I have been drinking twinings tea for as long as I can remember. When the opportunity to travel London came up. I did not want to miss the chance to visit the birthplace of this tea company. I learned that Twinings is not just a tea brand; it is a piece of British heritage. Its commitment to quality, innovation, and ethical sourcing and rich history, makes it a must visit destination in London! read more

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Will return.  Twinings is a marketeer of tea and other beverages, operates in this very spot (City of Westminster) since 1706.  I'm a tea drinker and prefer loose-leaf tea. In the US, it's mostly tea bags. This narrow story is very straightforward: both walls are filled with products - bags and loose leaf. Tasting is held in the back, and they sell classes and hot tea to go. The founder, Thomas Twining (1675-1741) was an English merchant. The brand's logo was created in 1787, is one of the oldest unchanged British commercial logos in continuous use in the UK. The store entrance was commissioned by Richard Twining, found's grandson. The two Chinese figures represent the origins of tea in China: at that time, almost all tea came from China via the East India Company. The golden lion is a nod to grandpa's original dry tea and coffee shop, which was called the Golden Lyon. The lion is lying down as a sign of respect to his grandfather. Its modern or global headquarters are in Andover, Hampshire, UK, and Rutherford, New Jersey, for North America. read more

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This is a beautiful little store! I found several teas to purchase while here. They have free tea tasting at the back of the store and the employees are very friendly and helpful. Very delicious earl grey varieties as well as a Christmas tea! read more

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Tea lovers, take note: the Twinings flagship store in London is worth a trip. This is the place in town to find every flavor and type of Twinings teas. It's surprisingly small, but is stuffed to the gills with all sorts of tea bags, loose tea, accessories, and gifts. This is a great place to go if you want a fun souvenir of your trip to London (or if you want to take something that will be appreciated by the folks back home). This flagship store is over 300 years old, making it the oldest tea shop in London! It's very pretty and photogenic. The employees are super helpful too, and eager to guide you towards items they think you might like. I'm normally a loose leaf tea drinker and prefer to brew my own, but one of the coolest features at this shop is the Pick & Mix wall. You can create a personalized selection of individual tea bags (a make-your-own sampler box, if you will). Twinings has so many options, and their tea envelopes feature art that's pretty as well. I came home with a couple of loose leaf tins as well as four boxes of their Spiced Apple and Vanilla Superblend Sleepytime Tea, which I became absolutely obsessed with on my Virgin Atlantic flight across the pond. I looked all over town for it, but I made the trek to the Twinings store because I knew they'd have it (and they did). This is THE place if you are searching for a particular or hard-to-find Twinings tea. There's a tea sampling bar in the back, where they usually have three or four different varieties for you to try. I visited during the holiday season, so I was able to taste a couple of Christmas teas which were excellent. The closest tube station is Temple (on the District and Circle lines). It's a short walk, but you have to go up a very steep hill so be aware. read more

Twinings - Exterior of the historic shop during Christmastime. - Coffee & Tea Supplies Near Me - London, XGL

This place is AMAZING. I was overwhelmed with joy to see how many great teas they offered! Not only was the tea section immaculate, they also had free tea tasting at the back of the store. You could pick any of the teas to try so you knew exactly what you were buying. We had a lovely tea ambassador named Theviya helping us at the tasting bar. She was so sweet, personable, and patient. Also shoutout to Catriona for being so friendly and having such great recommendations! She really made my experience so enjoyable. All the prices of the teas were very reasonable. I highly recommend going to this store, you will not regret it! read more

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I have to start by saying I am not a fan of tea but came with some friends as this was their Mecca. I have to say it was a wonderful place. Smaller than I expected but beautifully designed and put together. The tea did smell wonderful and the staff onsite were very knowledgeable about the history of the store and of tea in general. They offered informative suggestions to my friends on their tea selections read more

Twinings - Coffee & Tea Supplies Near Me - London, XGL

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A great stop in London for anyone who loves tea! At over 300 years old it's the oldest tea shop in London! Loved exploring the store, sampling some tea, learning a bit about its history and buying a few things to take home with me! It's an absolutely beautiful shop and they have plenty of teas to try and choose from! read more

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Is there any experience more quintessentially British than tea? I came into Twinings only intending to window shop and view the regular tea demonstrations. However, after entering the shop I knew couldn't leave without a box of my favorite tea and a new mug! Although the small shop was busy, the staff was very helpful as I made my purchases. Definitely worth the visit to see this iconic 300 year old tea shop! read more

