The Top 15 Places to Buy Tea in London (2024)

With the possible exception of the Queen, double decker buses and Harry Potter, there's nothing more British than a decent cup of tea. In England, tea is more than just a beverage - it's a social lubricant, a defense against the cold and a cure for just about any kind of emotional distress. If you're planning a trip to London, immerse yourself in this tea-loving culture by visiting one of the capital's many tea suppliers. Whether you're looking for an artisan brew to enjoy during your stay or a memorable souvenir to take back home, you'll find what you're looking for in these quintessentially British shops.

This article was updated and re-written in part by Jessica Macdonald on June 19th 2018.

01of 15

teanamu, Shepherd's Bush

The Top 15 Places to Buy Tea in London (1)

Address

4 Melina Road, London W12 9HZ, UK

teanamu is asmall, independent tea supplier run by Pei Wang, a tea and Chinese culture expert. He holds tea appreciation classes and runs free tastings at Chaya Teahouse in the Shepherd’s Bushdistrict. Afternoon tea is available by reservation only. Alternatively, you can browse teanamu's products online, with a page dedicated especially to rare and aged teas.

Address: 4 Melina Road, Shepherd’s Bush, London W12 9HZ

02of 15

East India Company, Mayfair

The Top 15 Places to Buy Tea in London (2)

Address

7-8 Conduit Street, London W1S 2XF, UK

Phone+44 20 3205 3380

The East India Companywas established 400 years ago during the Elizabethan era. Its English merchants traveled to India, Burma, Malaya, Java, Indo-China and beyond to bring back new food and drink, including fine teas and tea-making accessories. Today, The East India Company has 13 stores in venues all over London, including a flagship store in Mayfair.

Address: 7-8 Conduit Street,London W1S 2XF

03of 15

Good & Proper Tea, Clerkenwell

Address

96 Leather Lane, London SE4 2PD, UK

Phone+44 20 8088 2740

Good & Proper Tea's flagship store on Leather Lane is an exquisite space with wooden floors and exposed brick archways. From tea bags to loose tea, herbal teas to green teas and black teas, the shop is a veritable cornucopia of different brews. Iced tea bags are a specialty, with flavors including rooibos with orange; and hibiscus with rose hip and ginger.

Address:96A Leather Lane, London EC1N 7TX

04of 15

Twinings, The Strand

The Top 15 Places to Buy Tea in London (3)

Twinings has had a tea shop on The Strand in London since 1717. It stocks a wide range of specialty teas as well asfruit and herbal infusions, iced teas and coffee blends. There's a great range of gifts including teapots, cups, biscuits and chocolates. There is also a small museum that tells the history of the Twinings family, along with artifacts and unusual items from the world of tea.

Address: 216 The Strand,LondonWC2R 1AP

Continue to 5 of 15 below.

05of 15

Postcard Teas, Mayfair

The Top 15 Places to Buy Tea in London (4)

Address

9 Dering Street, London W1S 1AG, UK

The English, Japanese and Chinese owners ofPostcard Teas have spent 20 years traveling far and wide in search of the best teas. They exclusively sell tea from small producers with farms of 15 acres or less and are passionate about provenance. Each of the 60 teas sold at the company's delightful store (near Oxford Street) proudly displays the maker's name and location.

Address: 9 Dering St., Mayfair, London W1S 1AG

06of 15

Tiosk, Hackney

Operating out of an Instagram-worthy store on Broadway Market, Tiosk is a hipster haven specializing in premium loose leaf teas and tea pyramids. From Kenyan orange pekoe to milk oolong, there's a flavor to suit every palette. Tiosk also sells tea-related lifestyle goods, including matcha whisks and Japanese clay teapots. Gift sets are the perfect souvenir for friends back home.

