Tregothnan British Afternoon Tea Pyramid Bags (15)

🍵 The Blend — Hand-plucked Cornish tea from the Tregothnan Estate paired with Darjeeling from the gardens of India, presented in 15 biodegradable cornstarch pyramid bags

🍵 The Cup — A pale, luminous amber infusion with a delicately refreshing character and a lift of invigorating citrus — best appreciated without milk

🍵 The Aroma — Light, floral, and faintly exotic, with the muscatel quality of fine Darjeeling woven through the gentle freshness of English-grown leaf

🍵 The Occasion — Made for the 3 o'clock moment — elegant enough for a proper sit-down, easygoing enough for any time of day

Britain grows its own tea in only one place, and it is here. The Tregothnan Estate, a 2,000-acre private estate on the banks of the River Fal in Cornwall, has been home to the Boscawen family since 1334 and is the only commercially productive tea garden in the UK. The estate's unique microclimate — shaped by a deep sea creek running six miles inland, protecting the plants from Atlantic salt winds while the river warms the earth and keeps the frost at bay — creates conditions remarkably similar to the foothills of the Himalayas where Darjeeling is grown. It was precisely this parallel that led head gardener Jonathon Jones to plant the first tea bushes in 1999, and in 2005 Tregothnan became the first estate in Britain to sell its own tea — their debut harvest going to Fortnum and Mason.

This Afternoon Tea blend is the estate's most quintessentially British expression. It combines hand-plucked Camellia sinensis leaves from the Cornish gardens with the finest Darjeeling — a pairing Tregothnan themselves describe as natural twins, given the microclimate they share. The result is a tea of genuine lightness and refinement: a pale amber cup with delicate citrus undertones, a soft floral character inherited from the Darjeeling, and a quiet, unhurried finish that distinguishes a proper afternoon blend from anything heavier. The 15 pyramid bags are made from biodegradable cornstarch — plastic-free and fully compostable — so the care that goes into the tea carries through to the packaging.

High Teas London was founded in 2008 with a simple aim: to bring genuinely exceptional tea to as many cups as possible. With one of the largest collections in the country — over 350 teas and infusions sourced from the world's finest gardens and estates — we are proud to include Tregothnan alongside teas from Darjeeling, Assam, Japan, China, and beyond. A British tea, grown on British soil, belongs in a British tea collection.

Ingredients: Black tea (Tregothnan Estate Cornish tea, Darjeeling tea).

Brewing Note: This is a delicate afternoon blend and deserves a little care with temperature. Use freshly boiled water that has been allowed to cool for a minute or two — around 85°C is ideal, as fully boiling water can flatten the more nuanced citrus and floral notes that make this blend distinctive. Place the pyramid bag in your cup or pot and steep for 3 to 4 minutes. The blend can easily be overwhelmed by milk, so try it black first; a slice of lemon is a natural companion if you prefer something alongside. This is a tea to be poured and savoured, not hurried.