Quality as a Moving Target: Japanese Tea, Consumer Preference, and Federal Regulation on the US Market

In the 1860s, US consumers initially welcomed the first imports of Japanese green tea, viewing them as superior in qualityQuality to established Chinese varieties. Two decades later, however, Japanese tea faced a crisis amid rising concerns about its quality. This chapter explores first the reasons behind that crisis, highlighting the roles of rapidly changing consumer views of coloring agents added to teasColoring agents added to tea , health movementsHealth movements , media reports of widespread adulterationsAdulteration , and negative advertising campaigns launched by promoters of rival India and Ceylon black teas. Second, it examines the response mounted by US merchants dealing in Japanese green tea, emphasizing how they championed the institution of federal standards of quality, imposed by the US Congress in 1883 and 1897. The chapter thus reveals the limited influence that Japanese producers played in shaping perceptions of qualityQuality for their product, stressing instead the impacts of US discourse concerning food and beverage adulterationAdulteration and fluid consumer preferencesConsumer preferences for tea.