About Us
The Beginning
Like many people, our relationship with tea began with tea bags, but curiosity led us to wonder what else the world of tea had to offer.
During our visits to Granada, Spain, we became familiar with a tea shop unlike those we were used to. Rows of loose-leaf teas were displayed openly, allowing customers to see the leaves, smell them and appreciate their character before buying.
It was there that we first fell in love with tea.
At first, it was the scented teas that captured our attention. We bought several to take home, and from there our interest continued to grow. We began exploring different teas, learning more about them and discovering just how much there was beyond the tea bags we had always known. Over time, that growing passion eventually led to the idea of starting our own tea business.
Learning what makes a great Tea
As we started exploring the industry, we searched for both scented teas and non-scented teas, always with a focus on quality. We sampled countless teas, spoke to suppliers, and spent hours tasting and comparing.
The more tea we tried, the more our tastes began to evolve. While we still appreciated scented teas, we found ourselves increasingly drawn to teas that didn’t rely on added aromas or flavourings. We became fascinated by the natural complexity that great tea can offer on its own.
Along the way, however, we encountered a problem.
Again and again, we found teas that were promoted as exceptional but failed to justify their price. Too often, the story and marketing behind a tea seemed more impressive than the tea itself.
We couldn’t help wondering: if we sold these teas and added our own margins, would we really be offering customers teas that were worth the price? In many cases, our answer was no.
Searching Beyond the Familiar
Determined to better understand the market, we subscribed to tea subscription services and ordered tea from well-known retailers across the UK and Europe. We spent a small fortune tasting, comparing and learning.
However, the more teas we tried, the more we noticed the same thing.
Many retailers were offering the same teas from the same sources. The familiar names appeared everywhere: Darjeeling, Assam, English Breakfast and many others. While these teas certainly have their place, we often found ourselves asking the same question: what makes this tea special? Too often, we struggled to find an answer.
We knew there had to be more.
Going Directly to the Source
Rather than limiting ourselves to the usual channels, we decided to take a different approach.
We began reaching out directly to suppliers and producers in China, Japan, Taiwan and other renowned tea-growing regions. Instead of relying on a catalogue, we requested samples and tasted as many teas as possible.
Every tea taught us something new. Some surprised us. Some disappointed us. Others opened our eyes to what truly exceptional tea tastes like.
We discovered Wuyi and Dancong oolongs and were instantly hooked. We found black teas with remarkable depth, green teas that surprised us, and many others that challenged what we thought we knew about tea.
These teas offered layers of flavour, texture and a lasting aftertaste that many scented teas simply couldn’t match.
We’re still tasting, learning and searching, always looking for teas that we genuinely enjoy and consider truly exceptional.
We select teas based on quality and tradition, not price.
If we wouldn’t happily buy it ourselves, we won’t offer it to our customers.