the Press and found a new home in the chalk caves carved out in the hillside opposite Dashwood House. The caves were originally old mine workings but Sir Francis expanded them years before moving the Club there when he paid for a project to build a road from West Wycombe to High Wycombe to give employment to the local population, all very convenient as it turned out. The caves can still be visited today. My parents took us kids there for summer Sunday picnics in the late 1960s. You can read much more about all this on Internet and there are some good books on the subject. As for tea, no such sordid tales to tell I’m afraid but with the rural population moving more and more to the industrial towns for work as a result of the Industrial Revolution and the price of tea becoming far, far cheaper, it became the drink of the working people and as a result public health began to improve. It wasn’t the tea itself that brought about the change, it was the fact that the water used to make it had to be boiled therefore killing the nasty bacteria that caused the death of so many. I’ll leave you in peace now Peter! 🤣 Best wishes, Mark

At my age peace is much more important than anything else. Watching you brings peace. Tnanks

"Aesop's fables" lessons to live by!! Loved it! The pewter inlay on the horn is very good quality. I'm impressed with that. I just finished another scrimshawed 1747 map horn and have been pondering what I want to do to the flat plug end. Hmmm!

Your channel is fine on so many levels and so many ways. I watch it to get peace in my life. Thank you for that.

It’s always so nice do you see the camera change directions, even if so lightly, because then I know the two of you are together making us another fine video. Thank you Peter, thank you Catherine.

Great video! I always get inspired after watching!

It's hard to beat a hot cup of coffee made from dark roasted beans! I have a book of Aesop's fables I read to my granddaughter. She doesn't get many of them now but being 3 it is interesting to talk to her about them. Her way of understanding is enlightening to me.

Thank you for yet another interesting and informative video. I remember my Dad always poured out the first bits of tea into, and sipped it from his saucer. I have been advised many times to remember the fox and grapes fable.

My father has kept a journal even in these modern times. I think real print is important. It may be the only lasting documentation.

My wife and I enjoy your videos very much!

Oh my friend.. As many wounderful things modern technologies bring us, I would give it all up in a blink of an eye, to go back to times where we sat around the camp fire and shared stories. Sharing time with eachother over dinners or just a simple gathering to feel the community of being together. How I miss it and yern for it still.. thank you for your heart felt video's. I am most grateful.. Hoping this note finds you and yours, healthy and happy for this new year. Sending love and light, always.. 🪶🍁💮

That new wool shirt looks great, Peter.

From your reading of the letter I was thinking the same thing. It must have been wonderful, in a way, to have to wait for things like letters. Imagine even having to wait maybe a month to hear from someone over seas. The joy in receiving it. I recently read The Backwoods of Canada, by Catharine Parr Traille. Of you haven’t read it, it was from a school teacher, married to a retired British officer, who was granted a parcel of land in upper canada village. The book is based on her letters home, mostly to her mother. It was a little more modern than your era, around 1830, but it was almost the exact same time as my ancestors arrived and moved to a township in New Brunswick. Unfortunately they decided to modernize the English, but still a great read. As for the coffee, as I understand it, the UK was a great coffee fan, but there was a blight in their colonies, and ruined the trade, so they switched to tea, and the rest is history. I’m curious about foot wear back then, and how they handled moisture, or actual wet snow, mud etc…. Have you done a video on that?

I love all your videos. thanks so much for doing all you do.

Awesome Stuff, Amazing to see people like you keeping the old stuff alive. God bless you.

What nice gifts you got from your friends! Enjoy!! Blessings to you and Cathy.

👍👍👍

Great video…I would add that as exciting as receiving a letter is, the act of writing one is an equal gift. The serene act of writing your thoughts down is as good as journaling. Taking time with yourself and reflecting the moments in your life you want to share is cathartic and meditative. 🤗 I spent 4 days in your wonderful woodland cabin journaling my adventures. I think of it as letters to my future self. Thanks for providing such a great creative place to collect my thoughts.

We love your videos and your wee little history bits. Really inspirational shows.