Epic experience and must go if you are tea lover. The best part is being able sniff and taste an immense selection of black, green, and herbal teas, hot and cold. Our sample guide was incredibly knowledgable and helpful, and let us find exactly what we were looking for. They do have a London Strand blend that is unique to the store. The London-souvenir type boxes you can actually find at the train station and airport (may be in some grocery stores as well.) Don't be like me and sip your hot tea sample outside the sampling area, you will be warned. read more

I love this tea shop! It's Twinings flagship store and it's also the oldest tea shop in London. It's over 300 years old! The shop has a fascinating history! Did you know, in the eighteenth century, a lady would never enter a coffee house? Thomas Twining spotted an opportunity here. Having acquired the three neighbouring properties, he opened the world's first dry tea and coffee shop, standing in its current location at 216 London Strand. One of the most famous customers was Jane Austen! Anyway, step back in time and browse the wide selection of both loose leaf tea and tea bags. You're welcome to sample anything you like (pre-covid times). I love the pick-a-mix bagged tea where you can create your own custom box of whatever flavors you like. The shop has loads of interesting flavors you never see in the shops. It's a really fun item to bring home! I always try to stop in here if we're in the area. It's a narrow shop, but it opens up in the back. Check out the historical photos and stop in to smell the teas! read more

Tea? Yes, please! I had never been to the Twinings shop, and I'm not entirely sure why I had missed it after all the years I've been to London and enjoyed Twinings. There were more teas here than I'll ever try, but I got what I wanted and more. Many of the varieties of Earl Grey, Lady Grey, and a few others. The shop is bright; it is laid out well. There are tea classes if you book ahead. I highly recommend this shop if you are a tea addict. read more

We were really looking forward to visiting Twinings Tea Shop. You cannot imagine our disappointment when we arrived to find an extremely small store. This tiny store has been here since 1706 and is located directly across the street from the Royal Courts of Justice. Evidently back then, tea was very expensive and only the wealthy could afford to buy it. Do make sure you notice, when you walk underneath the portico, a lion flanked by two Chinamen, a reminder of the exotic status of tea. Inside you'll find every type of tea imaginable. You are free to sample any you like and for a price you can book a special tea-through-time session led by experts in tea history. The closest Tube station is Temple. read more

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In all honesty, I came here to buy bags and bags of a loose leaf tea that I can't buy in San Diego. I'd had it once during Christmas tea at the Disneyland Resort Hotel, and had been craving it ever since. That's two years worth of waiting and plotting and scheming and planning. My husband and I visited Twinings after a filling (and frustrating) Sunday Roast Lunch, so we were quite full up when we walked through the doors. But, the first time we were approached by the sweet girl with the tray of freshly brewed tea samples, we both pounced. The store itself is kind of narrow at the front, with shelf upon shelf lined with boxes and tins and bags of teas. Moving towards the back, you find a bit more space and a lot more things of interest. The loose leaf teas are in the back (and yes, I found the tea I'd flown all the way to London to buy), but they also have a small-ish museum, as well as a station where you can take Master Tea Classes. It's a thing! That station is where the sweet girl brews different teas for guests to try. Both of the people working the store that day were friendly and helpful, and goodness knows they were super patient with the questions being thrown at them by the gobs of tourists crammed into the space. We were able to pick up 3 bags of my tea (on sale, even!) as well as some gift boxes for some people back home. I love that the building is historical, even if the little men perched atop the Twinings sign are a bit off color. And the tilework at the entry is fantastic! read more

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Great tea selection and the store offers free tea samples to try. The store staff showed knowledge about tea and were friendly. read more

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What a great place! My fiancée and I are big fans of tea and one of out favorites is the Twinings Irish Breakfast Tea. We couldn't pass up an opportunity to visit the Twinings tea shop and museum while in London and we're so glad that we went. The shop is very small and is longer than it is wide. They sell quite a variety of teas here and you can purchase individual tea bags (in sampler sets), boxes of tea, and packages of loose leaf tea. There is also a small tasting counter and a small section of tea paraphernalia, which is their small museum section. The best part of it is that you can smell all the teas individually before you buy some :) It's definitely a fun place to spend an hour and I highly recommend it to any tea lovers out there! read more

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While researching for my London trip, I read somewhere that this was both a tea shop and a museum. By museum, they really mean that they ha be a few relics on display in the back. Pretty unimpressive. It's really more of a tea shop. They do have a pretty large selection of tea though. Now that was impressive. The prices didn't seem TOO jacked up. Im sure you'd be able to find some of these in your local supermarket, but there were also some very exotic-sounding flavors. Great place to check out if you're looking for a nice souvenir. read more

