The art of making tea – at 35,000 feet

“Last year, we served more than 37 million cups of tea in the air, and more than two million cups in our lounges globally,” says our Chief Customer Officer Calum Laming. “So we knew that selecting our newest tea partner was a decision we had to get right.” Several rounds of rigorous blind tasting later, and Birchall won the gig – not least thanks to its award-winning flavour, but also for its set of top-notch sustainability credentials and unmistakable British originality. So before you next take to the skies, here’s everything our frequent flying tea lovers need to know…

A tea dynasty is born

Birchall tea may have made its British Airways debut in 2025, but this family business traces its very British origins all the way back to 1872. After taking part in military service in India, British Captain Birchall Graham decided to put down roots in the country with brother Robert in tow. And we mean literally – the duo would plant their first tea bushes in the spring in Darjeeling, India (the Captain’s gravestone can still be found in the Darjeeling Tea Estate Cemetery to this day). Fast forward some 150 years, and today the family’s fifth-generation tea-maker Daniel Graham leads the charge.

The UK’s most awarded tea for taste

No, seriously. Like the Daniel Day-Lewis of the tea world, Birchall is nigh on famous for its hoovering up of awards, including at the Great Taste Awards, ‘the Oscars of the food and drinks industry’. In fact, Birchall has won a total of 98 Great Taste awards, including for its Great Rift Breakfast Blend, which has earned its gong for an unprecedented 14 years in a row. This blend also scooped Gold – the highest possible recognition – at The Leafies (the UK’s only dedicated tea awards), beating some 400 entries from around the globe. In total, brand Birchall has placed a whopping 98 awards since 2011 on its (very shiny) shelf.

The art of the ‘Perfect Pick’

Before this tea gets anywhere near your cup, it all starts with the ‘Perfect Pick’. The farmers are skilled in the delicate art of pinching together the softest leaves, buds and tender stems in a delicate motion that ensures only the youngest and most flavourful parts of the plant make it into the blend – and all the bitter, woody, coarser leaves and stems are left behind. Birchall’s black tea is today harvested exclusively in East Africa, where high altitudes and volcanic soil combine with cooler temperatures to allow for a slower, richer and altogether better developed flavour. Fun fact: East Africa (Mombasa, Kenya, to be specific) is also where you’ll also find the company’s 62,000sqft tea factory.

Could you be a Birchall tea taster?

Perhaps – but you’ll need to put in five years of dedicated training first. That’s how much development time it takes before Birchall will even consider letting you into the ranks of its expert ‘tea tasters’, who will taste roughly one million cups to get their skills to the firm’s exacting standards. Once on the job, these tea tasters can taste up to 750 teas a day, out of which only a handful will be deemed suitable for your tastebuds. And what tea are they tasting, exactly? 100 per cent pure, main grade black leaf tea, always. No powder (low quality, ultra-fine tea particles) or dust (the nasty bits left over from high-quality tea) or stalk (the woody steam of the tea plant) in sight. 

A planet-friendly brew

Let’s spill the tea on Birchall’s sustainability credentials – of which there are many. We’ll start with its state-of-the-art Wiltshire factory – the UK’s first fully solar-powered tea factory – which generates so much energy that it actually puts back into the National Grid. The majority of the brand’s teas come with the Rainforest Alliance’s green frog seal of approval – confirming the tea production both helps the local workers and helps to protect the environment. Birchall teas are sourced from Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance Certified farms, its tea bags are plastic-free and fully biodegradable. Finally, it’s spent more than a decade supporting African conservation projects, including Tusk, a leading charity advancing wildlife conservation and protecting endangered species in Africa.

It’s loved by the pros

We’re not just talking about those award-show critics, either – we’re talking about the chefs slaving away in kitchens all over the UK, á la Jack Stein of Cornwall’s Seafood Restaurant, who saw a like-minded family business in Birchall and a mega flavour profile for his guests. Chef Barry Vera brought Birchall into his hotel group and restaurants after tasting “almost every tea out there”, crediting Birchall’s unique strength – something achieved with just one bag, whereas other brands would need more to achieve the same result. And these two are just the start. To hear from more Birchall chef super fans, just take a look at the video below. 

What Birchall teas can I enjoy on board?

Well, first of all, it’s not just on board – Birchall’s teas are being rolled out across our lounges as we speak. In the Concorde Room at T5, for instance, choose from the award-winning Great Rift Breakfast Blend ahead of your early morning flight, or why not try the decaffeinated version if you’re on a sleep schedule? In our short-haul Club Europe cabins, these stalwart blends join Peppermint and Green tea, with the whole gang set to join our Euro Traveller flights out of Heathrow from July. In it for the long haul? Those in our World Traveller cabins can enjoy both the English Breakfast and Decaffeinated English Breakfast teas; Club World guests can add Earl Grey, Peppermint and Green teas to the mix, while our First tea-drinkers will see Camomile, Lemongrass & Ginger and Red Berry & Flowers on the menu, too.

Who’s for a brew? 

Want to sample Birchall Tea before your next British Airways flight. Simply use code BA25 at checkout for 25 per cent off at birchalltea.co.uk. One user per customer. New customers only. Valid until 31 December 2025.