Thanks again that we can share your fire and stories and even those precious gifts with you. Thanks for posting on Friday that I won't have to wait for midnight on a Sunday to watch this great journey. It is very warm and dry here in South Africa. We hope for some rain again. Be Blessed

It was always a great time to get a letter in the mail. Chess by mail reminded me when I was in school I played monopoly by phone. Every night at 6 pm we played by phone with each having a board set up. It took all summer to finish the game. I had forgot about that. Thanks for sharing

Ps watching and listening to you is like hanging out with a wonderful friend who is loaded with valuable knowledge and experience . You reach people like me , and many others in such a meaningful way ; showing us how to get back to a simpler , happier and more nature friendly life . Your work is so important !!

You brought a chuckle to me with the journal & cursive writing. I have kept a fancy journal of witticisms, jokes, sayings etc all written in cursive by fountain pen (no quill!!) My now 20 year old granddaughter wants this journal after my demise but cannot read the cursive (no longer on the curriculum). So the challenge- learn to read cursive & the journal is yours. Thanks for the reminder.

Love listening to you talk Peter 😎

Nice video, thoroughly enjoyed it.

HNY. Very interesting. Thank you.

Patience,another blessing lost oh the joy of technology .

You ought to read Washington’s book on being a gentleman. It has a lot of parables in it.

Hi Peter, nice to see you! Thanks, enjoyed the coffee time history bit. Take care see ya on the next 18th century adventure! 👍

G'Day from Australia, I am enjoying watching your videos. The first one that I watched was on making a hunting shirt. About 30 years ago I gave up muzzleloading and reenacting. This year I've decided to begin shooting my muzzleloaders again---a Brown Bess and three Enfields( two 20 gauge smoothbores-- a 36 " barreled musket and a cavalry carbine as well as a .58 musketoon). I need to replace my powder horn that I foolishly sold and some clothing---that's why I looked up your video(s). I have to agree that patience is no longer considered to be a virtue. Everything has to be now, or sooner! While it is good to be able to be in instant(almost) contact with a friend or loved one, receiving or sending a letter or parcel remains a joy. When I was reenacting or doing "living history" I developed a liking for Lapsang Souchong tea. It had a smoky flavour that I realy enjoyed. I first came across it after watching the early episodes of the series "Centennial". One of the early fur trade characters bought some at a rendezvous. It seems to have disappeared off the supermarket shelves. I may have to try and buy it on line from a tea supplier. Thank you for your videos. They don't just show how to make gear. You recreate the atmosphere of past times. Cheers, Steve

Thank you and hello from Germany 🇩🇪♥️🇨🇦

My paternal grandparents immigrated from England later 1800's to upper peninsula of Michigan. My maternal grandparents were french Canadians who immigrated to upper peninsula. My dad drank tea and my mother drank coffee. Dad wouldn't drink coffee and mom wouldn't drink tea. It made for an interesting marriage.

Well there's a sight I remember from years gone by - Peter roasting coffee beans on an open fire! Even the same pan I think! I can smell those beans and almost taste that coffee all the way to the East Coast. Keep up the good work my friend and stay warm. Cheers!

Made pea soup today, it’s wonderful!

I love watching your videos. It's nice to see someone else other than myself who has a passion for frontier history. See you on the Frontier! From your american friend.

Many thanks for another great and informative video.

Love your videos look forward to each one I’m going to try my hand at making a buckskin shirt when the weather breaks

When wilderness camping I always brought along tea. It was much lighter to carry and worked just fine to warm up the body. I have watched several episodes where you roast your beans, grind them up. It would take pounds of coffee beans to last a week in the wild.

Good one also. Enjoyed it. How was yeast obtained to make bread?

Thank you!

Good morning from Syracuse Ny USA brother and everyone else thank you for sharing your adventures in history

Coffee on the table right now ☕

It is important to record it, repeat it and as often as possible relive it! In some small part we become something greater than our today’s, but stewards of our future, by understanding our past! I am because someone was! A great video. As Scotch-Irish myself, coffee has always been king..🙂

Could you do a show on roasting coffee beans?

Another great video Peter, interesting about coffee and tea. I really enjoy coffee, but raised in a family of English and Scottish descendents, tea was everyones go to drink. Keep the videos come Kathy. Watch your top knot

KEEP ME ON YOUR LIST HOWDY ROCKY MTS.

Thank you for another relaxing and informative video. What could make a better day than a good cup of coffee and a hand-written letter from a friend?

Thanks for another great video! The digital age has definitely ruined the personal connection that an actual letter brings. I still remember sending letters all the time and i rather enjoyed it. I really should find someone to correspond with, it would be refreshing.

