Tea became invested with a lot of political meaning in the 1760s and 1770s because

In the 1760s and 1770s tea became invested with a lot of political meaning because politicians believed that investing tea can potentially expand or grow their economy. It was also a reminder that Britain maintained its right to tax the colonials. Hence, Brtish citizens in Great Britain were paying on a per capita basis 10 times as much in taxes as the average American in the 13 colonies, though some colonies had higher taxes than others. In addition, between 1760 and 1770 Chinese tea also imported by the British East India Company into Britain nearly tripled from three to nine million pounds per year. Business was really booming for both the British and Chinese these years.