TWG Tea

TWG Tea was founded in Singapore in 2008 as a subsidiary of V3 Gourmet; the initials stand for The Wellbeing Group. The 1837 printed on the tins is not the company's birthday — by its own account it marks the year the island became a trading post for teas, spices and fine epicurean goods. The first Tea Salon & Boutique opened at Republic Plaza in August 2008; the curved glass island counter most people picture arrived at ION Orchard in September 2009.

The list divides cleanly by format and by price. At the bottom, loose tea by the 50 g at S$ 10: Cederberg rooibos and Gunpowder Supreme, with Emperor Pu-Erh and Uva Highlands just above them. In the middle, boxes of fifteen cotton teabags at S$ 30 — Milk Oolong, Genmaicha, Chamomile, Black Chai. At the top, a 110 g Haute Couture tin of English Breakfast at S$ 48 and a vintage Pu-Erh 2000 at S$ 54 for 50 g.

The counters are not only shops. At ION Orchard, Marina Bay Sands and Republic Plaza the boutique sits beside a tea salon with its own patisserie counter, and the airport branches are inside the Changi transit zones. The company says its catalogue runs past a thousand single-estate teas and blends, so the eleven items we verified are only the part that faces the street. Buying loose by the 50 g is the least expensive way in.