About us
Tea2you sells the best Darjeeling loose-leaf tea in the UK. We have been selling the finest teas for over a decade. We actively search for the best tea growers in Darjeeling and Assam and work on-site to develop unique blends and flavours so that our customers enjoy the very best. It is this attention to detail which makes us proud of our teas and the reason why our customers return time and again. We are physically based in Borough Market, near London Bridge in the heart of the British capital.
Our story
Ratan was born in Kolkata, West Bengal, India - once the capital of the British Raj. He was surprised to see a gap in the British market regarding the availability of good loose-leaf tea. He started his tea business with the motivation to address this gap. The business started in a market in Manchester in 2008-09. It took him many years to establish himself as the best loose-leaf tea seller in the UK. One day, a customer told him about Borough Market, and that he apply. That is when Tea2You Borough Market began. Initially, Tea2You was situated as a stall. It then moved into a store which is where we are based now. The business started with just 6 different types of teas - white, green, black, Assam, English breakfast and Masala chai. The business now sells over 80 different types of teas to accommodate a wide range of palates.
Overcoming challenges
With challenges including economic turmoil, there is always uncertainty around the market. But a quote that Ratan lives by is ‘tough times don’t last but tough people do.’ Through the pandemic, one of the major challenges we faced was ensuring the supply of tea from our many small tea growers in Darjeeling and Assam was not interrupted. For most of the small tea growers, tea is the only source of livelihood. Tea is a way of life for the communities that have lived in the gardens for generations. Despite a significant fall in revenue, there was no major reduction in procurement, ensuring that the performance of the tea smallholder sector was not impacted. This was made possible by UK governmental support; careful planning and the depth of Ratan’s passion being echoed by everyone in his team.
Our teas
Starting with only six different teas, today the store holds more than seventy types. At Tea2You, we don’t just sell tea; we educate the customers about the benefits of tea and the properties of different teas. We educate the customers on how to make a cup of good tea, especially without milk. Ratan makes every effort to teach the age-old culture of having good-leaf tea. Ratan travels to plantations himself to maintain traceability and authenticity, sampling and carefully selecting from a wide range of teas to ensure only the best crop is obtained for his customers. Our teas are sourced from sustainable and ethically minded gardens. One of our signature products, Darjeeling's first flush, harvested when the fields awaken from their winter hibernation, is referred to as the champagne of teas. Ratan puts significant effort into procuring orthodox teas, meaning the leaves are kept whole and there is limited mechanical interference. He stresses FTGFOP, ‘fine tippy golden flowery orange pekoe’ – or 'far too good for ordinary people,' as those in the trade jokingly have it. In the cup, FTGFOP commands delicate, fragrant flavours with astringency and beautiful sweetness. Ratan will not make an offer on any batch without tasting it.