About us

Our Philosophy

Our society is focused on productivity. We are so focused on making more things that we've forgotten how to create.

At brut tea, we believe that creation is more important than production.

And to create, we need to first learn how to savour life's every moment. To make the fullest of the joyous hours we spend in great company, the precious minutes we spend in deep focus, and the fleeting seconds we have with ourselves.

We believe that through tea and its many nutritional benefits, we make life's every moment worth savouring.

Our teas

Our pursuit of life's most worthwhile moments has led us to be absolutely uncompromising with our teas.

We've travelled far and wide to find the world's best tea gardens. We've sampled our way through many terroirs and styles. We've gone great lengths to work with artisans who are masters in their craft. And we've worked hard to ensure that the teas we source are fully natural, ethical and sustainable.

No tea bags. No compromises.

This way, we can all enjoy the teas we have in peace, knowing full well that we have done the hard work so that you don't have to.

All you have to do is sit back and sip – and wait for the ensuing the quiet, meditative focus that ensues, the warming sensation that puts your stomach back in its happy place after a big meal.

Meet the founders

Raphael and Joyce come from the world of tech. They became absolutely enamoured with Yunnan on their travels, mesmerised by the ethnic people's cultural traditions, the region's natural beauty and its untarnished ancient tea trees.

brut tea is a continuation of their story with Yunnan, through which they hope they can bring a slice of this wonderful part of the planet to the rest of the world.

Raphael Chow

Having spent years as a founder and operator in London's tech scene, Raphael learnt one important lesson: to be present and make every moment count.

Drinking tea has helped Raphael regain a sense of calm and creativity that had dodged him for years. Raphael believes that like wine, tea has many fascinating stories about their provenance, terroir and quality that should be widely shared. He believes there is a bright spot on the international stage for fine, artisanal teas.

Raphael's international upbringing has imbibed him with a passion for exploring the cultural crossroads between the East and West.

Joyce Ding

Joyce has always wanted to create something beautiful and impactful.

Growing up in China, tea is part of her daily life and she loves how versatile tea is. While her grandmother prefers drinking tea brewed in the traditional Gongfu style, being a big foodie, Joyce loves experimenting with new and different tea recipes. When she moved to London three years ago, Joyce was surprised by how difficult it was to find high-quality Chinese teas in the UK and how little the culture is known.

Previously, Joyce was a product manager at TikTok, where she built tools to inspire millions of creators worldwide to create. She now wants to continue to extend her reach to millions of creators through the enjoyment of tea.

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