Jacksons of
Piccadilly was a London tea house, tea wholesaler and retailer, grocer, wine
merchant, and deluxe department store, founded by Robert Jackson in Piccadilly
in 1700. It is now a brand owned by R. Twinings and Company Limited, a former
tea business rival.
By 1815, Jacksons had earned a reputation for selling pre-blended teas direct to customers, which was uncommon at that time because people blended different teas themselves at home. The Jacksons trade empire expanded and earned several Royal Warrants for tea from numerous royals through the 19th and 20th centuries. By 1905, Jacksons had moved to 171-172 Piccadilly.
An example
of Jacksons' blending ability was its "The Lady Londonderry Mixture
Tea". It was a blend of teas from the foothills of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka),
the hills of Darjeeling district (in West Bengal state in India), and the tea
gardens of Formosa (now the island of Taiwan, Republic of China). The blend was
originally prepared for the Marchioness of Londonderry, Edith
Vane-Tempest-Stewart (1878-1959), and in 1932 she gave her permission for the
blend to be registered in her name.
Under
Twinings, the Jacksons of Piccadilly brand offers six tea varieties, three of
which are actually tisanes (herbal teas).
The company
also claims (although this is contested) to have invented the
"original" recipe for Earl Grey tea, Grey having given the recipe to
Robert Jackson & Co. partner, George Charlton, in 1830.
I had no idea they went back so far, i have a number of these tins I've collected at estate sales over the years.
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