18th Century Tea Chests: for a valuable new commodity Tea first exported from China to England in was extremely expensive and was stored in ceramic Chinese caddies, frequently blue and white. Soon tea chests were made in which to keep these tea caddies under lock and key and to be placed in the drawing room….read more
Earl Grey Tea and the Man: Discover more about his marvellous tea and the great man. Earl Grey tea is the most famous blend but who was the man and how did the tea come about? Earl Grey was not, surprisingly for some, in the tea business. He was born at the family seat of Falloden in…read more
Tea Clippers: Not beaten for speed until air-freight. In the 1850’s there was huge competition to build ever leaner and faster tea clippers to bring the harvest from China to Europe and north America. This was epitomised by the Champion of the Seas which in 1854 sailed 465 miles in one day – a feat…read more
Darjeeling Tea History: from 1859 The name Darjeeling (Dorje ling) is derived from the Tibetan name, ‘Land of the Thunderbolt’ due to its close proximity to the peaks of Kachenjunga. From around Darjeeling comes one of the most famous teas in the world, celebrated for its muscatel character which makes it highly sought-after as an afternoon…read more
Russian Caravan: a long-established and popular, aromatic blended tea Russian Caravan tea is traditionally prepared in a samovar and it became a national drink for all sections of Russian society. There was considerable demand for this tea which was imported by land from China. It was frequently served in a glass and sweetened with sugar….read more