Another great video and wee bit of history. I trully miss writing letters and waiting to get one back it seems noone does that anymore

What do you call this building in this video? And why the rocks and tree rounds placed as such?

A video about this building would be great. I assume this was the first "structure" built there. A video would be great.

i m enjoying your stories from Virginia.

I was thinking...someone a hundred years from now may find that letter and say, 1776?... but the paper seems to be more modern than that....hmmm a puzzle. Of course by that time all may be so dumbed down that they wouldn't even investigate! Lol. Enjoy your coffee! Thanks, Peter.

Appreciate your efforts and dedication! Patience and anticipation, very good subjects indeed. Curious about how coffee was shipped in the period? I believe coffee of today is shipped in bags, but was wondering if it differed in the period. Thanks again and keep your powder dry!

Like it that your knife , long gun flintlock and often hatchet / axe. Since visiting you & listening to you, expanded my studying. Oh my gosh, the early days were fraught with danger as well as need to take game for sustenance. Our daughter does the Ancestry thing. On mother’s side, VERY early immigrates. Tories in New York, Canada after the Revolution. Was murdered by a ne'er-do-well itinerant from Italy (of all places) after moving to Canada. He either owned a mill or was at the village mill and the guy stabbed him. Must not have been prepared. The dangers came from many things in those days. Native peoples occasionally warred on settlers.

Thank you for the video! Yes, penmanship is gone by the way side. You should see some of what I need to decipher at work. Oh, several have admitted they have no clue how to address an envelope or write out a personal check ("what's that?").

WHAT a homey homestead you have! A place 4 everything and everything in it's place = LOVELY! You do have some very nice friends, like bees (friends) attracted 2 sweet flowers (U an' Catherine). I appreciate the interesting 'wee bits of history'...and so the debate/division continue...coffee? tea?. Personally, I am grateful 4 whatever is placed B 4 me. I should like 2 know what U think of the 'French' coffee though! Perhaps a; '2 B continued.' vid? LOL! Aesop taught us many good lessons...the fox may have cunning, but truth evades him. “Black as the devil, hot as hell, pure as an angel, sweet as love.” Charles Maurice de Talleyrand 1754-1838 Quote of a 'connoisseur' no doubt! Thanks 4 the fascinating vid Peter and the 'en'deer'ing filmography Catherine. Health dear ones, and God Bless! :)

Hey Peter! There is absolutely nothing like a hot drink to warm you up on a Winter's morning... Tea, Hot Chocolate, or Coffee! I would have thought that the Spanish in (relatively) near South America... not to mention their Colonies in early North America, would have had a large influence as well. Wasn't there a time in London where "Coffee Houses" that served Hot Chocolate as well as coffee, were all the rage in the English business community? I suspect that English investment in India played a large part in Tea being the English beverage of choice.

Thank you for a nice relaxed start to the morning. Tea all the way for me, I’m afraid. Lovely pewter work on that flask, I’ll have to find out more about that craft.

Beautiful video! Patience, waiting for something - It makes me wonder what it was like back then to be neurodivergent (e.g. ADHD or autism spectrum disorder). You were not bombarded with instant gratification so you had to focus your attention on what existed in the immediate world.

In some parts of England, tea is also synonymous with dinner/evening meal. I imagine one reason why Britain preferred tea was easier access than coffee due to the empire, or that it simply tastes better ;)

great video as always

I have often wonder about the pots with a bottom spout and pots with the spout at the top. If I’m making campfire coffee I want the spout at the top.

I bet that French coffee was good. I like a good rich cup of joe!

Being a furniture draftsman / designer my whole adult life, I print; and my printing is highly legible. However, I have lost the ability to write in cursive....sadly. Interesting bit of video at the last....The young fork-horn is missing one half of his rack. It seems way too early for him to be shedding antlers. Is this normal? I so look forward to your posts. They are refreshing and informative; instilled with a gentle sense of wonder and joy.

ABLE TO TRADE FOR BAMBOO LARGE, USED TO CARRY B-POWDER, COFFEE, TEA, CHOCKLET, ROUND BALLS ETC. KEN ROCKY MTS.

I'm English and what I know about us is that we probably only pretended not to enjoy coffee because we couldn't get it at the time. When we WERE able to get it we kad what's called Coffee Shops where it was consumed massively.

