Brand · Twinings

Twinings

Twinings is the oldest of the major UK tea brands, founded in 1706 by Thomas Twining at 216 Strand in London, where the original shop still trades today.

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🇬🇧 UK ♻️ Sustainable 🌳 Rainforest Alliance

Twinings

Britain's oldest tea house, Earl Grey's original home, royal warrant since 1837.

Twinings has been blending tea on London's Strand since 1706, the same address, three centuries later. Holders of the royal warrant for tea since 1837, they're the brand most-associated with Earl Grey, English Breakfast, and the polished afternoon-tea aesthetic. Wide flavoured-tea range; ethical sourcing through the Twinings Community Needs Assessment programme.

Founded
1706
Origin
England
Speciality
Earl Grey, breakfast blends, flavoured teas
In stock at teas.co.uk
60 products
Letterbox Tasting, just £2 delivered. Only certain Twinings teas can go this way (the ones in individual sealed envelopes), so keep an eye out for the 📮 £2 badge on eligible packs.
Read the Twinings deep dive
CURATOR SAYS · LEE ON TWININGS

Twinings is the benchmark. Not always the best, Teapigs will beat them on quality, Yorkshire on strength, but they've never made a tea I'd throw away. The Dark Chai is genuinely one of the ten best teas we sell. The Salted Caramel Green is going to disappear and you'll regret not buying it. The Earl Grey is the reference point everyone else is measured against.

Lee Samuel Tucker · Curator, teas.co.uk
4.6
Curator rating

About Twinings

Twinings is the oldest continuously trading tea brand in the world. Thomas Twining opened his tea shop at 216 Strand in London in 1706, and that same shop still trades there today. The name has been on the door since 1787, one of the oldest unchanged logos anywhere, and Twinings has held a royal warrant for tea without a break since 1837. It did more than any house to define what the world thinks of as English tea, and it remains the brand most tied to Earl Grey. The family ran it for ten generations before it became part of Associated British Foods, where it still trades under its own name.

The range is huge: breakfast and Earl Grey classics, a deep flavoured-black line, green and white teas, cold infuse, and the Superblends wellbeing range. Sourcing runs through the Sourced with Care programme funding healthcare, water and schooling on the estates that supply it, with Rainforest Alliance certification across the core range and recyclable, lower-plastic packaging. For our shelf Twinings is the benchmark every other tea is quietly measured against. It is rarely the single best cup in a category, but the quality floor is high and the choice is enormous, and a handful of blends, the Dark Chai and the Salted Caramel Green especially, are among the best teas we sell at any price. If a customer wants one trustworthy name to start from, this is the one we point at first.

Key facts

  • Founded London 1706 Thomas Twining opens the original tea-room at 216 Strand London, the world's first dedicated tea shop and the longest continuously-operating tea brand globally.
  • Royal Warrant Heritage Twinings holds Royal Warrants from the British Royal Family and has supplied the royal household with tea for over 175 years.
  • Rainforest Alliance Certified Every Twinings tea box across the catalogue is Rainforest Alliance certified, sourced from estates committed to forest preservation and fair labour.
  • Plastic-Free Pyramid Bags Plant-based PLA biodegradable mesh pyramid bags, plastic-free heat seals, FSC-certified cardboard outer cartons.

Sustainability

Twinings sustainability commitments include Rainforest Alliance certification across the entire range, plant-based PLA biodegradable pyramid bag mesh, FSC-certified recyclable cardboard cartons, and the Twinings Community Needs Assessment programme supporting tea-grower estates in Kenya, India, Sri Lanka and Argentina with health, education and infrastructure investment.

  • Sourced with Care Their global programme helps improve healthcare and education for farming communities in Sri Lanka.
  • Plastic Free Bags The tea bags are made from natural plant fibres (abaca and wood pulp) and are industrially compostable.
  • Carbon Goals Twinings is working toward becoming carbon neutral in its operations and reducing waste across its entire supply chain.
  • Royal Warrant Heritage Twinings holds Royal Warrants from the British Royal Family and has been blending tea continuously since 1706, with the original London tea-room still operating at 216 Strand.

Top picks

The four Twinings products we recommend most often.
1
Twinings Dark Chai, 40 Tea Bags 80g, Chai, R. Twining and Company Limited. Sold by Teas.co.uk.
Twinings Dark Chai, 40 Tea Bags 80g

Twinings Dark Chai is the masala chai blend from the Twinings range, an Assam black tea base spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves and black pepper in the traditional Indian recipe, picked…

£12.00
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2
Twinings Darjeeling Tea (International Blend), 25 Tea Bags 50g
Twinings Darjeeling Tea (International Blend), 25 Tea Bags 50g

Twinings Darjeeling Tea (International Blend) is the international-pack Darjeeling variant from Twinings, the version of Twinings Darjeeling sold in continental Europe and other international markets rather than the standard UK supermarket pack,…

£7.00
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3
Twinings Strawberry and Elderflower, 20 Tea Bags 40g, Fruit and Herbal Tea, R. Twining and Company Limited. Sold by Teas.co.uk.
Twinings Strawberry and Elderflower, 20 Tea Bags 40g

Twinings Strawberry and Elderflower is a caffeine-free fruit infusion built on a hibiscus, rosehip and apple base with strawberry pieces and elderflower flavouring, picked into the Teas.co.uk curator selection as the floral-fruit…

£4.00
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4
Twinings Pure Green Tea, 20 Tea Bags 50g, Green Tea, R. Twining and Company Limited. Sold by Teas.co.uk.
Twinings Pure Green Tea, 20 Tea Bags 50g

Twinings Pure Green Tea is the single-ingredient green tea bag from the Twinings range, the standard unflavoured green leaf without jasmine, mint, fruit or any other addition, picked into the Teas.co.uk curator…

£4.50
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All products 60 Fruit & Herbal Tea 42 Green Tea 16 French Tea 4 Tea & Coffee Bestsellers 4 Spring Tea Collection 4 Winter Teas 4 Black Tea 3

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Twinings: Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I buy Twinings tea in the UK?
Yes, teas.co.uk stocks 60 Twinings 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 Twinings known for?
Twinings is the oldest continuously trading tea brand in the world. Thomas Twining opened his tea shop at 216 Strand in London in 1706, and that same shop still trades there today.
What is the history of Twinings?
Thomas Twining opens the original tea-room at 216 Strand London, the world's first dedicated tea shop and the longest continuously-operating tea brand globally.
Is Twinings sustainable and ethically sourced?
Twinings sustainability commitments include Rainforest Alliance certification across the entire range, plant-based PLA biodegradable pyramid bag mesh, FSC-certified recyclable cardboard cartons, and the Twinings Community Needs Assessment programme supporting tea-grower estates i...
How do I brew Twinings 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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