Blog

Of all the teas that we serve at the Tea House our carefully selected Oolong teas have captured peoples imagination the most. This seems to both be down to the Gong Fu style of brewing [small teapots, sipping cups and multiple infusions] and also the wide variation in flavours between and within each particular type. At this point I should rewind slightly and just define what an Oolong tea is. Simply put an Oolong is a partially oxidised tea, black tea being totally oxidised and green and white teas not oxidised at all. Oxidation is what gives a black tea its...

At Comins we love to build partnerships with individuals and businesses who share our passion for great tea but who also focus on great quality & service in their own fields of expertise.  It was an October day when Michelle met Anthony at a British design show in London - not the most obvious place for a BagelMan & a TeaLady to meet.  We got chatting and tasted some teas and talk turned to what Anthony did for a living.  Turned out he ran a small chain of fantastic Bagel shops in Brighton. Having worked around Brick Lane and the...

I have spoken to a lot of people lately about the things they see, taste and experience in the Tea House.  How did we get into tea?  Where did the inspiration for our logo come from? {more on that another time} Why British Teaware?  We love all of these conversations - & thank you for tolerating our stories.  Most recently however I have spent a lot of time talking about dumplings.  Which is great because I LOVE dumplings. As with everything at the Tea House there is a story.  So on this rather grey afternoon I thought I would share...

This is us.  2 Tea Merchants.  3 children.  1 Tea House.   As you can see [& if you already know us you will know] tea is a big part of our lives and our children get great enjoyment from spending time with us taking tea & observing and taking part in the ceremony that accompanies it.  Tea is a great connector - regardless of age. It is not just us - as we travel all over the world we meet families who build and live their lives around tea - this is a young tea master in practice under...

Recently voted the Worlds Top Tea Educator at the World Tea Expo the wonderful & engaging Jane Pettigrew will join us at the Tea House this Saturday when we will talk & taste through the social history of tea.  We will follow Janes talk with fine Comins tea & Patisserie. Jane's talks are always fascinating and educational - when Michelle first became really interested in tea she attended one of Jane's masterclasses in London and our relationship has grown since then.  It is so nice - all these years later - to invite Jane back to our own Tea House...