Honest Tea Testing DC Area's Honesty

A Maryland beverage-maker is testing your honesty today by offering you a drink and trusting you to leave a dollar.

Bethesda-based Honest Tea is conducting it's second annual Honest Cities "social experiment."  It will leave carts of its iced tea drinks around several cities nationwide, including the District.  There will be a sign asking people to leave $1 for taking the tea.

Hidden cameras will keep an eye on people today in a busy spot of the District.  The iced tea cart and the honesty test will be in place until 6:00pm.  You can watch the Honest Tea cart via live streaming video.  

How will DC fare compared to other cities' honesty?  In 2010, 93% of people who took a bottle outside Union Station left money.  That put Washington in second place in the nation, just getting edged out by Boston.

"Sometimes people put in more money.  We saw a guy put in $5 and took three bottles," said Seth Goldman, the "Tea E.O" of Honest Tea, in an interview with 9NEWS NOW.  "Some people have been on roller skates and barely slowed down to take a bottle.  You really see all kinds of different behavior."

Results of the multi-city honesty test are expected to be released Wednesday.

Written by Dan Guzman: 9NEWS NOW & wusa9.com