Started buying my green coffee beans from sweet Maria’s off the net. Wow, quality seems much better than from others I purchased from…. And yes I still get excited over mail. 😃

That was some good insight to tea drinking. I only drink tea. Have you been able to keep that friendship with the ches player going?

Hi! Nice video!! By chance...what do you have, (if anything), on the soles of your winter mocs. to keep from slipping and sliding all over the place? Mine look just like yours, and I have a heck of a time with them in the snow. I can strap on my period ice creepers, but don't want to spend all day walking around camp with those on. Have also tied pieces of hemp rope around the bottoms in an attempt to get better traction...with so so results. Thank you!

I noticed that your shoes look a bit wet. I know you used some birch bark inside, but do you oil the leather to keep them somewhat waterproof? I’d also like to know how to keep from slipping when the bottoms of your shoes are so smooth. Keep up the good work.

I’ve been drinking both lately. I keep a pot of tea on the wood stove and make a cup of coffee as desired. End of story- I’m taking in too much caffeine.

It is great to have a nice cup of coffee. Did you do your ink yourself? If not, you definetely should try it if you have some oaks in your are. And it is an easy project too, mostly consists of time

♥

Did our forefathers keep their firearms "at the ready", or did they charge them as needed?

Are you sure that wasn't a rum toddy ... in that silver cup ...

The Brits had easy access to the coffee growing regions way back and coffee shops were as popular as tea houses, often the meeting places of the artistic and political communities. There is no doubt no end of information on the history of coffee in Britain on utube and wiki.

Once again very informative especially the letter from your friends the way it may have been written long ago. Just one observation and if I get chided for being a wee bit political I’ll take my my bread and water with a cheerful heart. On the matter of cursive writing being removed from education in both our Countries is quite ominous in desired affect! Legal Documents written during the period you portray as you know are written in cursive, case in point the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. So if you can’t write cursive it becomes much more difficult to read documents in cursive making it harder to know your rights and freedoms. I consider this to be a shot at the water line of Freedom.

Nothing like a cup Of black coffee to get me ready to hit it hard! Great video as usual guys.

Tea is ok but there’s nothing like a pot of coffee in the morning afternoon or night. 😂😂

Ive always wondered... People back them had a flintlock rifle about 50 cal. You couldnt shoot a squirrel or rabbit, etc with that rifle. There was also small calibre rifles that would be used for small animal hunting. When on a "Trek" what did they do for this problem? Did they carry two rifles with them?

Maybe you can tell me something. Why did the people from back then make their houses out of wood and not stone if they had stone handy?

I'm part French but I'd take tea over coffee

Would like a hand made shark jaw dream catcher let me know were to send it

It's sad that although if I write in cursive, many can't read it and I have to print instead. Society is going backwards, IMO.

Yeah, society is dumbing down

Howdy Peter Do you roast your coffee beans offend ? Love a good cup of coffee , look forward to it . Ever try Vietnamese coffee ? what a kick .... can start your truck ! Penmanship .... I was taught it long time ago in school ... Still have very good Penmanship ...... Like the stories .... never heard of the fox and the grape . Heard of " sour grapes " . Don't stop telling stories .

Never did care for the English to this day Oh. Mr Kelly who won the chess game ?

I learned cursive in elementary school. They only teach kids enough to be able to fill out their food stamp and welfare applications. In my day teachers taught to the level of the brightest kids in the class and not the dumbest. As you have probably noted I write in the Kings English? I learned it from a little blue book, titled Harbrace’s English grammar, as I remember.

My wife was an English teacher for 40 years. In the latter years her students would whine if she wrote something on the board in cursive. And if she showed a video clip they'd complain if it was in black & white, they said it hurt their eyes. They were good at complaining (and probably still are) Granted they are being taught new skills these days, but there are some skills that need to be retained -like producing durable communications without the use of anything more than a pen or pencil. It's getting so that i can leave my car unlocked these days as most Americans under 40 don't know how to drive a manual transmission. Too many skills are becoming ephemeral. What's next?

Hi . I enjoy your videos so much and am learning an incredible amount frim them . Im another history nut and i wonder if you have an email address/means for me to send a photo . Years ago , while huking in the Hudson highlands , i found a very old firestarter , much like yours at the foundation of an old cabin . I'd like to hear any thoughts you might have . Have you done a video on firestarting yet ? I have to go look . Thanks so much for your inspiring work , i watch it for hours . R Lee , Newburgh NY