Address:33 Broadway Market, London E8 4PH

07of 15

The Tea House, Covent Garden

The Top 15 Places to Buy Tea in London (5)

Address

Unit 4, Winford Rural Workshops, Higher Halstock Leigh, Yeovil BA22 9QX, UK

Phone+44 1935 892481

The Tea House on Neal Street in Covent Garden is a well-known local landmark. It sells over 100 tea varieties from around the world as well as associated tea paraphernalia. Novelty tea pots, matching tea sets and quirky infusers are the perfect accompaniment to the many different tea varieties. These include matcha, spiced, oolong and whole fruit blend teas.

Address: 15 Neal Street, London WC2H 9PU

08of 15

Drury Tea & Coffee, Covent Garden

The Top 15 Places to Buy Tea in London (6)

Address

46-47 iO Centre, Armstrong Road Royal Arsenal, London SE18 6AT, UK

Phone+44 20 7740 1100

Drury Tea & Coffee is a family-owned business founded in 1936. Today, they supply restaurants, hotels and cafés all over the world with fine teas - including 30 customers with Michelin stars.The company also has its own premises in Covent Garden. Here, you can choose from over 120 loose leaf teas and tea bags, all tested by Drury's professional tea tasters.

Address: 3 New Row, Covent Garden, London WC2N 4LH

Continue to 9 of 15 below.

09of 15

Bird & Blend Tea Co., Angel & Borough

Address

7 Park Street, London SE1 9AB, UK

Phone+44 1273 325523

Award-winning tea supplier Bird & Blend Tea Co.has several stores across the UK. In London, you'll find one in Borough, and one in Angel's Camden Passage. Both stores sell an incredible range of tea products, from Eton Mess-flavored fruit infusions to ginger beer-flavored rooibos. You can even have your favorite flavor crafted into a bespoke tea resin pendant.

Address:7 Park St, London Borough, SE1 9AB,26 Camden Passage, Islington,N1 8ED

10of 15

Tea2You, Borough Market

The Top 15 Places to Buy Tea in London (7)

Address

Bedale Street, London SE1 1TL, UK

Phone+44 7910 809740

Borough Market on the Southbank is home toTea2You, a tea supplier that specializes in Darjeeling varieties imported from the best estates in Darjeeling, Assam and Nepal. At the store, you can taste blends and flavors personally selected by the owner. Buy your favorites to take home, then order resupplies through the shop website which now exports to the United States.

Address: Bedal Street, Borough Market, London SE1 1TL

11of 15

Whittard of Chelsea

The Top 15 Places to Buy Tea in London (8)

Address

9 The Marketplace, London WC2E 8RB, UK

Phone+44 20 7836 7637

Founded in 1886,Whittard of Chelseanow has many branches located across London and the United Kingdom. The stores stock fine tea, coffee and cocoa from all over the world, and although you can't handle the tea before purchasing, the pre-packaged tea bags and loose teas make wonderful gifts. You can also buy beautiful teapots, strainers, travel mugs and hampers.

Address:Use the website's store locator to find your closest shop.

12of 15

TEAS, Spitalfields

Address

40 Brushfield Street, London E1 6AG, UK

Artisan supplier TEAS sells a wide range of loose leaf teas, tea bags and tea accessories online to addresses in Europe and the US, but also has its own tearoom in Spitalfields. Here, you can try before you buy from a carefully curated menu that features the shop's best teas and infusions. The shop also serves Monmouth coffee and Artisan du Chocolat hot chocolate.

Address: 40 Brushfield Street, Spitalfields, London E1 6AG

Continue to 13 of 15 below.

13of 15

Fortnum & Mason, Piccadilly

The Top 15 Places to Buy Tea in London (9)

Address

181 Piccadilly, London W1A 1ER, UK

Phone+44 20 7734 8040

Upmarket department store Fortnum & Mason is the most famous purveyor of luxury foodstuffs in London. The historic flagship store in Piccadilly is a great place to stock up on beautifully packaged teas. Browse collections including Rare Teas, Single Origin Teas and Oddi-Teas. The latter features novelty teabags in flavors such as Bloody Mary or Chilli & Ginger.

