Owned by David & Kathy Collen, The Essence of Tea grew from our passion for the exquisite teas produced by small-scale farmers and producers of China & Taiwan.  Having lived in China and studied with world-renowned tea masters and producers, we have access to some of the best teas in the world.

Our approach is very hands-on.  We help with picking the leaves and processing of many of our teas, particularly our Puerh and Wuyi rock teas.  We personally travel, meet the farmers and work only with those who meet our standards of ethics and quality.

In a world, cluttered with tea companies claiming to offer rare or special teas, we strive to find teas that are really special, some that have been aged for over 50 years, some produced in quantities of mere kilograms, some from 400-800 year old trees, many completely hand-made and all from ethical & environmentally responsible sources.

All our teas are grown naturally, without chemical fertilisers and pesticides.  Some of them are certified organic in China & Taiwan, while others are produced in much too small quantities to warrant the costly certification process.  Many of the teas we buy directly from organic farmers and producers, while several others are made available to us through close cooperation with several tea masters throughout Asia.

We also specialise in the fascinating and complex world of aged teas.  These teas have naturally transformed over the years, evolving into completely new entity.  Their flavours transform and they often develop powerful and calming energies.

We began The Essence of Tea as an internet shop, making sophisticated teas available to connoisseurs and tea afficionados online.  As time went by we realised that this medium could only bring so much benefit & that a personal approach was necessary.   In the Spring of 2010 The Essence of Tea Teahouse was opened in Falmouth, Cornwall, UK.  Along with this, our free time vanished and months of fairly constant work ensued.

We aim to offer an ideal environment to drink tea.  A quiet setting, removed from the bustle of the street and modern life, a natural setting, some of the best teaware available in the world, including handmade and antique porcelain teaware and handmade yixing teapots.  All this, coupled with our wide range of fine teas and the best water we can find.

The Essence of Tea teahouse is open to the public and also available in the evenings for private tea tastings, classes and special events.  Please contact us to discuss your requirements.

We personally collect our Spring water  for the teahouse freshly from a local Spring.  The right water is essential for the brewing of any tea.  Tap water is loaded with chlorine and flouride, whilst the bottled water from the supermarkets has slowly died after months of sitting in plastic.  We believe that freshly drawn spring water offers the best option for brewing fine teas.  Its taste is pure, it is alive with energy and it brings out the best in any tea.