A business offering teas from around the world moves operations to Belleville
A family business that started in St. Louis 17 years ago made the move to Belleville earlier this year.
The London Tea Merchant is a seller of teas from all over the world, and its warehouse is at 122 Iowa Ave.
Owner and Belleville resident Jackie James creates her own blends of teas, bringing together a combination of flavors that make her teas unique.
The London Tea Merchant is a sister business of The London Tea Room, which operated at various locations in St. Louis before closing in September.
Unlike the tea room, where customers could come in for a cuppa and a bite – scones, sandwiches, biscuits (cookies to us Yanks) and other English nibbles, the merchant is strictly a warehouse and online sales operation.
The warehouse has shelves of teas that are each stored in large containers. Loose-leaf teas are weighed and sorted into bags for individual purchase at londonteamerchant.com. Orders are shipped or available for pick-up at the Iowa Avenue site.
Notable black tea blends on offer include:
Naughty Vicar (bestseller) – Tasting notes: juicy, blackcurrant, hibiscus, citrus, vanilla, mild body, smooth;
Parisian Breakfast (James’ favorite) – Tasting notes: orange, vanilla, milk chocolate, brown sugar, malty, medium body;
The London Tea Room Blend – Tasting notes: malty, black pepper, apples, dark chocolate, woody, full bodied;
Fifth of November – Tasting notes: smokey, strawberry, blackberry, jammy, vanilla, sweet;
Cream Earl Grey – Tasting notes: light touch of bergamot, vanilla, creamy mouthfeel;
Churchill – Tasting notes: smokey, citrus, turbinado, cedar, juniper, beaches, landing grounds, fields, streets, hills.
Majority of the tea is black tea, but The London Tea Merchant also offers green, white, oolong, Pu’er, herbal and iced teas. These can be searched by type, as well as by flavor profile – fruity, floral, spicy, earthy or minty.
The website includes a drinking recommendation for each blend (i.e., hot with milk and sugar), steeping information, ingredients and allergens, all handy information whether you’re a tea novice or an old hand.
Primarily a coffee person, I do drink green tea and the occasional herbal tea (chamomile or peppermint). I’m still trying to acquire a liking for black tea and will drink the occasional Earl Grey, thanks to one Captain Jean-Luc Picard. (James said the tea room has celebrated Captain Picard Day in the past.)
After reading many of the descriptions on The London Tea Merchant website, I have a list of other black teas I want to try, such as Coffee Kisses, a combination of organic black tea and coffee beans.
James said the Spearmint Lavender is a great summer tea. But her daily go-to is the Irish Breakfast, with its coffee, malty, stout, cacao, charred steak and strong astringency flavor notes.
“The bold, get-out-the-door flavor wakes me up,” she said.
Part of the fun in checking out the teas is reading the descriptions for each blend. Some teas are themed after English literature and television. James put together a Jane Austen collection of teas that includes Pemberley, Lizzie’s Blend, Mr. Knightley and Emma. Themed tea towels and mugs are also part of the collection.
Additional themes for teas and other merch include “Alice in Wonderland,” “Downton Abbey” and Agatha Christie. James plans to create more gift set collections later this year.
James celebrated a ribbon-cutting event for The London Tea Merchant in early June, and the turnout was much better than she expected.
Most of the attendees consisted of regular customers that took time off of work or traveled from as far as Cape Girardeau, Missouri, to welcome her to the neighborhood. They were able to enjoy some tea and snacks of quiche, cookies and macarons, while getting a look behind the scenes and making purchases onsite.
A family of businesses
James and her family – parents Alan and Pat Richardson, sister Anna and brother Alan – first moved to the United States in 1988. Originally from the U.K., James said they moved around a lot, but for the most part she grew up near London.
In 1995, Alan and Pat established English Living, a high-end furniture store that was located in West County, Missouri. The business later moved to 1520 Washington Ave. in downtown St. Louis. In 2007, the London Tea Room opened in a space adjacent to the furniture store, which closed in 2012.
The London Tea Room moved to St. Louis’ Tower Grove South neighborhood in early 2014. James said the business did well there with regular afternoon tea events often selling out.
It was around this time that James became interested in learning more about tea to benefit the business and its customers. She took online classes through the World Tea Academy, became a certified tea sommelier and taught some classes.
The business quickly outgrew the space in Tower Grove, said James. They decided to go bigger, moving to 1900 Locust St. in St. Louis in 2022.
James said they had a warehouse near the tea room as a way to receive tea. Eventually they started shipping teas directly and in 2015 established The London Tea Merchant as a sister company to the tea room.
At the time “it made more sense to separate the business,” she said, and her son, Peter James, “got the Merchant off the ground,” laying down all the groundwork for the business once they secured the warehouse in St. Louis.
James took over the Merchant after Peter moved on from the business. The tea room closed in September 2024.
“It was always hard” running a business, especially a restaurant and tea room, said James, who has no plans to open another tea room and wants to focus on her online business.
Folks can enjoy some of The London Tea Merchant’s blends at The Tea Spot, 28 E. Main St., Belleville, and Zera Artisan Bakery, 101 S. Main St., Waterloo.
Moving forward, James hopes to participate in community events. She joined the Greater Belleville Chamber of Commerce to be more involved in the community and wants to occasionally teach small classes, give talks and share information about her trade.
With “all the festivals … Belleville’s a fun place,” she said.
About The London Tea Merchant
Teas are available for purchase on The London Tea Merchant website at londonteamerchant.com. Available sizes are sample (0.5 oz.), small (2 oz.) or large (8 oz.), and customers can make one-time purchases or set up subscriptions at discounted prices.
James ships orders all over the country with around 85% of orders in St. Louis and the metro-east. She ships regular orders to California, New York, Texas and Wisconsin.
For more information, call 314-266-8809 or visit The London Tea Merchant website and Facebook page.
