The view of tea in American culture began to shift when the British government introduced the Townshend Acts in 1767. Tea was taxed as part of these laws which made it less affordable for the American people. However, cheaper tea was still smuggled into America. Later in 1773 the Tea Act was put into place which allowed the East India Company to gain a monopoly on tea sales in America by being able to sell tea at prices that were cheaper than both the colonial tea importers and smugglers. The British government did this to be able to continue to collect tea taxes from the American colonies. However, the British were unable to hide the tax from the colonies and only managed to enrage the colonists. This led to the Boston Tea Party, where tea was dumped into the Boston Harbor, and other public protests of shipments of tea. As a consequence, tea drinking became unpatriotic. Boycotts of tea led to an increase in consumption of other beverages, such as coffee or herbal teas infused with peppermint, sage or dandelions.