About us

Jemma Swallow, Mike De SouzaQuality tea for all
We sell both unique and premium loose leaf teas sourced only from suppliers who are members of the Ethical Tea Partnership. Only here will you find some of the finest loose leaf teas in the land alongside popular specialist houseblends, including our very own SovereignTeaTM and ObamaramaTM blends, as well as inspirational tea-infused drinks such as our popular Tipsy TeasTM, ChocochasTM and FrooteasTM. We also sell beautiful teaware from our online shop.

We started life in a quirky tea house with huge chandeliers, designer lighting and eclectic furniture set among local artwork adorning the walls along with posters of past tea house events, providing our customers with a tea experience like no other by allowing everyone to have an experience enhanced by a little table theatre. Having a pot of tea is a small ceremony that requires you to take time out of your hectic day to enjoy. As such we, here at The Tea Box, take relaxation and our tea very seriously.

Having provided a valued community niHoFEvent2June_MayoressJemmaMayor_Resizedghtspot, hosting regular storytelling, poetry, knitting and live jazz nights, The Tea Box continues to support the arts whenever possible.

We ship all our tea retail products worldwide, from loose leaf tea to novelty teaware. If you want to keep in touch from wherever you are, you can sign up to our tea-mail, fill out one of our online enquiry forms, follow us on Twitter, Vine, Instagram, YouTube or Facebook (warning we may follow you back!) to get the latest on what we’re up to, or simply call or email us (yes old fashioned we know).

Our team
Headed up by chief tea sommelier Jemma Swallow, The Tea Box has a supply of tea-inspired recipes using the inspiration and knowledge from former chef Mike De Souza.

Where it all began
The Tea Box opened its doors in October 2007 in the historic backstreets of Richmond-upon-Thames, Greater London, UK by tea enthusiast Jemma Swallow and her partner Mike De Souza with the primary aim of selling and serving a wide range of exquisite loose leaf teas and innovative tea blends using tea from some of the best tea gardens in the world. Since opening The Tea Box has helped inspire a new generation of tea houses to flourish and cafes and hotels to switch from serving a narrow range of inferior tea in tea bags to a wider range of quality loose leaf teas in teapots with removable strainers. Even our tea timers can now be seen served with tea in hotel restaurants around the world!