Twinings History

In a time when coffee was king, one man, Thomas Twining, went against the tide to share his love of tea. His passion turned a little-known drink into one of our countries favourite hot beverage.

Our story started in 1706. Back then, the most popular drinks in England were coffee, gin and ale – even at breakfast! Although tea had been drunk in China for thousands of years, it had only just been imported to England, and lots of people were suspicious of it.

Thomas Twining, having had enough of drinking ale in the morning, he started selling tea from his coffee house on London’s Strand, promising only to sell the finest qualities and varieties. His pledge soon won him (and his tea) lots of fans – including Jane Austen and Charles II. By the 1750s, tea was the most popular drink among the working classes. Despite anger from pub owners and increased tea taxes, Thomas Twining kept selling tea – now from The Golden Lyon, the very first tea shop in London.

Historical moments

1787: Twinings chooses its logo. Today, it is the oldest commercial logo that has been in continuous use since it was made

1837: Queen Victoria makes Twinings an official Royal Warrant holder

1910: Twinings opens its first shop in France

1933: Twinings first blends its famous English Breakfast

1956: Twinings makes tea bags for the first time

1972: Twinings becomes the first company to win the Queen’s Award for Export