7 Hong Kong Tea Brands Worth Knowing
Walk through any Hong Kong mall and TWG Tea is there, gold "1837" stamped across the tin, looking like it's been trading since the Qing dynasty. It's easy to assume that's a Hong Kong brand. It isn't. TWG was founded in Singapore in 2008. The 1837 doesn't mark the company's founding at all, it's the year the Singapore Chamber of Commerce formed, a date TWG borrowed and let shoppers draw their own, wrong, conclusion from.
Here's the thing, though. Hong Kong doesn't grow tea leaf, none of it, so "local vs foreign" was never really the right question to begin with. Even a genuinely local brand is sourcing from somewhere else. Six of the seven brands below were founded in Hong Kong; the seventh, Time for Tea, wasn't, but it earns its place for the same reason the other six do: each one has built something specific and concrete around the leaf it sources, whether that's a sourcing relationship, a certification, or a curated range. That's what this guide is actually about.
Seven Hong Kong Tea Brands, and What Each One Gets Right
Rickshaw has been Hong Kong's default supermarket tea since the 1950s, seventy years of the same black tea and Chinese tea blends stocked next to instant noodles and soy sauce. There's no sourcing story to tell here, and it doesn't need one. The value is that it's the standard taste Hong Kong people already grew up on, the tea nearly every household has bought without thinking about it for three generations. It's the most recognisable and the most available name on this list, and that familiarity is the whole point. Look for it at ParknShop or Wellcome rather than a dedicated store.
Fook Ming Tong has run since 1987 with a different goal from Rickshaw entirely: turn traditional Chinese tea into a luxury gifting experience. You're not really buying tea leaf here, you're buying the whole presentation - hexagonal tins, coordinated gift boxes, seasonal packaging built around Mid-Autumn and Chinese New Year - the kind of design that reads as considered the moment someone unwraps it. That polish is backed by a real operation: tea masters lead purchasing teams into the field each harvest season, and its own Tie Guan Yin comes from a dedicated processing facility in Anxi. But the reason people actually choose Fook Ming Tong over a plainer brand isn't the sourcing, it's the name recognition and the packaging. It's the safe, obviously-thoughtful gift. Its stores sit in malls, including IFC, and at Hong Kong International Airport, built for exactly that gift-buying moment. It also sells online through its own site and platforms like HKTVmall.
Ying Kee has traded tea since the 1880s in Guangzhou, then Hong Kong from 1950 onward, more than 140 years by its own count. That kind of run is its own answer to "will this brand still be reliable next year." But longevity alone doesn't explain why it's worth choosing. What actually backs it up is quality control that's been formalised, not just inherited: tea is selected and blended by trained tea masters under an exclusive formula, and the whole operation runs under ISO9001 certification, the kind of external, auditable standard a brand has to actually earn and keep passing, not just claim once. That combination, over a century of practice plus a certified process behind it, is why locals still treat it as the trustworthy default rather than a name that's coasting on age.
Teakha is a modern reimagination of what tea culture in Hong Kong can look like, a Sheung Wan café Nana Chan opened in 2012 to recreate the relaxed, social tea-drinking she grew up with, but rebuilt in a café format nobody else here was doing at the time. It's not trying to be a traditional tea house dressed up, or a Western café that happens to serve tea, it's a genuinely new shape for the category. That reimagination is backed by real sourcing too, not just atmosphere: Teakha sources through its sister brand Plantation, launched in 2017 specifically to buy single-origin tea directly, so a cup here traces back to one farm and one harvest, not a blended lot. Its home base is still the Sheung Wan café, with tea also available through Plantation's online store.
Basao started online in 2015 and opened its first physical tearoom on Star Street in Wan Chai in 2019. Founder Oliver Ma built the brand on direct relationships with partner growers across mainland China, Taiwan, Nepal, India, and Japan, small artisan farms rather than wholesale suppliers. This isn't sourcing for a story, it's sourcing specifically for quality. The brand's own tea engineers describe staying personally connected to growers from cultivation and picking through to brewing and packaging, on fair trade terms rather than a commodity buy. That direct line from farm to cup is what lets Basao chase quality most brands can't, because most brands are buying from a broker, not a named grower they've actually met. Basao sells through its Star Street tearoom and online.
LockCha, founded by Ip Wing-chi in 1991, is the connoisseur pick. Ip spent years from the late 1980s travelling China's tea-producing regions before opening LockCha, and the brand still buys directly from small and mid-sized farmers he met on those trips, decades before "direct trade" became a marketing phrase elsewhere. Where Basao's sourcing is a deliberate brand philosophy built from scratch, LockCha's is the accumulated result of one person's actual relationships, farmer by farmer, over more than thirty years, which is a different, deeper kind of depth. That's what you're paying for. LockCha runs two tea houses, in Hong Kong Park and at Tai Kwun, both built around puerh, and doesn't sell much beyond them, which is part of the point. It's a place to sit and drink, not just buy a bag and leave.