Twinings - Coffee & Tea Supplies Near Me - London, XGL

My 500th Yelp review!! Prior to our travels to London, I was studiously reading the Twinings UK website to find out what teas were available there and not in America (and there are quite a few). So it was with great anticipating that we trudged through the spring rain to the Strand. The shop is a tiny narrow space jam-packed with tea and tea-lovers. Also wet floors, while the staff attempted to mop away the slippery drizzle and asked folks to put their umbrellas in the stand by the door. There is a moderate selection of individual tea bags from which you can create your own assortment (you must buy at least 15 -- not a problem!). There are several types of wooden cases which you can purchase for your assortment, or you can just get the individual envelopes with no special packaging. There's also tons of tinned and loose leaf and boxed teas -- and sniffer jars for most of them! We spent quite a while just moving down the shelves sniffing tea. The staff was lovely, and threw in some extra envelopes for free when we checked out. There was a special 3-for-2 on the Jasmine Earl Grey tins that I had on my list. It was a bit funny though when we opened up the tins and found inside a box of tea bags, rather than just the bags themselves. Some of the flavours we tried were a bit unusual -- butter mint something or other was downright weird to our taste. We ended walking out with about £30 worth of tea, including Jasmine Earl Gray, Everyday blend, Defence herbal tea, Peach, Raspberry & Dragonfruit, and so on. We definitely could have spent more! Next time I'm bringing a bigger backpack. read more

Twinings - Teaaaaaaaaaaaa. - Coffee & Tea Supplies Near Me - London, XGL

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This narrow little tea shop was a wonderful adventure. There's probably enough room for maybe 2 directions (going in and out). Being from the US, there were so many flavors I had never ever seen before. Caramel Apple tea? What is this madness? (Btw it tasted nasty so I wouldn't recommend buying that flavor ugh). The first section of the store is the tea selections. To the immediate right you have your individual tea baggies to buy. Then to the left you have boxes of different tea flavors. Going further in you'll see the specialty flavors of the month and their sachets. Each of the tea flavors have a small jar of the leaves so that you can smell the flavors. Some of those flavors in there smell absolutely delicious .. - I'm talking about you Strawberry & Raspberry Tea +_+.There's a small coffee section as well. The second portion of the store consists of a tea sampling bar and a small museum that tells of the history of Twinings Tea. You're allowed to try as many of the tea samples that they have out which when I went was 3 of them. {Recommended Tea Flavors} - Strawberry & Raspberry: I bought a couple for friends as gifts and they absolutely loved it. Smells delicious and tastes just heavenly. - Blueberry and Apple: I have a thing for fruit teas - and usually most of them are a disappointment. Too grossly sweat or just lacking flavor. Blueberry and Apple is none of that. It's delicious and a must get. read more

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Was expecting this ridiculously famous tea company to boast a grandiose, larger-than-life tea house, offering the absolute *uber* in tea experience. Brewed teas, scones, cakes, sandwiches - everything the ultimate tea house would offer But alas, it's a small, narrow, basic tea shop that only sells tins of teas.....no brewing here & forget about any sugary treats. They just sell tins of tea, or coffee or a little book about teas Their tea is decent - hence the 3 stars but overall.......in the immortal words of PiL.............Dissss - ah - Point - ted read more

They let you sample any tea! Really adorable shop with a wide selection of teas and coffees. Great history, only wish more of it was on display. My favourite was the ginger mango green tea, so you know I had to buy it! Like I don't already have enough tea at home haha read more

Twinings - Coffee & Tea Supplies Near Me - London, XGL

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Twinings on the Strand is a great spot for history buffs and tea lovers. This location of Twinings is believed to be the oldest company that has traded continuously on the same site with the same family since the foundation. I typically don't like Twinings commercial tea brand. However, I noticed a sign that mentioned there were free tastings and a museum in the back of this very small and narrow store. I plunged into the crowds of tourists selecting their tea gifts and made it safely to the empty part of the back store. The back looked very different from the front. There was a small display with an interesting collection of Twinings history and nostalgia (free). Also, there were several of their estate teas to taste that you can only buy at this location. These tea's were phenomenal. I would never have guessed they were Twinings! The tea expert pouring the tastings was EXTREMELY knowledgeable about the tea's origin, flavor profile, etc. He suggested a couple of other teas that were not in the tasting based on my feedback about the tea I was tasting. He agreed with me that the commercial brand is not something he drinks, but the stuff in the back. He digs. I would have to agree with him. If you are tea snob like me, take a moment to push through the front of the store and check out the good stuff in the back. You can even purchase your items at the back! Avoid the crowd! read more

