Jacksons of Piccadilly facts for kids
Jacksons of Piccadilly was a famous shop in London, England. It started way back in 1700! Robert Jackson opened it in a place called Piccadilly.
Jacksons was known for many things. It was a tea house, where people could enjoy tea. It also sold tea to other shops (a wholesaler) and directly to customers (a retailer). Plus, it was a grocer, selling food, and a wine merchant. It even became a fancy department store!
Today, Jacksons of Piccadilly is a brand owned by R. Twinings and Company Limited. Twinings was once a competitor in the tea business.
Contents
The History of Jacksons
By 1815, Jacksons became very well-known. They were famous for selling teas that were already mixed together. This was special because, back then, most people mixed their own teas at home.
Growing the Tea Business
Jacksons' business grew a lot over the years. They even received special awards called Royal Warrants. These warrants meant that the British royal family bought their tea. Jacksons earned many of these awards from different royals during the 1800s and 1900s.
In 1905, the Jacksons shop moved to a new location. It was still on Piccadilly, at numbers 171-172.
Special Tea Blends
Jacksons was very good at mixing different teas to create unique flavors.
The Lady Londonderry Mixture
One famous example was "The Lady Londonderry Mixture Tea." This special blend was made for a noblewoman named Edith Vane-Tempest-Stewart. She was also known as the Marchioness of Londonderry.
The tea was a mix of teas from different parts of the world. It included teas from the hills of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and Darjeeling district in India. It also had tea from Formosa (which is now the island of Taiwan).
In 1932, Lady Londonderry gave her permission. She allowed Jacksons to officially name the tea blend after her.
Jacksons Teas Today
Today, the Jacksons of Piccadilly brand is part of Twinings. They offer six different kinds of tea. Interestingly, three of these are actually tisanes, which are also known as herbal teas. Herbal teas are made from herbs, spices, or other plant materials, not from the tea plant itself.
The Earl Grey Tea Story
Jacksons of Piccadilly also has an interesting claim. They say they invented the "original" recipe for Earl Grey tea.
They believe that Earl Grey himself gave the recipe to George Charlton. George Charlton was a partner at Robert Jackson & Co. at the time, around 1830. However, other companies also claim to have invented Earl Grey tea, so this story is still debated!
Gallery
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The Lady Londonderry Mixture Tea blended by Jacksons
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The Lady Londonderry tea sources
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The Lady Londonderry's consent
