Sip Some Tea and History at Twining’s in London

Why bother to find London’s oldest teashop?  Tea is tea.

Ah, my lads and lassies, there’s more to tea than meets the lips. History.  Romance. Wars. A clash of societies and turmoil within societies. Tea gathers the story of humanity in a tiny cup.

Think I’m overstating the case?  Take another sip and picture Charles II wooing a Portuguese bride, Catherine of Braganza.  While she may not have introduced tea to England, her own addiction to the beverage, and it’s subsequent wide spread popularity at court, made tea the drink of choice among the English aristocracy.  From there it spread, slowly, but constantly.  For a while, due to its extreme expense (a pound could cost a laborer nine months wages), only the wealthy enjoyed it.

Take another sip and contemplate the English-China tea trade and the Opium Wars.  After the Chinese emperor decreed that all foreign trade must be paid in silver, the English began importing opium from India and Afghanistan to sell in China and generate a flow of silver back to Britain.  Over the course of years (why burden my readers with one date after another?) the Chinese concern over the problems of opium addiction led to its ban.  By that time the British government had become dependent on the tax levied on tea in England.  Naturally they couldn’t sit idly by while the tea trade dried up. Hence the Britain vs China Opium Wars.

Think also of the Tea Act of 1773, which led directly to the American Revolution. We often think of it as a tax on tea, but it was not.  The circumstances are fascinating.

http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/related/teaact.htm

Since the happenstance of fragrant leaves falling into a Chinese Emperor’s cup twenty-five hundred years ago, tea’s journey has encompassed one-hell-of-a-lot more than foliage steeped in hot water.

Twining's in verse

Back to present day London and my quest.

Not sure how many tea companies there are.  Possibly thousands when you count the rivers of tea that flow through Asia.  But tea has become so associated with England that it’s hard to think of the country without picturing a teapot. Packaged in colorful tins, tea is sold in every souvenir shop. One brand you’ll find on nearly every shelf:  Twining’s.

But, popularity isn’t why I rode the Underground and strolled the slick, rainy streets of London, scurrying past the Royal Courts of Justice, and ignoring some delightful looking pubs.  I wanted to see and taste the storied beverage at the beating heart of English tea  - and the brand the Queen drinks.  Yes, Twining’s has a Royal Warrant.

The Royal Courts of Justice

The half-timbered building that looks Elizabethan, but isn't is a fine pub:  The George

The narrow tearoom, proudly sits at 216 Strand, on the original site. It’s the oldest tea purveyor in London and a success story beyond most people’s dreams.

 Thomas Twining bought Tom’s Coffee House in 1706 and began selling bulk tea and coffee in 1717.  Twining’s still sports the fabulous white and gold entrance that was installed in 1787 by Thomas Twining’s grandson, Richard Twining.  Richard also changed the name of the shop to The Golden Lyon.  It’s is believed to be the oldest company to have traded at the same place and used the same logo. 

Yes, Twining’s was purchased by a conglomerate, but descendants of the family are still involved and Twining’s is still run like a family business.  There are only nine master blenders responsible for the buying and blending of all Twining teas.  So wherever in the world you drink Twining’s, it will taste the same.  But, I didn’t want to taste Twining’s just anywhere in the world!   

On your next trip to London, try it yourself.  Walk through the door and become enveloped by wild and exotic perfumes.  White teas. Green teas.  Black teas (accounting for 90% of the market).  Fruit teas.  Teas old and young, bundled and chopped, twisted, and poured.

 Drift toward the back of the shop, passing more jars and cupboards than you can count.  Stop and sniff a few.  In short order, you’ll reach the nirvana of tea: the tea bar.  A sweet young woman will enchant you with sips of this and that.  She may ask what flavors and aromas you like, whether you drink tea during the morning or at night, and if you prefer gentleness or bone-shaking strength.

