The Art of Tea-Drinking

An innovative specialist tea retailer and café operator which has taken the UK by storm since it arrived here in 2015 is to bring its artisan teas to London’s busy mid-town district.

From 18th April 2022 T4 (Tea For You) will open its latest premises at 137 Strand, just around the corner from Somerset House on the Duchy of Lancaster’s Savoy Estate. The 1,680 sq ft unit will serve an extensive menu of natural whole-leaf teas.

T4 was founded in Taiwan in 2004 with the philosophy of connecting people through a cup of tea and describes its mission as ‘to bring happiness to customers and their friends through the sharing of delicious cups of the finest quality Taiwanese bubble tea’.​

The company grows the tea itself in the hills and mountains of Taiwan under expert supervision and uses only the highest quality natural ingredients across the range. Unique recipes include Jadeite Royal Tea, Perilla Plum Tea and 90-Minute Real Kungfu Tea, while the menu offers over 50 different and bespoke combinations. 

Commenting on the new tenant, Duchy Head of Urban Adrian Bayliss said: “We are delighted to welcome T4 to our family of commercial tenants on the Savoy Estate. The new shop is almost next door to King’s College, as well as Somerset House, The Courtauld Institute of Art and Covent Garden. We believe that T4 will add a new and interesting dimension to the visitor experience, as well as to those who live, work and study in the immediate vicinity.”

T4 already has a growing number of stores and cafes across the UK, including London outlets in Westfield Stretford, Westfield Shepherd’s Bush, Liverpool Street, Paddington and Canary Wharf.

The historic Savoy Estate is the largest asset in the Duchy of Lancaster’s urban portfolio, extending from the Strand in the north to the Embankment in the south and from the Savoy Hotel in the west to Somerset House in the east. It is comprised mainly of office and retail accommodation along with The Queen’s Chapel of the Savoy.