It is one of Harrogate’s premier brands, known around the world. But it seems even people living in Harrogate can’t get hold of some varieties of tea sold by Taylors of Harrogate.
The company, whose brands include Yorkshire Tea, is part of Bettys and Taylors Group, which dates back more than 100 years.
Children’s author Eirene Watson-Power is one of the company’s many loyal customers. But she had a shock when she returned to the UK after living abroad for four years and couldn’t get hold of Taylor’s of Harrogate Green Tea Earl Grey.
Mother-of-four Ms Watson-Power, who hosts a radio show on Harrogate Community Radio, said she enjoys the taste and health benefits of this green tea variety, adding:
“I live in Harrogate and discovered Taylors of Harrogate Green Tea Earl Grey a while ago in my local Asda. It instantly became my favourite morning cuppa.
“When I moved abroad to the Middle East I was so happy to discover my local shop also stocked this tea. Imagine my surprise when I returned to live in Harrogate and found that nowhere stocked it.
“Even though it’s a local company, if I wanted to drink this particular tea I would have to order it from abroad and pay the additional taxes on top of international postage and packing. This seemed unbelievable to me.”
The elusive blend
The mystery deepened when she visited her local stockists of Taylor’s tea and no one had even heard of Earl Grey green tea.
“How can so much have changed in four years? I wondered, if more places knew it existed and requested it then perhaps Taylor’s would again make green tea Earl Grey available in the UK.
“I am sure many people in Harrogate would appreciate being able to purchase this amazing tea.”
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A Taylors spokesperson said it was lovely to hear how much the customer enjoyed the blend and was sorry she was unable to buy it locally. They added:
“While we do still make Earl Grey green tea, it is part of a range we currently only make for our international market where it sells a lot better than in the UK.
“Sadly, this particular blend simply doesn’t sell well enough for UK retailers to order it from us which is why you won’t see it on the shelves over here anymore.
“We do have a range of Taylors speciality blends available in the UK, including flavoured green teas such as green tea with jasmine, mint or lemon. These are mostly to be found in smaller independent shops, delis and garden centres or through online retailers.”
The spokesperson added the company recommended either this website or this one for ordering Taylors speciality teas.