Why it belongs in ORBIS
Founded in Paris in 1919 by Arthur Betjeman, who trained in the tea trade in Dublin and London, and Percy Barton — a house of single-estate teas and Earl Grey-style blends now over a century old, with complimentary tastings and a B2B division.
Betjeman & Barton dates to 1919, when Arthur Betjeman — an Englishman who had studied tea expertise in Dublin and London — chose Paris over London to open his own house with partner Percy Barton. The pairing gave the brand its founding identity: British tea-trade training applied to a French retail sensibility, a mix the house still describes as “British distinction with French libertarian spirit.”
The core of the business is single-estate tea — sourced lots from Japan, China, Darjeeling, Ceylon, Assam and Formosa sold without blending, for drinkers who want a specific garden or harvest rather than a house style. Alongside those sit flavored blends built around Earl Grey, jasmine, mint, chocolate and spice, plus a Grand Cru tier and organic and seasonal selections; herbal infusions, rooibos and fruit tisanes round out a catalog built for range rather than a narrow specialty. Two named blends worth seeking out are Caviar de Yuzu and Memory, a green tea finished with cherry. Shops offer a complimentary taste with purchase, a detail that matters for a range this wide, and the company also runs a professional B2B arm and franchise program — a working merchant, not just a boutique, more than a hundred years into the business.