Early 80s Twinings Royalty Blend

A beautifully aged black tea that is originally from Sri Lanka rather than a blend of teas from multiple origins. However, we cannot be certain. Another acquisition from a London auction house. Again with an interesting story. The tea is said to have come from Clarence House in London, the residence of the British royal family. All the auction house says is that the tea was made especially for the royal family and they received the tea from a former butler of the royal family. Unfortunately, they are unable to provide more information.
It is a classic BOP - Broken Orange Pekoe with a tiny broken leaf of dense distinctive aroma gives a hint that this was a exquisite tea that retains its unique character even after more than 40 years. The tea was very well stored in a dry environment and the tin was probably not opened during the storage period. Today the leaf has a robust rich aroma of sweet wood, ginseng with a trace of cedar and exotic spices. The dark brown infusion is creamy smooth full-bodied with a slight woody astringency, with sweet spicy notes, dried fruit in the never ending aftertaste.

Preparation of Royalty Blend Tea

Use 5 grams of tea leaves for 0.5 litre of boiling water and steep for 2–3 minutes. Feel free to experiment with steeping time, water temperature, and the amount of tea leaves. You can also read our articles on tea preparation and water quality.

Tea fro the Queen

The exact dating of the production is unfortunately unclear. However, the tin does state the year Twinings was founded 1706. There is also the advertising slogan "Teamen to connoisseurs for over 275 years" which we can assume was only valid for a certain period of time. Cans with this text were sold until the early 1990s. The appearance of this tin, the paper cover and the overall impression of this tea give us a clue that it can be dated back to the first half of the 1980s.

Queen Victoria granted Twinings permission to supply the Royal Household as early as 1837. Since then, the company has been the tea supplier to the Royal Court.