By Lee Samuel Tucker, founder of teas.co.uk
A year ago this week the first order came through the shop. Since then I have spent nearly all my time on the things you cannot see from outside: the stockroom, the product pages, the Tea Wiki, and getting parcels out of the door. What I have not done is tell anyone we are here. Not one post, on anything.
That changes now. You will find us on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook.
Who we are
One small shop in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. We sell tea and not much else: 402 products from 40 brands, with Border biscuits and hot chocolate alongside. Every order goes out with a free tea sample, and UK delivery is free over £35.
We are not trying to beat the supermarket on the box of tea it sells by the pallet. What we are good for is the tea your supermarket does not carry: the Welsh breakfast tea, the one from Belfast, the instant tea that has gone from most shelves, and the lines that are getting hard to find.
What we will post
- What a cup really costs. A box price tells you very little. The price per cup tells you everything.
- The hard-to-find shelf. Teas that have gone from the shops and are still on ours, for as long as the stock lasts.
- Regional teas. What Wales, Belfast and Yorkshire actually drink.
- Arguments. Milk first or last. Yorkshire or PG Tips. Whether instant tea should exist. We will ask, you can settle it.
- One tea a week, rated. A box off the shelf, a mug, and an honest score.
What the first year looked like
Small, and growing. We have published where every order came from, including the ones we cannot explain, because we would rather show a small true number than a large hopeful one. Most people find us through a guide in the Tea Wiki, which now has a shortlist of matching teas on almost every page.
If you would like to know who is behind the shop, my own page is here.
Say hello back
Follow whichever you use, tell us which tea you cannot find any more, and we will see whether we can get it. And if you are reading this because a post sent you here: hello, and thank you for coming.
