A story.

 

William Cartwright-Hignett was fed up to the back teeth with the abysmal quality of tea available in the UK.

"It doesn't have to be this way..." he thought, searching for something to do other than his university coursework.  The idea of modernising the image of tea, of throwing out the paper doilies we all hate so much and ushering in a new era of tea chic, would occupy his mind on and off for the better part of three years.

Taking a six week break from his reverie, he revised for his final exams in a well known coffee shop, from 9 'til 5 virtually every day:  it became his office.  It was here that he realised the once exciting coffee shop format was now becoming tired, run-of-the mill and highly predictable.

The abruptness with which real life arrived and schooling ended kicked him into action:  rather than get a job as the careers service would have liked (always ones to suggest a safe option!), William decided that the time had come to change the way people look at tea, to reintroduce the public to the quality infusions they were once accustomed to, and which they once took for granted.

And so First Class Teas was born. 

We hope you enjoy our teas - all have been selected for their quality and value, and we have tried our best to ensure the ethical values of the producers.  Buying decent tea costs only a negligible amount more than the tea bags most of us drink, so dust off that teapot (or buy one from us!) and start exploring the world of tea - go on, live a little!

 

Our message to you

People of Britain:

For too long we have been content to drink poor quality, mass-produced tea. So bad is the so-called ‘tea’ that we drink, that we are now a nation where the expression “one lump or two” leaves no room for “none”: it seems the only way to make the floor sweepings contained within cheap tea bags palatable is to saturate them in sugar.

Well, it’s time for a change: time to get some quality back onto our breakfast trays; time to feel proud about what we serve our builders; time to stop being content with mediocrity.

A cheap price for a poor quality drink does not equate to value. That’s why at First Class Teas we have selected a range of teas and infusions which all represent both quality and value, so you know that you aren't paying over the odds for better quality tea.

We like to think that our teas taste better than those found on supermarket shelves. But don’t just take our word for it. We hate being told by supposed experts what to like and what to hate as much as anyone – which is why we created the “real opinions” panel, a group of ordinary non-expert people with brutally honest, real opinions. Presented with a range of teas, infusions and herbal drinks, these people decide what they like, what they don’t and how they classify the taste. Some of their responses make for humorous reading!