Brand · Tetley

Tetley

Tetley is one of the longest-running UK tea brands, founded in 1837 by the Tetley brothers in Huddersfield, currently the third-largest UK tea brand by volume after Yorkshire Tea and PG Tips.

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🇬🇧 UK 🌳 Rainforest Alliance

Tetley

The drawstring tea bag inventor, Britain's middle-shelf classic.

Tetley invented the drawstring tea bag in the UK and has been a household staple since 1837. The Original 80s and 240s are the everyday picks; the novelty range (Digestive Biscuit, Lemon Drizzle, Cherry Bakewell) is one of the most-distinctive in mainstream British retail. Owned by Tata Consumer Products, Rainforest Alliance certified.

Founded
1837
Origin
England
Speciality
Everyday black tea + novelty flavours
In stock at teas.co.uk
30 products
Read the Tetley deep dive Yorkshire Tea Vs Tetley Tetley Vs Pg Tips
CURATOR SAYS · LEE ON TETLEY

Tetley's Original is the lightest of the British big-three black teas, more universally drinkable but less character. The novelty teas are where it gets interesting, the Digestive Biscuit and Lemon Drizzle are genuinely uncanny in the cup. Treat the Original as the wallpaper of British tea, ever-present, unobtrusive. If you find Yorkshire too heavy, this is your brand.

Lee Samuel Tucker · Curator, teas.co.uk
4.1
Curator rating

About Tetley

Tetley is the tea most British kitchens have actually run on. The brothers Joseph and Edward Tetley began selling tea in Yorkshire in 1837, and in 1953 the firm introduced the tea bag to Britain, the single change that reshaped how the country makes tea more than any blend ever has. It followed up with the round bag in 1989 and the drawstring bag in 1997, small pieces of practical engineering aimed squarely at the everyday mug. Tetley is now part of Tata Consumer Products, the group behind Teapigs and Good Earth, which gives a humble Yorkshire blend the sourcing scale of one of the largest tea businesses in the world.

The range is breadth at a sensible price: the famous Original, decaf, Extra Strong, a well-regarded redbush, green and a wide herbal and fruit line. Sourcing sits inside the Tata programme with Rainforest Alliance certified black tea and a move to recyclable cartons and lower-plastic bags. For our shelf Tetley is the honest benchmark for value black tea. It will not out-texture a pyramid or out-muscle a Yorkshire-strength blend and does not pretend to, but it lands the same consistent, milk-friendly cup hundreds of times in a row, which is harder than the premium houses admit. The redbush punches well above its price and the Original is one of the most reliable everyday brews in British retail. It is the tea you buy when you want the cup uncomplicated, dependable and genuinely cheap without being nasty.

Key facts

  • Founded Yorkshire 1837 Tea brothers Joseph and Edward Tetley start tea trading in Yorkshire, eventually building the family business into a national tea brand.
  • Invented UK Tea Bag Tetley introduced the drawstring tea bag to UK retail, transforming British home brewing from loose-leaf-and-strainer to bag-in-mug convenience.
  • Tata Consumer Products Tetley is now the flagship pure-tea brand of Tata Consumer Products, the world's second-largest tea company by volume.
  • Rainforest Alliance Certified Every Tetley box across the catalogue is Rainforest Alliance certified, sourced from estates committed to forest preservation and fair labour.

Sustainability

Tetley is a pioneer in sustainable tea production, with Rainforest Alliance certification across the entire range, plastic-free plant-based PLA pyramid bags since 2018, FSC-certified recyclable cardboard cartons, and carbon-balanced shipping logistics. The brand also runs the Tetley Tea Folk Charitable Trust, channelling profits back into tea-grower communities across India and East Africa.

  • Plastic Free Bags These tea bags are made from natural plant based fibres and contain zero plastic heat sealants making them fully compostable.
  • Sustainable Sourcing One hundred percent of the tea is Rainforest Alliance Certified ensuring protection for local ecosystems and fair treatment for workers.
  • Eco Packaging The outer cardboard box is fully recyclable and uses non toxic vegetable based inks for a circular waste system.
  • Rainforest Alliance Certified Tetley sources tea from Rainforest Alliance certified estates committed to forest preservation, biodiversity protection and fair labour practices across East Africa and India.

Top picks

The four Tetley products we recommend most often.
1
Tetley Original English Breakfast, 240 Tea Bags 750g, Black Tea, Tata Consumer Products UK Group Limited. Sold by Teas.co.uk.
Tetley Original English Breakfast, 240 Tea Bags 750g

Tetley Original English Breakfast in the two-hundred-and-forty-bag pack is the brand's everyday workhorse bought at its biggest scale, a bright amber cup with a satisfying malty backbone, the dependable daily cuppa rather…

£6.50
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2
Tetley Decaf English Breakfast, 120 Tea Bags 375g, Decaffeinated Black Teas, Tata Consumer Products UK Group Limited. Sold by Teas.co.uk.
Tetley Decaf English Breakfast, 120 Tea Bags 375g

Tetley Decaf English Breakfast in the family-size one-hundred-and-twenty-bag pack is the decaffeinated version of the brand's everyday breakfast black, bought in bulk, a deep amber cup with the same satisfying malty character…

£4.75
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3
Tetley Digestive Biscuits, 40 Tea Bags 80g, Black Tea, Tata Consumer Products UK Group Limited. Sold by Teas.co.uk.
Tetley Digestive Biscuits, 40 Tea Bags 80g

Tetley Digestive Biscuits is exactly the novelty it sounds like, a black tea built to taste of a digestive biscuit, all malty wheat aroma and a smooth caramelised finish, the crumb-free version…

£11.50
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4
Tetley Camomile Herbal Tea, 40 Tea Bags 60g, Fruit and Herbal Tea, Tata Consumer Products UK Group Limited. Sold by Teas.co.uk.
Tetley Camomile Herbal Tea, 40 Tea Bags 60g

Tetley Camomile Herbal Tea is a pure single-flower camomile, a sunny golden cup with a gentle, honeyed finish, and the everyday caffeine-free choice for the evening. I will leave the sleep and…

£4.00
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All products 30 English Tea 22 Fruit & Herbal Tea 15 Everyday Tea Bags 14 Black Tea 12 English Breakfast 10 Green Tea 6 Tea & Coffee Bestsellers 3

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Tetley: Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I buy Tetley tea in the UK?
Yes, teas.co.uk stocks 30 Tetley products, with free UK delivery on orders over £35, same-day dispatch on orders placed before 3pm (Mon to Fri), and a free tea sample with every order.
What is Tetley known for?
Tetley is the tea most British kitchens have actually run on. The brothers Joseph and Edward Tetley began selling tea in Yorkshire in 1837, and in 1953 the firm introduced the tea bag to Britain, the single change that reshaped how the country makes tea more than any blend ever h...
What is the history of Tetley?
Tea brothers Joseph and Edward Tetley start tea trading in Yorkshire, eventually building the family business into a national tea brand.
Is Tetley sustainable and ethically sourced?
Tetley is a pioneer in sustainable tea production, with Rainforest Alliance certification across the entire range, plastic-free plant-based PLA pyramid bags since 2018, FSC-certified recyclable cardboard cartons, and carbon-balanced shipping logistics.
How do I brew Tetley tea?
Use fresh, just-boiled water for black teas (around 100°C) and slightly cooler water (75 to 85°C) for green and white teas, steeping 2 to 4 minutes to taste. See the teas.co.uk brewing calculator for the ideal temperature and time for each tea.

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