About Typhoo

Typhoo is one of the oldest names in British tea, and it started with an unusual idea. In 1903 the Birmingham grocer John Sumner created Typhoo Tipps, milled from the smaller leaf for what he claimed was a gentler cup, and crucially sold it pre-packed and branded nationally at a time when almost all tea was weighed out loose by the grocer. That made Typhoo a genuine pioneer of consistent, brand-name packaged tea, part of the shift that turned tea into something you asked for by name. For over a century it has been a fixture of the British cupboard, strong and brisk in the classic Midlands style.

The range is the expected spread, Original, a stronger version, decaf, green and a fruit and herbal line, kept firmly in the affordable everyday tier, with packaging moving to recyclable cartons and lower-plastic bags. For our shelf Typhoo is a dependable, value-first strong black tea with real heritage behind it. It competes with Tetley and the supermarket own-labels and earns its place by being honest about exactly what it is. This was never a tasting tea and has never claimed to be one. It is a strong, milk-friendly, fairly priced everyday cup from a brand that helped invent the idea of branded packaged tea in this country, and on that basis it remains a sensible, unpretentious buy for households that drink tea by the pot rather than fuss over it by the cup.

Key facts

• Founded Birmingham 1903 John Sumner founds Typhoo in Birmingham, the first tea brand to publicly market health benefits of tea drinking in Britain.
• Typhoo QT Instant Pioneer Typhoo QT is the British-style milky instant tea cup with built-in whitener, a category-defining product for travel and office tea points.
• Rainforest Alliance Sourcing All Typhoo tea is sourced from Rainforest Alliance certified estates committed to biodiversity, fair labour, and forest preservation.
• Supreme Plc Ownership (2024) Supreme Plc acquired Typhoo from administration in November 2024 for ~£10.2m, securing the heritage blends for continued UK retail.

Sustainability

Typhoo sustainability commitments include Rainforest Alliance certified sourcing, plant-based PLA biodegradable tea-bag mesh, FSC-certified recyclable cardboard cartons, and the Supreme Plc parent group's wider sustainability programmes covering carbon-balanced logistics and packaging-waste reduction.

• Plant Based Bags These tea bags are made from plant based fibres like wood pulp and PLA. Unlike standard bags they contain zero plastic sealants and are fully industrially compostable.
• Waste Reduction The outer cardboard box is FSC certified and fully recyclable and Typhoo has worked to remove internal foil liners to reduce unnecessary waste.
• Sustainable Sourcing The brand is a founding member of the Ethical Tea Partnership and utilises one hundred percent Rainforest Alliance Certified gardens to ensure biological integrity.
• Supreme Plc Ownership (2024) After Typhoo Tea Limited entered administration in October 2024, Supreme Plc acquired the brand in November 2024, securing UK distribution and the heritage Typhoo blends for British retail.