I have a confession to make... Ever since I visited London and Rome in the fall of 2017 as part of a study abroad program, I have grown a real lack of patience with the domestic teas readily available in the USA. Having tried Twinings UK tea, I realized what a significant difference there is between what goes for tea here as opposed to there. Take one of my favorite flavors of Twinings: Lady Grey. If you compare the USA Lady Grey to the UK's Lady Grey, you notice immediately how much more bold and rich the UK tea's flavor is. In contrast, Twinings USA Lady Grey tastes more like ordinary grocery store tea--weak and lacking in those fragrant notes.
When I returned to the USA from across the pond, I learned that I could still buy great tea from Twinings UK, but the shipping was expensive and buying in pounds is not my preferred way to go online (even if my credit card thankfully doesn't charge foreign transaction fees). Sometimes the packages would also arrive in pretty beat up condition, as if they had to be carefully snuck past the Red Coats in the dead of night by a one-eyed smuggler named Jack. But I digress.
I could keep buying tea from Twinings UK, or I could consider driving to Portland for the some very good tea options, but it's sure simpler to find reliable online options that are faster and less expensive. One such viable option is the English Tea Store. It's not perfect, but it carries some great teas. So far, I have ordered Twinings UK teas from them as well as some of their house blends. The fact that they even have Keurig teas is a definite added bonus. As long as one remembers not to use too much hot water and appropriate steeping time is allowed, I've been pleasantly surprised with the quality of their house blends. I'd particularly recommend their Assam and Irish Breakfast teas. The Assam is very similar to Twinings UK blend of the same name, and it is probably about as close as a cup of tea can truly come to an excellent cup of coffee: rich, bold, and dark.
So, what's the downside to the English Tea Store? Here's a hint...
Over the course of a couple weeks, I had a few questions for the English Tea Store, but they were harder to reach than a one-eyed smuggler named Jack. I tried reaching out via both e-mail and Twitter, but they never made any reply. Compare that to the nearly immediate replies to any question from Twinings UK Tea, as seen below. Clearly, Twinings UK has a much more professional approach to customer service. That said, unless Twinings UK makes their high quality teas more readily available in the states, I'll probably stick with the English Tea Store for now. Hope you can check them out too!
Hi there! We're expecting this to be back in stock very soon. If you enter your email address on our website & click the "Notify Me When In Stock" button, we'll send you a update as soon as it becomes available: https://t.co/8hs329uDsM Hope this helps! :)— Twinings Tea (@TwiningsTeaUK) January 18, 2019
**UPDATE**
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My parcel was delivered 6 days after it was shipped. Two Aero bars were fully thawed and flat. Six packs of Chocolate digestives were crumbled and the melted chocolate had stuck the biscuits into solid columns. The only refrigeration in the whole 2x2 feet parcel was one square gel 3X3 inches, thawed and warm. Of my $60 order, only 2 items worth $11 were eatable. Because I am old and in total lock-in since March, all my food is delivered. I buy fresh, perishable food from Amazon and 4 more small companies. They always use a big piece of ice or dry ice in parcels if they take 24 hours for delivery, let alone 6 days. It's the first time I had to put $50 worth in food in the trash bin. This company has not a clue of how to send food safely.
ReplyDeleteWhen I wrote, with photographs of the damaged food and asked for refund, they claim I should have paid $5,00 extra, for "expedited shipping". When I order food from other sellers food deliveries automatically include sufficient ice or dry ice to keep food fresh. Sometimes it is free, some I have to pay, but they would never send food in conditions that will make it uneatable upon arrival. I can not understand how they company can deliver food without ensuring it will be fit for human consumption upon arrival. If additional charges are necessary to make their food safe, adequate packing and shipping with or without extra charge has to required.
My parcel was delivered 6 days after it was shipped. Two Aero bars were fully thawed and flat. Six packs of Chocolate digestives were crumbled and the melted chocolate had stuck the biscuits into solid columns. The only refrigeration in the whole 2x2 feet parcel was one square gel 3X3 inches, thawed and warm. Of my $60 order, only 2 items worth $11 were eatable. Because I am old and in total lock-in since March, all my food is delivered. I buy fresh, perishable food from Amazon and 4 more small companies. They always use a big piece of ice or dry ice in parcels if they take 24 hours for delivery, let alone 6 days. It's the first time I had to put $50 worth in food in the trash bin. This company has not a clue of how to send food safely.
ReplyDeleteWhen I wrote, with photographs of the damaged food and asked for refund, they claim I should have paid $5,00 extra, for "expedited shipping". When I order food from other sellers food deliveries automatically include sufficient ice or dry ice to keep food fresh. Sometimes it is free, some I have to pay, but they would never send food in conditions that will make it uneatable upon arrival. I can not understand how they company can deliver food without ensuring it will be fit for human consumption upon arrival. If additional charges are necessary to make their food safe, adequate packing and shipping with or without extra charge has to required.