Twinings Tea Museum (London Museum #23)

There has been a Twinings tea shop  on The Strand since 1706 when Thomas Twining bought Tom's coffee shop. At that time  London was full of coffee shops as they were the meeting places for business transactions. There was a lot of competition between the coffee houses but Tom's was different as it also sold tea.
Tea was an expensive commodity as it was highly taxed but it became very fashionable during the 18th Cent among the upper classes.


The shop is very narrow with shelves on either side displaying all the different teas. Above the shelves are portraits of the Twinings family who have been involved in the business since 1706.

Towards the back of the shop is a loose tea bar with a sampling counter where you can try one or two of the numerous varieties available. The assistant was very knowledgeable, not just about the tea, but also about the history of the building. The building had to be rebuilt after the war but they kept the same design.

At the back is a small museum displaying tea pots and caddies as well as information about the Twining family. Although Twinings  is now owned by an American company there is still a descendant from Thomas Twining on the board of directors.

 The word caddy comes from the Malay 'kati' which was a measure of weight. As the tea was so expensive it was kept in a locked box.

 Lots of people think the bowl in the centre of the caddy was for sugar but apparently it was for the lady of the house to mix and blend her own tea.

This plaque can be found at the back of the building.