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Tea has been a renowned beverage for English travellers around the world, as a result you might think that it was actually first drank in England. But, like many of the worlds great discoveries, Tea was first found by the Chinese and was a favourite brew of the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung in 2737 B.C.

The story goes that the Chinese emperor was visiting some of the far-flung regions of his realm, when he came across a small village. The inhabitants were following his policy of boiling all water before consumption, and, totally by accident, in front of the Emperor, a leaf fell from a tree and landed in a pot of boiling water. The leaf then began to infuse into the water and tea was born. The Emperor as a scientist of some repute was fascinated and tried the new beverage, he found it most refreshing and it soon became his favourite drink.

In the 5000 years that followed, tea grew in popularity and refinement, becoming popular in many countries and regions round the world including India, Japan and the Middle East, Russia and all of Western Europe.

Tea drinking became common in England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, initially in English high society and then through the whole populace. In the space of a few years the amount of Tea imported rose from 40,000 tons to over 240,000 tons, a increase of over 600%!

Tea soon became a corner stone of English culture. Some people prefer a more formal way of drinking their tea, using fine teas such as Earl Grey (Captain Jean Luc Picard's favourite) but most just prefer to pop a Tea bag quickly into a cup and add water.

The most famous tea party of all was of held in Boston, Massachusetts.

Before the revolution, Tea was fast becoming a favourite beverage of colonial families, until the British Government, needing to raise money to pay for its wars in the region, levied a tax on it. The American colonists decided that they had had enough of direct rule and The American Revolution was declared!

The business was founded in 1886 in the City of London at 165 Fleet Street, by Walter Whittard, who sold teas and coffees to local businesses, cafes and the nearby law courts.

Walter Whittard died in November 1935, and his sons Hugh and Richard became partners in the company, taking on the business at a particularly difficult time. When the war broke out, all teas were requisitioned and rationing began in June 1940 with an allowance of only 2 oz per head per week. During the great raid on the city the warehouses containing all the company's stock were completely destroyed.

The firm moved to new premises in Chelsea the same year with the opening of the shop in 111 Fulham Road. However, no permits were being granted for new machinery. Eventually a second hand coffee roaster was acquired, but tea blending had to be done on the shop floor with wooden shovels.

Gradually, greater emphasis was placed on the retail side of the business, and Teas and Coffees in specially designed tins were sold. Foods became available through Whittard mail-order, and latterly scented and flavoured Teas were introduced. In 1973 Dick Whittard sold the business interests to David Gyle-Thompson.

In 1988 Will Hobhouse joined the business as Managing Director. Since then the Group has developed from 3 central London stores to the world wide business of today with over 100 stores in the UK alone. Currently international stores are located in Dubai, Capetown, Paris, Reykjavik, Singapore, Santiago, Warsaw, and outlets in Japan.

Walter Whittard founded the firm with the philosophy to always "BUY THE BEST". Today the same principle applies whereby many of the teas and coffees are bought directly from the estates. By buying direct Whittards support the local economy and population.

 

The average English person drinks 3.5 cups of tea per day in comparison to 1.7 cups of Coffee, whilst on average in the UK 75% of people drink tea compared to 52% of people who drink Coffee.

For the best results, care and attention are vital. A certain ceremony, and a little time spent making and drinking tea, is greatly rewarded. However, we understand that everyone has his own special preference. Thus the following are only suggestions.

1. USE FRESHLY DRAWN COLD WATER

- Boiled water has lost its oxygen.

2. ALWAYS WARM THE POT

- The tea will brew better in hotter water.
- The brew stays hotter longer.

3. MEASURE THE TEA CAREFULLY

- Make the tea as strong as you like it.
- Flavour and strength are determined by the amount of tea in the pot, and the length of time it is left to infuse.
- The old rule of one tea spoon per person, plus one for the pot, makes very strong tea
- Small leaf teas (Strength 3 and 4), need a large quantity of tea - one spoon per person - and infusion for 4-5 minutes.
- Larger leaf (Strength 1 and 2) should be treated more delicately, using far less tea - one or two tea spoons per pot - but still infusing for 4-5 minutes.
- Delicate China teas and Oolongs require only a few leaves per pot and may be brewed Chinese style - a few leafs in a bowl - topped up with hot water.
- Quick brewing never gets the full flavour from the leaves.
- If the tea is too strong after 4-5 minutes you have used too much tea.

4. POUR THE BOILING WATER INTO THE POT IMMEDIATELY

- It puts effervescence into the brew

5. REMOVE THE LEAVES

All but delicate China teas are vastly improved by taking the leaf out of the infusion once brewed.
- You may want to use infusers, or special tea pots for this purpose found in Whittards stores or on the tea pages of their on-line catalogue.

6. ADD MILK FIRST

- Milk dissolves better in hotter liquid.

7. USE ANY TEAPOT

- Ceramic and China pots stay warmer, and don't taint the tea.
- Teapots should never be bleached.

8. RELAX AND ENJOY

A selection of fine teas can be found on the Whittard Website.