About Us

In a time when coffee was king, one man, Thomas Twining, went against the tide to share his love of tea. His passion turned a little-known drink into the nation’s favourite hot beverage.

For us, tea is more than just a drink. It’s been part of our daily lives and that of generations of tea lovers for over 300 years.

Our story started in 1706. Back then, the most popular drinks in England were coffee, gin and ale – even at breakfast! Although tea had been drunk in China for thousands of years, it had only just been imported to England, and lots of people were suspicious of it.

One man who was sure that it would be big was a certain Thomas Twining. Having had enough of drinking ale in the morning, he started selling tea from his coffee house on London’s Strand, promising only to sell the finest qualities and varieties. His pledge soon won him (and his tea) lots of fans – including Jane Austen and Charles II. By the 1750s, tea was the most popular drink among the working classes. Despite anger from pub owners and increased tea taxes, Thomas Twining kept selling tea – now from The Golden Lyon, the very first tea shop in London.