Which brings us to caffeine.  Coffee or tea?  Tea leaves have more caffeine than coffee beans, however because tea is more diluted, a cup of tea has less caffeine than a cup of coffee.  Also, different teas have different amounts of caffeine.  The longer it is steeped, the stronger and more caffeinated it becomes.  Here’re some rules of thumb:  2 cups of tea = 1 cup of coffee.  2 normal colas = 1 cup of tea.  Black tea has about twice as much caffeine as green tea.  Only rules of thumb, folks!  Teas vary greatly.

Back to the tea Barista.  Based on your tastes, she’ll happily gather any combination of teas you request.  You can take a bag home of your own special blend.  Meanwhile, I suggest you do some more tasting.  After all, how often will you visit the oldest teashop in England?

***A little known, but interesting fact:  tea bags are an American invention. About 1908, Thomas Sullivan, a New York tea merchant, sent his customers samples in small, silk bags.  You can guess the rest.

The Royal Castle Hotel: History and Mystery!

A grand old lady, her stark white walls and gold lettering gleaming in the sun, The Royal Castle Hotel, rests placidly by the waterside, overlooking the River Dart and a bay filled with boats and ships.  She has graced the historic harbor since the 17^th Century, or maybe before if you count previous inns that have occupied the space, including one Sir Francis Drake stayed in.

You remember Drake.  Elizabethan Admiral (a pirate in Spanish eyes), commander of the victorious British Fleet against the Spanish Armada, and circumnavigator of the globe.

We didn’t stay at the hotel, but even if you choose more modest accommodations, it’s essential to at least sit in the hotel’s Galleon Bar, sip a local DoomBar Ale, and wander around inside to see the grandeur of an old coach inn.  Modest in some ways, yet splendidly opulent in richly woven rugs, overstuffed seating, polished brass fittings, and weathered leather.

light ale on the left, cider in the middle, Doom Ale on the right

Lots of local frequent the Galleon Bar

The Galleon Bar, it’s said, features timbers gleaned from the wrecks of the Spanish Armada.  That was 1688, so the timing is right enough and the timbers do indeed look both ancient and notched from previous use.

In England, history never dies, it just lingers on, cut and polished, and applied to other purposes.  History this hotel has in quantity.  Mary and William stayed here after arriving from the Netherlands to claim the English throne.  Charles II and his female admirers also spent some time.  Edward VII (1841-1910), movie stars such as Cary Grant, and the author Agatha Christie are others of note.  The latter changed the name of the hotel to Royal George in her novel Ordeal by Innocence.

Charles II owns a special place in English history.  His father, Charles I lost a war and lost his head.  Charles II also lost a war, but after Oliver Cromwell’s death and the restoration of the monarchy, he mounted the throne.

In The Royal Castle, you not only have history served on a platter, but if you’re lucky, in the dark of the evening, you may even hear the whinny of horses or the cracking of a whip as a phantom stagecoach picks up equally phantom passengers by the front door.  Hey, you can’t call yourself a true English hotel without a ghost or two!

Didn’t stay in any of the 25 hotel rooms, but I hear they are individually decorated in sumptuous antiques, some featuring four posters and modernized by the addition of Jacuzzis.

Top of the stairs looking down on the sitting area.  Note the bells on the top left.

There’s a seafood restaurant on the ground floor and another dining room above that looks out over the harbor.  But, whether you stay or eat or both, do not miss the chance to trip up the winding staircase that looks down on a sitting area.  On the top floor is an old library featuring leather-bound volumes of hotel registers. 

On the wall above the sitting area, look for the 20 bells, in the long ago used by guests to call for assistance from the staff.

We camped in The Galleon bar for some time, ordering plowman’s lunches (cheese, salad, and bread), while we quaffed an ale or two and watched the locals.

The Royal Castle Hotel is a friendly, welcoming place.  You could stay awhile, soaking in the history of the weapons and nautical gear on the walls.  You may be sitting where royalty sat.  It’s a comfortable feeling and you may stay awhile.  We did.