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Very knowledgeable staff. HUge selection. Was buy 2 get one free on 125g bags (£7-15 range depending on selection). Makes for great gift. read more

Twinings - Entrance. - Coffee & Tea Supplies Near Me - London, XGL

This is tea nirvana. There are tea gurus here. They give free samples. It's a tiny place and there are so many flavors that the mind can boggle. Sampling helps sort one out and get you pointed in the right direction. Great staff. This is a shop posing as a shop that could be a museum. Enjoy! read more

It is always fun shopping here. This shop offers quite a few different loose leaf blends that are not sold in North America such as their exceptional Moroccan Mint with Rose tea. The people that work here are always very helpful and knowledgeable about their products. Overall Twinings is an excellent place to pick up good tea and accessories for a very fair price. read more

Twinings - Loose leaf teas and sampling area. - Coffee & Tea Supplies Near Me - London, XGL

Twinings Tea and Coffee Merchants is a fun shop to go into. I know I can purchase Twinings tea at any grocery store, but if you do that you miss out on the experience. The shop is long and narrow and there is tea as far as the eye can see. The shop smells of tea and whenever I go in tea is brewing and they offer samples. My favourite tea is the vanilla coconut, which is very light. Sadly, when I popped in over the weekend they did not have any. They do have lots of other teas, some you'll only find in the shop. The shop doesn't only sell tea but it also sells coffee, which I've never tried and every tea accessory you can imagine. I have purchased a mug and teapot, which I love and use almost every day. Having tea from a teapot either makes me feel very grown up or reminds me of my childhood; it just depends on the day, the tea and the company. Twinings is a shop for people who enjoy tea. I know that this is not the best tea, but the shop is fun and the service friendly, so if you are in London and near the Strand it is worth a look. read more

Twinings - Coffee & Tea Supplies Near Me - London, XGL

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Very extensive tea place. Also very busy at certain times. Love that they have samples to try of teas I typically would not have purchased

I've changed my mind again about Twinings. (Some people say I'm fickle.) You see, I thought it had a lot of tea for sale before. Oh, how I was wrong. I'm pretty sure they used to sell coffee at the back of the shop, but now they're selling loose leaf teas in their 'Finest' range. I asked one of the shop keepers what Yunnan tea was like, never having seen it before, and she went to the back room to consult with someone about it. She then came back to describe it to me and mentioned it was a top seller in the loose-leaf form. I asked if I could have a bit of the loose leaf tea to try (fully intending to pay for it), and she bagged up at least ten cups' worth for me and gave it to me FOR FREE. A week or so ago, I'd popped into Twinings before work to pick up a Ceylon tea bag (since they're sold by the bag) -- so desperate I was for a cuppa as soon as I got into work (how British of me) -- and the shop keeper gave me that free of charge as well. That's some classy service. I love Twinings forever now. Plus, well, I've never had a bad cup of Twinings tea. There's that too. SOOOO... In short, (1) it's a small tea shop, but it's packed full of teas that you most certainly won't be able to find at your local grocery store. You can come here to buy tea that you will then take away and brew somewhere else. I like that. If I want tea and cakes for tea-and-cake time, I'll go to a tea and cake shop. (2) The fact that this place is in its original building on the Strand just makes it that much more amazing and makes its small size endearing rather than a nuisance. (3) Free samples are a definite win in my book. read more

The tea lover in me had to make sure that a stop by Twinings was in order during our recent stop in London. It was not exactly what I was expecting (I guess I was expecting something more like a tea house), but it was well worth the visit. It really is a must see for tea people. The store is tiny, but the assortment of teas available (both in bags and loose leaf) is pretty incredible. Towards the back of the shop, you can see some older advertisements and artifacts from the store's great history. There's also a little bar where you can try the teas that they're offering. The set up they had was pretty cute and the service there was great. We stopped by London at the end of our travels, so we were very low on bag space at that point. Otherwise, I definitely would have gotten some of that delicious first flush Darjeeling tea I tried. Maybe next time. read more

It's very dangerous having this shop so close to my office. Every time I wander past it I am drawn in by what new tea selections could be in store. The wooden boxes with a mixed selection of tea bags has been a great gift on a number of times. Some of my favourites are the chai tea and the selection of green teas (the one with the orange and lotus flower). I have never had a bad cup of tea with a Twinings tea bag. I wish there was a bigger selection of single tea bag to try out all the teas before buying a big box. The people there are very knowledgeable and the shop itself is very quaint. Phil has been very helpful a number of time about different teas. After a nice chat with him I even found out that people who work locally get a 10% discount! I'll be back.... read more

