British Tea
Tea is the worlds second most popular drink after water and the British people are the third largest consumers of tea with each Brit drinking over 4 pounds (2kg) per year.
The Tea plant
Sri Lankan Tea Plantation
Tea had been drunk in China for centuries and was first imported into Britain during the 17th century and became a craze after Charles II's queen, Catherine of Braganza, started drinking it, there is nothing new about celebrity endorsement.
During the heydays of the British Empire, the Brits took tea from its native China and set up plantations in India and Ceylon (Sri-Lanka).
As demand for tea grew, the amount smuggled into England was far more than the legitimate imports, to stop the crime associated with the smugglers the hated tea tax was abolished, prices fell and what once an exclusive drink for the wealthy become the drink of choice for the nation.
Today, despite not being a tea producing nation, the centuries of experience in blending leaves and cultivating exceptional single leaf varieties make British Teas some of the finest in the world.
Twinings tea gift set
Twinings are one of the oldest and most respected of British tea companies and have a vast selection including many single leaf varieties, green, white and speciality blends.