Taste of the Colonies TrioTaste of the Colonies Trio A Sampling of Tea, Coffee and Cacao from the Colonial American Era In colonial times the pubs and coffee houses served ale, tea, coffee, and drinking chocolate. Plans for the Revolution were hatched over these tables. Tea, coffee, and cacao were exotic and expensive imports. Tea became a craze, but coffee was widely consumed and drinking chocolate was also common, especially among the colonies of Spain towards Mexico.