Address:181 Piccadilly, St. James's, London W1A 1ER

14of 15

Camden Tea Shop, Camden

The Top 15 Places to Buy Tea in London (10)

Address

L7, Lower Dingwalls Gallery, Camden Lock Market, London NW1 8AF, UK

Phone+44 20 7428 9211

Located in Camden's The Stables Market, Camden Tea Shopsells every imaginable type of tea, from traditional black teas to ayurvedic teas and premium imports. The Experience Japan collection is a particular highlight, featuring the finest Sencha and Gyokuro leaves as well as the popular Samurai Matcha. The shop also sells various tea-making accessories.

Address:832, The Stables Market, Chalk Farm Rd NW1 8AH

15of 15

Harrods, Knightsbridge

The Top 15 Places to Buy Tea in London (11)

Address

87-135 Brompton Road, London SW1X 7XL, UK

Phone+44 20 7730 1234

Probably the capital's most iconic shopping destination, luxury department store Harrods is said to sell almost anything - and that includes fine teas. Shop for souvenir canisters of loose tea and packets of teabags; or splurge on a themed gift set instead. These range from matcha starter kits to a selection of Harrods' own heritage blends packed in a keepsake box.

Address:87-135 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge SW1X 7XL

The Top 15 Places to Buy Tea in London (2024)

FAQs

The Top 15 Places to Buy Tea in London? ›

The Top 15 Places to Buy Tea in London
  • 01 of 15. teanamu, Shepherd's Bush. ...
  • 02 of 15. East India Company, Mayfair. ...
  • 03 of 15. Good & Proper Tea, Clerkenwell. ...
  • 04 of 15. Twinings, The Strand. ...
  • 05 of 15. Postcard Teas, Mayfair. ...
  • 06 of 15. Tiosk, Hackney. ...
  • 07 of 15. The Tea House, Covent Garden. ...
  • 08 of 15. Drury Tea & Coffee, Covent Garden.
Jun 19, 2018

What is the most popular tea brand in London? ›

Britain is famous for being a tea drinking country, with many brands offering a variety of choices. But of all those available, PG Tips is the most popular. In 2020, it was estimated that more than 8.8 million people enjoyed this brand.

Which UK tea brand is best? ›

Top 5 British Teas You Need To Try
  • Yorkshire Tea.
  • Tetley Tea.
  • PG Tips.
  • Typhoo.
  • Twinings.
Oct 9, 2019

Who is the best tea brand? ›

List of Top Best Tea Brands in India
  • Tata Tea. - Advertisem*nt - ...
  • HUL Tea Brands. Hindustan Unilever's (HUL's) beverage portfolio has Brands like Taaza, 3 Roses, Brooke Bond, Taj Mahal. ...
  • Wagh Bakri. Wagh Bakri Tea Group, well-known for its premium tea, is having a presence in tea business since 1892. ...
  • Twinings.
Apr 9, 2022

What tea Company is in London? ›

Twinings
Twinings' shop on the Strand in central London was established as a tea room in 1706
CountryUnited Kingdom
Introduced1706
MarketsBeverages
Websitewww.twinings.co.uk
2 more rows

What is the number 1 tea in the UK? ›

Yorkshire Tea has received over a quarter of the votes to be named as the nation's favourite tea brand. 26.2% of Brits agree that Yorkshire Tea is the best tea brand in the UK.

What tea do most British drink? ›

After breakfast tea (54%), the most common teas amongst Brits are Earl Grey (18%) and Green tea (18%). In contrast, the country with the most diverse taste in tea is Germany, with seven different teas being drunk by more than a fifth of the population.

Who sells the most tea in the UK? ›

Tetley was the leading tea brand in convenience and independent grocery stores in the United Kingdom in 2020. The brand had sales of 10.1 million GBP in that year. In a close second was PG Tips with sales of 9.2 million pounds.

