Find out more about our world-famous brands. Lipton is the world's largest tea brand, available in more than 110 countries.
Twining's also holds the title of being the oldest brand of tea in the UK. It was established in 1706 – making it over 300 years old! Twining's also claim to be the inventors of Earl Grey tea. According to their website, Richard Twining created this iconic blend in 1831 for Prime Minister Charles Grey.
Tetley, the 2nd largest tea brand globally, is a British icon with a heritage of more than 180 years. Born in 1837, the brand was founded by the Yorkshire based Tetley brothers, and joined the Tata Consumer Products family in 2000.
History of Earl Grey Tea
Sometimes it feels like Earl Grey has practically become synonymous with Twinings. It was invented at our shop on the Strand in 1831 at the behest of the Prime Minster, Charles Grey, the second Earl Grey. And we named it after him.
One of the brands that holds an iconic status, for both tea and Britain, is Twinings. From English Breakfast to Earl Grey, Twinings have been inventing top quality blends since 1706.
Earl Grey is one of the most recognized flavored teas in the world. This quintessentially British tea is typically a black tea base flavored with oil from the rind of bergamot orange, a citrus fruit with the appearance and flavor somewhere between an orange and a lemon with a little grapefruit and lime thrown in.
Black Tea: The Most Consumed Tea Globally
The most popular black tea in the world is Assam tea, which is grown in the Assam region of India and is known for its strong, malty flavor.
While Da Hong Pao is the most expensive tea in the world and available only at auctions, there is another Chinese tea that is pretty expensive. And while it doesn't have Ming dynasty connections, it is related to a rare animal found in China. The Panda Dung tea uses the panda's dung as fertiliser.
Tetley Tea
Tetley has made a name for itself as one of the most popular tea brands in Britain, and they are also responsible for some of the first tea bags introduced to British homes!
History. Twinings was founded by Thomas Twining, of Painswick, Gloucestershire, England, who opened Britain's first known tea room, at No. 216 Strand, London, in 1706; it still operates today. The firm's logo, created in 1787, is the world's oldest in continuous use.
The small city of Uji, ust south of Kyoto, has a pretty big reputation despite its small size.
Queen Elizabeth II was known to enjoy a cup of Earl Grey tea in the morning, while King Charles is a fan of Darjeeling tea.
Black Tea. Perhaps the most famous, and most popular, tea in the world, black tea is a staple in many households. There are several types of black tea in the market, but Ceylon tea is widely considered to be one of the finest brews.
Da Hong Pao is considered the most expensive and rarest tea in the world. This traditional Chinese product is obtained from six mother trees of Da Hong Pao with 350 years old, located on Mount Muyi (China).
Unsurprisingly China is top of the charts as the spiritual home of the humble cuppa and tops the list as the world's largest tea producing country. China produces some 40% of the world's tea weighing in at 2.4 million tonnes.
Shanghai-based art collector Liu Yiqian recently spent $36.3 million on a tiny porcelain cup with a humble chicken painted on its surface.
Ceylon Tea is also the cleanest tea in the world in terms of pesticide residues, a fact confirmed by the ISO Technical Committee.
The most famous French brand is probably Mariage Frères. Two popular scented (flavored) black teas that I enjoy from Mariage Frères are the Marco Polo and Wedding Imperial black tea blends and I am also a fan of their Darjeeling. But they have a wide range of teas.
In general, black and pu-erh teas have the highest amount of caffeine, followed by oolong teas, green teas, white teas, and purple teas. However, because the caffeine content of a brewed cup of tea depends on many different factors, even teas within the same broad categories may have different caffeine levels.
You might as well try a cup of the queen's favorite. It's been reported that Her Majesty often enjoyed Twinings of London Earl Gray Black Tea — a classic and all-natural selection that includes notes of citrus and bergamot — with a splash of milk and no sugar.
Earl Grey tea pairings
Americans typically drink their Earl Grey with milk and sugar, but Chatterton prefers it the British way — with lemon and sugar. "Milk has a tendency to do strange things to black tea," he says. "It dulls the flavor a bit.