The Art of Tea

Where it all began…

Our founder, Edwin Henry Booth, had faced unimaginable hardship and poverty throughout his childhood, but at nineteen years old things began to change for him.

Arriving in Preston with little to his name he saw a shop undergoing renovation and after enquiring, he learnt that it was to belong to a grocer from Liverpool, Mr Nickson. He soon found himself with a job, but little did he know it would determine his future and that of generations to follow.

Mr Nickson was planning to open a second store in Blackpool and sent Edwin to Liverpool to master the trade of tea. Motivated by the promise of managing a new store, he learnt the art of blending and soon specialised in creating his own unique blends of tea, beginning a tradition that remains at the heart of our business today where we blend our tea by hand at our Preston-based HQ.

Unfortunately, the new position didn’t materialise, but a life-changing conversation did. Mr Nickson told Edwin that if he were to go alone, he was sure he would succeed. Unable to secure a loan but persistent in his efforts, Edwin borrowed £80 of goods from his former employer and in June 1847, The China House in Blackpool opened. He made a profit of £50 and our story began.

After a positive few years of trading, his success as a grocer grew meaning Booths were able to import goods from overseas including tea from China. A fact not commonly known, but The SS Lady Louise was the first commercial ship to enter Preston Docks under the charter of E.H.Booth & Co and contained blends of tea that remain in our range today.

Edwin’s expertise lay in tea and coffee which at the time would be weighed using a scale and silver sixpence and then wrapped for each customer by hand. We once ran an old advertisement, describing our tea as ‘not ordinary tea, but the tea from carefully selected gardens, blended by experts in Lancashire to suit Lancashire people.’ Our reach has grown outside of Lancashire, but the sentiment remains the same and the link to our history is still as important to us now as it was back then.

Blending our own tea

To this day we still blend our own tea, starting by bulk buying tea from various countries around the world including Sri Lanka, India, Kenya and China. We then blend them on site at our Preston-based HQ to match and ensure our unique Booths specifications are met. After this, our teas are hand packed into 16 varieties of loose leaf Booths Brand tea which you can find in store.

Our Beverage Specialist, Peter Read, has the job of purchasing the bulk teas ensuring the quality and flavour of each tea consistently matches our specification for own label tea. He is also chief taster! Tasting every batch of tea produced to ensure the quality is right before they are released for sale, something he has done for 30 years at Booths.

As Booths started in 1847 as a Tea merchant and is very much part of our heritage, I feel it is a real honour to be part of the team which continues to supply high quality Booths teas and upholding this wonderful tradition. – Peter Read

Our blends

Jasmine – large leaf China green with Jasmine flowers that give a fragrant and floral tea with a light, golden colour.
Royal Assam – A large leaf blend of teas from the Assam region of North East India, full bodied with a rich malty character.
English Breakfast Tea – A traditional blend of teas to give a full bodied, bright, strong flavour for an ideal start to the day.
Gunpowder Green – A green tea from China which is thought to resemble the look of gunpowder. A light, fruity tea with delicate character.
Earl Grey – A classic blend of black large leaf tea from China, flavoured with bergamot oil to give a delicate citrus flavour with floral notes.
Sencha China Green – A light, golden yellow infusion that evokes freshly mown grass and gentle sea breezes. Perfect as an all-day drinking tea.

How to make a proper brew!

So, what’s the secret to the perfect brew? Freshness is a priority, and the tea needs to be of good quality – it’s also important to note that loose leaf tea and tea bags give very different cups. The process of making a cup of tea may seem simple but there’s more to be considered than you may think:

Heat fresh water from the cold tap – for the perfect cup, remember to use a filter, or bottled water unless you have lovely Lake District water!
Warm the teapot using hot water from the kettle and use china if possible – its smooth surface doesn’t bind the tannins of the tea, leaving the flavour untouched.
Add one teaspoon of tea leaves to the teapot.
Once the water is freshly boiled, pour it over the tea leaves.
Before serving allow your tea to stand for four minutes for maximum flavour, then stir before pouring – tea takes time to infuse, so allowing it time to stand is particularly important.
Pour the tea using a strainer then add a drop of milk to serve.