Where does Twinings get their tea? ›

We source tea from state-owned companies, private tea estates and smallholder farmers. China is well known as the birthplace of tea and is the largest producer of tea in the world.

Where is Twinings tea made? ›

Twinings Today

We still sell tea from Thomas's shop on the Strand in London, and we still hold the Royal Warrant for tea. We take pride in continuing to bring the most exciting new blends to tea lovers around the world. Now, we have over 500 varieties and our teas are cherished worldwide.

How many tea brands are there in the UK? ›

The UK market is dominated by five brands - PG Tips (owned by Unilever), Tetley (owned by Tata Tea Limited), Typhoo (owned by the Indian conglomerate Apeejay Surrendra Group), Twinings (owned by Associated British Foods) and Yorkshire Tea (owned by Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate).

What is the No 1 tea in the world? ›

The 15 best tea brands in the world
Tea brandBest forPrice
VahdamBest overall$$
TielkaBest organic$$
Atlas Tea ClubBest subscription$$
TWGBest luxury$$$
11 more rows
Aug 7, 2022

What is high quality tea? ›

As you steep the tea, the leaves should unfurl slowly. Touch: In general, high-quality dried tea leaves should feel how they look: smooth, whole and sturdy. It should also have a slight heft in your hands; if your tea feels feather-light, it may be an indication that it was over-dried or is getting old.

What is the most sold tea brand? ›

Most Selling Tea Brands in the World
  • TeaCurry Tea. Teacurry is a premium Indian tea company. ...
  • Twinings green tea. Twinings was founded by Thomas Twining, a resident of Painswick, Gloucestershire, England, way back in the year 1706. ...
  • Lipton tea. Lipton is a British tea brand. ...
  • Yogi Tea. ...
  • Bigelow Tea. ...
  • 0 comments.
Feb 11, 2021

What is the most popular flavor of tea in England? ›

Black Tea is the most bought and used in England. General stores' shelves are filled with this tea and people are usually offered this drink in any homes they may visit. This tea is believed to be real for a cup of tea in Britain.

What is a proper English tea? ›

Serve white tea, green tea, and infusions with milk. Black tea, however, is suitable with milk. Extend your pinky finger. Pronounce the long “o” in “scone.” It is properly pronounced “scon.” Dunk your biscuits.

Do British drink tea before bed? ›

Tea drinking usually begins early in the morning. At six o'clock in the morning England drinks the «morning tea». In hotels it is common to serve it directly into the bed when a guest has just woken up. Strong morning tea helps to relieve sleepiness in cold cloudy weather, so frequent in the British Isles.

Why do Brits put milk in tea? ›

The answer is that in the 17th and 18th centuries the china cups tea was served in were so delicate they would crack from the heat of the tea. Milk was added to cool the liquid and stop the cups from cracking. This is why, even today, many English people add milk to their cups BEFORE adding the tea!

Do British put milk in tea? ›

The Brits' habit of putting milk in tea extends all the way back to the 18th century, from the time when tea was brewed in pots.

What is the healthiest tea to drink daily? ›

Best for Overall Health: Green Tea

When it comes to tea, green tea gets the gold. “Green tea is the champ when it comes to offering health benefits,” says Czerwony. “It's the Swiss Army knife of teas.

Which tea is the healthiest? ›

Green Tea. Green tea is often touted as the healthiest tea. It is chock full of polyphenols and antioxidants that help to boost brain and heart health. Green tea is considered one of the least processed true teas as it does not undergo oxidation.

What is the most popular tea brand in the world? ›

Lipton, one of the world's best-selling tea brands, is consumed in over 110 countries, while iconic brands like Brooke Bond, Bushells and PG tips refresh millions of tea-drinkers every day.

What brand of tea does the royal family drink? ›

Darren says: “According to reports, Prince Charles favours drinking Darjeeling tea with honey. “This signifies someone has a personality that isn't afraid to take risks in order to get what they want, considering Darjeeling is a spicier acquired taste.