Ok so it doesn't have the sun shining out of it's backside and Stephen Fry isn't on hand to give you a cup of tea and sit down but it does what it says on the tin and it does it well enough. They sell tea. Lots and lots of different types in different arrangements including their 15p individual bags so you can try some interesting teas. I managed to find some camomile and spearmint tea here which I utterly swear by if you're feeling a bit down in the dumps. It is a very narrow shop and although it's interesting it doesn't purport to be the Twinings tea museum, it is simply a tea shop. However, when I was told about it I did kind of imagine there'd be a café with proper tea in proper tea pots and proper teacups. Still, I can but dream. Also, the staff I've encountered have all been friendly enough but none of them seemed to want to do more than sell me the tea which would be fine in any other shop but this is the Twinings Shop so maybe a little bit of tea chit-chat. Certainly worth a visit if you have any interest in tea and somewhere I will, no doubt, return to but it's not somewhere I'd go out of my way to get to, especially if I was a tourst. read more

Popped in one lunchtime after reading Larissa's reviews. Agree with all the Yelpers below. Not a mind-boggling tourist destination, but a bloomin' good tea shop, and the huge range is interesting and tempting for teaophiles. I now want my own wooden teabag box, with compartments for my individually wrapped teabags. The smallest one is only £12. Would it be so wrong? I only spent 60p on some individually wrapped teabags (would like to see a wider range of flavours sold individually - I have my fingers crossed that they rotate the selection) and got given a free handbag-sized plastic teabag holder. Nice touch! read more

The staff was SO helpful with suggestions on picking out teas. It's a tiny shop, but there are so many great teas to choose from. Check it out for this history alone read more

Twinings - Coffee & Tea Supplies Near Me - London, XGL

Do you love tea?! Then you should definitely stop by Twinings, if you ever find yourself in London. I loved the family portraits on the walls and the little history space in the very back. Sure, it is a bit on the narrow side, but what do you expect from a shop that has been family owned since the 1700s? An amazing selection of their teas are ready to be purchased. They offer loose leaf and tea in bags. You can buy mugs and little things like that. The staff is knowledgeable and kind! I had a great experience. read more

Twinings is not only an amazing spot in the city due to its extremely small and narrow size, but it is full of wonderful smells, samples, friendly people, and even a museum that is roughly the size of a bedroom. It's quaint and lovely. The staff here is extremely knowledgeable, friendly and are very willing to help answer questions and provide insights to you. They will also make you a sample of anything you might want to purchase or make you a tea to go. This was nice when trying to pick out some things and Julia was excellent. read more

Green! Rose! Jasmine! Rooibos! I love them all! This is such a fun shop! I know there's Twining in the States too, but to be at the original location is definitely something special! They've got so many different types of teas (with flavors that they don't have in the US)! MmmMmmMmm read more

I learned so much at the tea masterclass! Twinings has a large variety of flavors and types and cuts of tea, and I even learned about new types of tea at the masterclass. I would highly recommend the masterclass for any lover of tea looking to be more informed. read more

If you're looking for great tea gifts, this is the place to visit as they have the entire range of Twinnings tea at prices lower than in most supermarkets. However, it is no longer that magical place it used to be when it still had the mini-kitchen at the back. I remember spending an entire rainy afternoon there a few years ago speaking to a lovely of lady. Unfortunately, that wouldn't really be possible amymore as it has turned into a much more shop-and-exit sort of atmosphere... read more

An unusually long and narrow, delicately scented shop, entirely covered with wooden shelves. Huge selection of teas and other herbal infusions, as you can expect. What I expected, on the other hand, was a cosy tearoom at the end of the tunnel -- but found the admin dept instead. Pity. But I understand if the owners want to keep it simple.... read more

Twinings - Coffee & Tea Supplies Near Me - London, XGL

It's quite possible that you can find all of the teas in this store online somewhere -- heck, I even saw Twinings tea available in K-cups on keurig.com. Still. there is something about the attractive displays, the cute gift boxes, and the ability to sniff the different varietals to your hearts content that makes a buying some tea in person at this shop special. read more

Love tea? Check out where it all started for Twinnings! Don't let the small outside fool you. It might be narrow but it is LONG inside! Make sure to venture all the way to the back of the store where they have tastings! They have all their items back there so if there is something you want to try, let them know! The ladies we dealt with were lovely! read more