Time for Tea is the one name here playing a different game entirely. Founder Tatiana Pudwill grew up drinking tea in Eastern Europe, where it's treated as an essential daily ritual rather than an occasional drink, and she carried that habit into her own home in Hong Kong. She started hosting private afternoon tea sessions at home for close friends, and that habit is what eventually grew into the brand. So the curation here isn't abstract, it's built on her own lived sense of what a proper tea ritual should feel like. Its organic loose-leaf teas are sourced through an expert blender in Germany, and the blends themselves are specific rather than generic: an Earl Grey built on Darjeeling First Flush, a Fasting Tea designed around green tea and mate, alongside English Breakfast, Fresh Mint, Ginger Turmeric, Caramel Cream, and Miss Grey.
Buy loose tea leaf from Time for Tea
Each blend is picked for a reason, not filler. Try the Earl Grey for a proper Darjeeling First Flush base, or the Fasting Tea if you want something built around green tea and mate rather than a generic diet blend.
Shop the Tea Leaf
Darjeeling FTGFOP First Flush*, Darjeeling FTGFOP Blend*, bergamot oil, cornflower blossoms*.
*certified organic
Step into a world of sophistication with our Organic Earl Grey Tea, a luxurious blend designed for the refined tea enthusiast. Crafted from the finest certified organic ingredients, this tea marries the classic taste of Earl Grey with a touch of floral elegance. Each cup promises an exquisite experience, perfect for those who cherish the elegance of a well-brewed tea.
Taste Bergamot
Recommended brewing time (min.) 3-4
Recommended dosage (gram/litre) 12-15
Recommended water temperature (°C) 90
Country of origin Germany
Minimum shelf life (months) 36
Storage Cold, dry, light-sealed & free from foreign odours
Quality Bio - certified organic
ginger* (98%), turmeric* (1%), cardamon (1%)*.
*certified organic
Indulge in a cup of our exquisite Organic Ginger Turmeric Tea, a luxurious blend meticulously crafted for the discerning tea connoisseur. Formulated with certified organic ingredients, this tea promises not only a delightful and invigorating flavor but also a multitude of health benefits. Whether you’re starting your day or unwinding in the evening, our Organic Ginger Turmeric Tea transforms each sip into a moment of pure elegance and wellness.
Flavouring None
Taste Ginger, Turmeric
Recommended brewing time (min.) 5-7
Recommended dosage (gram/litre) 12-15
Recommended water temperature (°C) 100
Country of origin Germany
Minimum shelf life (months) 36
Storage Cold, dry, light-sealed & free from foreign odours
Quality Bio - certified organic
black tea mixture* (China), black tea Assam* (India), black tea Ceylon* (Sri Lanka), natural caramel flavouring, natural cream flavoured caramel pieces*, (cane sugar*, glucose syrup*, condensed milk*, butter*, salt*), cornflower blossoms*.
*certified organic
Treat yourself to a rich and decadent experience with our Organic Caramel Cream Tea. This luxurious blend combines the robust flavors of premium black teas from China, India, and Sri Lanka with the sweet, creamy essence of natural caramel. Each cup offers a guilt-free indulgence that doesn’t require added sugar to satisfy your sweet tooth. Perfect for any time of day, Organic Caramel Cream Tea is a delightful way to enjoy a moment of relaxation and pleasure.
Flavouring natural flavour
Taste CARAMEL
Recommended brewing time (min.) 3-5
Recommended dosage (gram/litre) 12-15
Recommended water temperature (°C) 100
Country of origin Germany
Minimum shelf life (months) 36
Storage Cold, dry, light-sealed & free from foreign odours
Quality Bio - certified organic
black tea mixture* (China), black tea Assam* (India), orange oil*, orange peels*, bergamot oil*, bergamot peel*, marigold blossoms*, cornflower blossoms*.
*certified organic
Discover the unique charm of our Organic Miss Grey Tea, a sophisticated blend that elevates the classic Earl Grey with a bespoke combination of black teas, blossoms, and natural oils. Crafted for those who appreciate a stronger, more complex tea, Miss Grey offers a vibrant and refined tea experience. Each cup is a celebration of organic ingredients and meticulous craftsmanship, designed to delight your senses and promote well-being.
Taste Bergamot, Orange
Recommended brewing time (min.) 3-5
Recommended dosage (gram/litre) 12-15
Recommended water temperature (°C) 100
Country of origin Germany
Minimum shelf life (months) 36
Storage Cold, dry, light-sealed & free from foreign odours
Quality Bio - certified organic