What is a British tea brand? ›

United Kingdom. The UK market is dominated by five brands - PG Tips (owned by Unilever), Tetley (owned by Tata Tea Limited), Typhoo (owned by the Indian conglomerate Apeejay Surrendra Group), Twinings (owned by Associated British Foods) and Yorkshire Tea (owned by Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate).

What tea is made in England? ›

The first tea gardens in the UK yielded Britain's first home-grown tea in 2005, creating the ultimate Britishness in every cup.

What kind of tea do Brits drink Reddit? ›

What people actually do:
  • 96% of all tea consumed in Britain is bagged , and so you are looking at black bagged tea. Some popular brands would include Yorkshire Tea, PG Tips and Tetley.
  • Always served with milk.
  • Very often served with sugar. ...
  • Serve in the biggest mug you have. ...
  • Serve with a McVities biscuit of your choice.
Jul 28, 2022

What was Princess Diana's favorite tea? ›

This beautiful black tea was said to be one of Princess Diana's favourite teas, the Emperor Rose Congou is a blend of black teas from India and China layered 5 times with Rose Petals.

What tea does the Queen take? ›

Speaking about the Queen's favourite teas, Grant revealed that “the Queen enjoys her Assam tea, Darjeeling Tea or her Earl Grey the traditional way, made with tea leaves in a teapot and poured into fine bone china teacups. She also uses a strainer.

What is Queen Elizabeth's favorite meal? ›

Simply cooked meat and vegetables lead the way, with space for pheasant or venison should the Queen wish. Of course, Queen Elizabeth loves a Sunday roast just as much as anyone else. Along with chocolate, the Queen enjoys some strawberries or peaches for dessert.

What tea should I buy from London? ›

Loose tea is indeed popular in the UK. I like Fortnum and Mason English Breakfast tea or Earl or Lady Grey varieties. As you can see in the Twinings and F&M offerings there are too many varieties to choose from. For a diversion, F&M's apricot tea is lovely!

What is the No 1 tea in the world? ›

The 15 best tea brands in the world
Tea brandBest forPrice
VahdamBest overall$$
TielkaBest organic$$
Atlas Tea ClubBest subscription$$
TWGBest luxury$$$
11 more rows
Aug 7, 2022

Who sells the most tea in the UK? ›

Tetley was the leading tea brand in convenience and independent grocery stores in the United Kingdom in 2020. The brand had sales of 10.1 million GBP in that year. In a close second was PG Tips with sales of 9.2 million pounds.

Why do British drink tea with milk? ›

The answer is that in the 17th and 18th centuries the china cups tea was served in were so delicate they would crack from the heat of the tea. Milk was added to cool the liquid and stop the cups from cracking. This is why, even today, many English people add milk to their cups BEFORE adding the tea!

What is tea with milk called? ›

Tea latte –Tea (can be any type of tea) with steamed or frothed milk added. It can be sweetened or unsweetened. Boba Tea – Or bubble tea, a milk tea from Taiwan with added tapioca pearls popular around the world.

How many cups of tea does a British person drink a day? ›

One in 20 (5%) Brits admit to having a remarkable 12 cups of tea in a single day, whilst Northern Ireland guzzles down the most per person - at an average of eight cups each day!

What black tea do English drink? ›

However, here in the UK, there are a few standout popular options of robust black teas, including English breakfast tea and Earl Grey. Use tea bags or loose tea (either loose or in sachets). The latter tends to be of higher quality.

What is in English breakfast tea? ›

English Breakfast tea is actually a blend of various kinds of black tea; particularly Assam, Ceylon, Kenyan, and Keemun. The Assam is malty and bitter, the Ceylon piney and sour, the Kenyan fruity and floral, and Keemun citric and smoky. Together these teas combine into one with layers of flavor.

How do you drink Yorkshire Gold tea? ›

How To Make A Proper Brew - YouTube

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