[Review] The Tea Makers of London - One-stop tea shop

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Reviewing a non-US based tea company is a rare treat. That’s because most small tea companies have limited international shipping due to high costs and headaches from customs. Because of my location and mostly US-based audience, I only review tea companies if they are able to ship to the United States.

Luckily, I connected with The Tea Makers of London and found that they are US-shipping approved (and quite affordable, as well)! This makes the company my first-ever reviewed British tea company.

The Tea Makers of London is a British tea merchant that sells pretty much any type of tea from around the world, with several awards to recognize their over 10 years in the business of quality tea. Here’s my review of some of The Tea Makers of London’s best black teas!

• Supreme Earl Grey - 125g Caddy ($13.00)

• English Breakfast - 125g Caddy ($12.00)

• Tarry Lapsang Souchong - 50g Pack ($4.00)

• Mary Grey Ceylon Black - 50g Pack ($5.00)

• First Flush Darjeeling House Blend - 50g Pack ($5.00)

About The Tea Makers of London

For The Tea Makers of London’s founder, Sam Sameen, tea is a family matter that inspired the start of the family-owned company back in 2010. With a deep-rooted Sri Lankan heritage, Sameen grew up in and around tea plantations, sparking a love for the tea industry and its global nature.

This personal connection with tea farmers is woven into The Tea Makers of London. An emphasis on the origins of tea and the entire supply chain remains apparent throughout the website, as well. Each tea’s source is thoroughly vetted through personally forged relationships with the farmers and prominently called out in each tea’s description.

Overall, The Tea Makers of London offers tea drinkers a comprehensive selection of blends, single-origin, and rare teas from around the world in both loose leaf and tea bag form. They also sell teaware and gifts, making it a centralized “everything” type of tea store—which is convenient for international shoppers who face slightly higher shipping fees and might want to stock up at a single place.

Commitment to sustainability

Sustainability is a huge pillar for The Tea Makers of London across all tea packaging. The metal caddies for loose leaf tea are airtight, yet recyclable and cute enough to reuse in DIY home projects—a popular thing to do with decorative tea tins from Harney and Sons and Fortnum and Mason, for example.

Some of the caddies like the Earl Grey I received have the tea in an additional plastic-looking bag inside. However, I found out that this is a plant-based, compostable film. On the tea bag front, the company has always made plastic-free and compostable tea pyramids, down to the string and label.

The Tea Makers of London have a few other packaging options that they admit are not yet recyclable or up to their sustainability standards, which is an area they are actively trying to improve. All in all, I’m impressed by the extent to which the company has gone to eliminate plastic and waste in both tea bags and packaging.

There are more sustainability initiatives on their site if you want to dive deeper!

What to love about The Tea Makers of London:

• Simple international shipping - Based in the UK, The Tea Makers of London has shipping options around the world, with clear guidelines of fees and timelines.

• Sourcing transparency - Each tea’s source is plainly showcased, with additional details about specific farms or regions included in the tea’s description.

• Family connections - Tea is embedded in founder Sam Sameen’s family history in Sri Lanka, giving even more meaning behind what his business does and sells.

• One-stop-shop for all things tea - Beyond everyday and rare teas, you’ll find gifts, teaware, and even tea-scented candles.

About The Tea Makers of London’s teas

The Tea Makers of London have racked up a number of awards for many teas over the years. For example, you’ll find a Great Taste Awards logo on several of their teas, an award organized by the Guild of Fine Food in the UK.

They are also a member of the Ethical Tea Partnership, which takes The Tea Makers of London’s commitment to sustainability a step further by helping improve conditions for tea workers and environmental conditions.

Tea drinkers looking to dive deeper past labels like “black” or “green” tea will find a satisfying amount of single-origin teas to explore, which make up most of the brand’s inventory. And for the true tea afficionados, there’s even a rare tea collection.

Reviewing The Tea Makers of London’s Ceylon Earl Grey Supreme

For this review, I requested black teas to have a taste of more classically British teas.

The Earl Grey Supreme combines 100% Sri Lankan black tea with bergamot oil, creating a single-source Earl Grey blend. As I’ve only had mysteriously sourced Earl Grey combining several black tea types, I was excited to try this more transparent Ceylon version.

What struck me the most was the bergamot oil, which gave the tea a distinctly citrus kick. Typically, Earl Grey gives off a very floral flavor (despite not being a flower at all) and sometimes even has an artificially chemically tinge, so this was a refreshing difference. Even with a splash of milk, the tea maintains the citrus hints.

Reviewing The Tea Makers of London’s English Breakfast

Of course, what would reviewing British teas be without an English Breakfast?

English Breakfast teas popularly blend black teas from several regions, with the exact ratios depending on the tea brand and the end result meant to be drunk with milk. This makes each blend a bit different in taste and robustness. Interestingly, The The Makers of London’s take on English Breakfast blends different grades of 100% Sri Lankan black tea.

It has a pleasing graham cracker, maple flavor, although it doesn’t steep as dark in color as I would expect from an English Breakfast. Even so, it maintains its flavor with a splash of milk.

Reviewing The Tea Makers of London’s other samples

Finally, I tasted three other black tea samples:

• Tarry Lapsang Souchong - 50g Pack

• Mary Grey Special - 50g Pack

• First Flush Darjeeling House Blend - 50g Pack

As my first time tasting a Lapsang Souchoung, my only prior knowledge was that this is a smoked tea and has a definitely polarizing taste.

And hot damn—is that accurate.

A smokiness reminiscent of a campfire struck me the second I opened the pouch. It’s not my cup of tea, per say, and I could see how it’s an acquired taste!

The Mary Grey Special takes the Earl Grey Supreme one step further with the addition of citrus oil. The result is a more lemon-limey Earl Grey that’s even further removed from the usual floral taste of many mainstream Earl Greys. I can see this blend being a favorite for tea drinkers who love adding a squeeze of lemon to their cup.

Rounding out this review of The Tea Makers of London is the First Flush Darjeeling House Blend. This black tea is lighter in color and not as robust as black tea blends. I’ve been enjoying it as-is without any add-ins like milk to ensure all the subtleties of flavor pop through. It’s a refreshing brew to sip in the morning.

What could be better?

The inevitable downside to international tea companies shipping abroad is that shipping costs are higher than buying domestically. However, I will say that The Tea Makers of London’s prices are quite reasonable to begin with, so an extra fee for global shipping doesn’t rock the boat all too much.

With a strong emphasis on sourcing, The Tea Makers of London does a fantastic job highlighting where in the world each tea comes from. To expand on this commitment, it could be neat to also learn where additional ingredients like botanicals and spices come from as well. Those interested in sourcing might also be curious to know the exact farms in each region and the folks who grow the tea, which isn’t mentioned on their site.

Learn more about The Tea Makers of London on their website: theteamakers.co.uk

Tea provided by The Tea Makers of London for review.

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