China grows a taste for UK tea blends

An employee packs boxes of tea at the production line at Taylors of Harrogate's tea packaging facilities in Harrogate, England.[Photo provided to China Daily]

World's leader in tea suddenly hankering for British flavors

Ji Mengyu sinks into a soft chair with her cup of tea to the sound of tinkling teaspoons and light chatter. The opulently decorated Victorian tea salon is quintessentially British, something straight out of Downton Abbey. Except it's in Beijing.

The 25-year-old HR professional is one of a growing number of Chinese who are looking past their country's ancient tea traditions in favor of imported British blends. For Ji, the tea has an aura of luxury and quality, and gives her a sense of partaking in the posh British culture popularized globally by TV shows and fashion brands.

"I think British people's traditional customs and culture have a kind of classical style," says Ji Mengyu, who says she's inspired by TV shows like Downton Abbey, but also Sherlock Holmes and Game of Thrones.

For three centuries, countries in Asia and Africa have been quenching Britons' thirst for tea, supplying dried leaves worth millions of pounds every year.

Now, that trend is showing some signs of reversing. China in particular are seeing a surge in appetite for British tea blends - some of which are made with leaves from China itself, an example of the twists in trade that the globalization of tastes can create.

Upscale tea blends from storied British companies like Twinings, Taylors of Harrogate and Hudson & Middleton occupy increasingly more space on shelves in Chinese supermarkets, restaurant menus and online shops.

Tea houses serving British afternoon tea have sprouted up in the bigger cities in China.

Five years ago, Annvita English Tea Company managed 10 tea houses around China, serving imported blends and pastries in British-style tea rooms. The number has since grown tenfold, with more planned.

"It fits the taste of people who want to pursue a higher quality of life," says Li Qunlou, general manager at AnnVita English Tea House in Sanlitun in Beijing.