Brewed To Perfection: A Brief History Of Twinings Tea
It may be surprising to learn that tea has not always been the most popular drink in England. In the seventeenth century, that mantle was hotly contested between gin, ale and coffee.
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Brewed To Perfection: A Brief History Of Twinings Tea
Online guide to the brief history of perfectly brewed, twinings tea, now a mere click away on http://greenandwhitetea.net/tea/twinings-tea/
It may be surprising to learn that tea has not always been the most popular drink in England. In the seventeenth century, that mantle was hotly contested between gin, ale and coffee. Growing tired of having a jug of ale every morning, a London coffee shop owner introduced the finest blends of tea, and Twinings Tea was born.
Synonymous with Earl Grey and Lady Grey teas, Twinings has grown from their rather humble beginnings, to become a renowned brand with distribution in all corners of the globe.
The man behind the success story, Thomas Twining, came himself from a well connected family of wool processors in the midlands area of England. However, with a recession tantamount to that which we are currently going through ourselves today, the family was forced to relocate to London.
Whilst the young Thomas did initially follow his father into the weaving business, it was through his work with the East India Company that he found his passion for the tea business. And so it was, back in the first decade of the eighteenth century that his coffee shop on the Strand started to trade tea to aristocracy of London.
With tea drinking gaining popularity at the highest social levels, Twinings Tea soon became provider of teas to not only the rich and famous, but to royalty. Whilst Thomas himself inevitably died, in 1741, the company he established stayed in the family and continued to grow.
Under the stewardship of Daniel Twining, exportation of tea to America began, with a notable customer being the Governor of Boston.
Back in the UK, illegal tea was an immense issue. However, Twinings were proud to state that they would never sell smuggled tea.
With such a reputation founded, continued growth and superb political lobbying by the then owner, Richard Twining, Twinings Tea soon become popular with the masses. The highlights continued to come, and in 1787, the famous Twinings logo was selected; which to this day continues to be used. So powerful a tool is this logo that it is now the world’s most long running commercial logo still in use.
In 1837, the company was granted a Royal Warrant, by then ruling monarch Queen Victoria. Such an association continues into modernity, with Royal Warrants also being granted by HM the Queen, Elizabeth II and the monarch in waiting; HRH the Prince of Wales.
As touched upon earlier, Twinings is most commonly associated with Earl Grey tea. Following a request directly to Twinings from the then UK Prime Minister, Charles Grey, they worked to create a strong and dark black tea created with a delicate infusion of; Lapsang souchong, Indian Darjeeling and Chinese and Ceylon teas. A hint of bergamot was added and Earl Grey, (christened after its inspiration), was born.
A later creation, Lady Grey was formed, which is slightly lighter in taste and appearance, with the hint of orange and use of green tea in place of black.
These two teas continue to be the world’s most popular teas, and are indicative of Twinings Tea continued success. That they continue to trade from 216 The Strand, the site of Thomas’ first shop, is indicative of their commitment to history and the traditions that have brewed the perfect company.
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