Travel around India without leaving the comfort of your home with Char’s extensive selection of Indian teas available online! More ..read more

Typically, though not exclusively, a black tea’s name will refer to its origin of growth.   Indian Black Teas Darjeeling The tea variety Camellia Sinensis Sinensis – the Chinese variety of the plant – took well to the soil, humidity, and altitude offered by Darjeeling hills. However, the tea produced here seemed to obtain a different taste profile to the Chinese tea that people were familiar with – its non-astringency and floweriness was preserved from the Chinese plant, but the conditions in Darjeeling gave this tea a sweetness that had not been seen before in a black tea. Darjeeling te ..read more

As spring starts to hedge into our periphery, the gardeners are collecting seeds so numerous they cannot possibly hope to sow them all, and Ireland celebrates its patron saint – St Patrick. In light of watching for signs of spring, preparing the garden, and being Irish myself, I find I am turning away from my winter favourite (Char’s comfortingly smoky Russian Caravan) and instead reaching for a familiar, strong brew to rejuvenate the energy I am now spending outside – Irish Breakfast tea.   But what exactly is Irish Breakfast tea?   I'd never really questioned it before I came to Ch ..read more

This Valentine’s Day, we are celebrating the delightful pairings of our flavoured Earl Grey teas! Try them for yourself and fall in love.   Rosy Earl Grey A rose by any other name would taste as delicately divine when paired with our flavourful and robust Earl Grey. Try it without milk to get the most of the floral nuances of this pairing.   Smoky Earl Grey Smoky Earl Grey was a favourite of the late Queen Elizabeth II, and we think you will agree that she knew a strong pairing. This tea is for those of you who like a hint of unpredictability in a partner, transporting you to a bonf ..read more

The Christmas spirit is catching here at Char, and we have already had a few people asking about buying Christmas presents!  With that in mind, we have created a handy helper for anyone intimidated by how many types of tea we have to make sure your recipient is grinning ear-to-ear with their first brew on Christmas morning!   Quick links to the teas in our Christmas tea gift chooser You can find any of the teas in our gift chooser by using our site search, or by following the links below: Sweet, Loose Leaf and Caffeine-Free Rooibos Scent of Christmas Tea Winchester Fruit Basket Tea ..read more

We get many questions at Char about our Winchester Afternoon Tea, and how an Afternoon Tea differs from a Breakfast Tea. In order to fully answer this, we are outlining the origins of the practise of Afternoon Tea, traditional decorum for participating in an Afternoon Tea, and how to hold your own Afternoon Tea party. The History of Afternoon Tea Tea has been consumed at all times of day and night since the 3rd millennium BC in China. In England, tea only became popular in 1660 under the influence of Queen Catherine of Braganza, the Portuguese wife of King Charles II (to both of whom Char have ..read more

In this article, we'll show you how to make a mouth-watering Earl Grey cake, infusing the classic tea's aromatic charm into a delectable dessert. It is the time of year again for garden parties – a wonderful way to be with friends and family, enjoying the sunshine on a summer afternoon. As always, we at Char are delighted to hear how you are enjoying our delicious teas, and a short while ago a customer came into the shop to restock on our most popular Earl Grey tea, and told us they were going to make a cake with it. Naturally, we had to give it a go ourselves, and we are very pleased to ..read more

This delightful, easy-to-make beverage teeters between the sweetness of vanilla and the floral explosion of Lavender Blossoms, with the cakey base of rooibos to balance the two beautifully. You can get both Rooibos Vanilla, and Lavender Blossoms at Char in our Winchester shop, or online. I enjoy this best with coconut milk which gives it some extra lightness, but you can use any milk you prefer. If you like it a little sweeter, it is also lovely with a dash of honey. Thing's You'll Need You will need a 500ml container that will fit in your fridge, and a strainer for serving. Cold Brew Latte Re ..read more

Whether you are trying to keep cool on the hottest days, or just want to feel a little more refreshed, Char have an excellent range of teas for you to try as cold brews. There are a few ways to enjoy tea cold, and we will outline these for you. Try a few, you may be surprised by what you enjoy best!   Just Ice, Please This is the quickest and simplest option, for those of you who just want one refreshing cool cup of tea. Prepare your tea as you would normally based on the infusion instructions, with half the water you would typically use. Either allow this to come to room temperature, or ..read more

Matcha is the delicious, grassy, umami result of nearly a thousand years of intimate tea understanding. This finely ground tea powder is put directly into your cup or bowl, and then whisked in a small amount of hot (but not boiling) water until it becomes frothy. This is the traditional way to drink matcha, however in the west we have discovered the delight of adding milk to this drink to create a matcha latte. This drink is perfect served cold with ice on a summer’s day, or warm in the heights of winter.   The process of creating matcha   Before matcha becomes the iconic p ..read more