Fortnum & Mason Tea Review: Is a $42 Tin Worth It?

Royal Blend is the tea Fortnum's built its tea reputation on. The company says it was first blended in 1902 for King Edward VII, and describes it as Assam from India lifted by Flowery Pekoe from Sri Lanka, with a smooth, honey-like character. In practice that puts it in the same family as a good English Breakfast: a malty Assam backbone that takes milk, with the Ceylon keeping it brighter than a straight Assam.

The format is the other reason it wins. Fortnum's tea caddies are the product people picture when they hear the name, and a 250g tin is a complete gift with nothing else to wrap. The catch is that loose leaf needs an infuser or a pot; if the person you are buying for only uses bags, see the Breakfast Blend bags below, or pair the tin with a strainer from our tea infuser guide. Brew with freshly boiled water for 3 to 5 minutes, as Fortnum's directs.

Despite the name, Fortnum's Breakfast Blend is not a multi-origin blend in the usual sense. The company describes it as unblended Assam leaves from the Brahmaputra Valley in Northeast India, broken leaf that brews strong with a malty, full-bodied flavour. That makes it the most straightforward tea in the range: a big, dark cup that wants milk.

At that price it is a treat, not a pantry staple. If you love the style but want to drink it every day, our best English Breakfast tea and best Assam tea guides cover strong cups at a fraction of the cost. The listing showed limited stock on the day we checked.

Earl Grey Classic is what the name says: black tea flavoured with bergamot, which Fortnum's describes as a refreshing cup with abundant citrus notes that pairs with both rich sweet and savoury food. The ingredient list is simply tea and flavouring, so there are no cornflowers, lavender or vanilla to change the character.

It is priced like the Breakfast Blend at about 68 cents a bag, and Fortnum's UK site lists the same 50-bag box at £14.95, so the same import premium applies. For a cheaper everyday Earl Grey, see our best Earl Grey tea rankings. Brew 3 to 5 minutes with freshly boiled water, per Fortnum's.

Queen Anne Blend was created in 1907, Fortnum's bicentenary year, and named for the monarch who reigned when the shop opened in 1707. Fortnum's describes it as carefully selected TGFOP Assam and Ceylon FBOP, a strong, smooth tea for any time of day, and says the recipe was changed in 1927 and left alone since.

The 25-bag box is the low-commitment entry to the range at $19.95, though at 80 cents a bag it is one of the pricier formats per cup. Buy it to compare against Royal Blend, then move to a larger format of the one you prefer. Limited stock on Amazon US when checked.

Fortnum's says Smoky Earl Grey was created in response to a request from the Palace for a smokier Earl Grey. The recipe adds Lapsang Souchong, the pine-smoked Chinese black tea, and Gunpowder green tea to the usual bergamot, and the company suggests it with roast duck.

This is the blend we would call the "worst" buy only in the sense that it is the easiest to get wrong: nothing mainstream tastes like it, which is the appeal for some drinkers and the reason others will leave the box in the cupboard. Fortnum's lists the same 25-bag box at £7.95 in the UK, so the US markup is steep here too.

Fortnum's sells a Famous Tea Selection of 60 bags on its UK site, which it lists as 10 bags each of six blends: Royal Blend, Breakfast Blend, Afternoon Blend, Queen Anne, Earl Grey Classic and Smoky Earl Grey. That covers nearly everything in this review in one box, which is why a selection is the safest Fortnum's present.

At $50.85 it is the most expensive item here, and about 85 cents a bag. The UK price is £18.95, so this is the listing where the import markup is widest. For more variety boxes across brands, see our best tea samplers guide.

Royal Blend Decaffeinated is the house blend with the caffeine removed. Decaf black tea is not caffeine free, just much lower, and the decaffeination process tends to soften a tea, so expect a gentler cup than the regular Royal Blend.

It was one of the listings reliably in stock on Amazon US when we checked. For decaf options across brands, including cheaper everyday boxes, see our best decaf tea guide.