Take A Tour Of The Twinings Tea Garden During The Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival

One of my favorite parts of the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival is the Twinings Tea Garden in the UK Pavilion. To be clear, the English garden behind The Tea Caddy is one of my favorite all year long, but during the Flower and Garden Festival, it gets dotted with these adorable giant tea cups that are each planted with varieties of ingredients for one of Twining's Tea blends.


The Tea Caddy Sponsored By Twinings Tea


During the festival guests can sign up at The Tea Caddy in the morning to take a 20 minute guided tour of the garden. My husband and I were able to get a spot while we were in Epcot to see just what this free experience is all about. We got a spot for the evening tour, so we headed off to see the rest of the festival.

When we arrived back at the Tea Caddy for check-in 10 minutes before the scheduled time of our tour, we were each given a nametag and told to head out back behind the shop and congregate in the English garden. It was in the garden that we met our two tour guides. Both of the young ladies were from Northern England, and were working at Epcot as part of the College Program. They assured us that in addition to being specially trained by Twinings they personally had consumed lifetimes worth of tea.


Our Lovely British Tea Tour Guide
English Garden Behind The Tea Caddy


Our tour started with a brief history of the Twinings Tea Company. In 1706 Thomas Twining became one of the first individulas to introduce tea drinking to the English and tea consumption over the years has only continued to grow. Today, Twinings sells more than 400 exceptional tea blends around the globe.

Once we had a grasp on the Twinings history, we started our stroll and learning about tea itself. Our lovely tour guides moved the group from planting to planting describing the process of creating the many types of tea all from one base plant. Each of the giant tea cups in the garden is planted with the ingredients that make up extra flavors and aromas in the many tea blends. We learned about Early Grey, Mint, Buttermint, Jasmine Green, and Berry.


Earl Grey With Lavender Is A Twinings Specialty
Ingredients For Different Tea Varieties Grow in Oversized Teacups


The last teas that we discussed were the American Chai varieties. These black teas are blended with fragrant spices like cinnamon and cardamom, and served sweet with milk. One of the trees growing in the courtyard is a cinnamon tree, the spice comes from the bark. The most popular Twining's Chai in America is the Pumpkin Spice Chai and is unique to our market.

My husband and I have been tea enthusiasts for years and we very much look forward to our continued exploration in the world of tea. The tour was a more basic than our already established knowledge base, however if you don't really know much about tea it's a great introductory tour. My favorite quote from our lovely tour guide is "the best tea is the one that you like." I couldn't agree with her more.


Pumpkin Spice Chai Is A Distinctively American Blend
A Cinnamon Tree Grows In The Tea Courtyard

• The English Tea Garden tour lasts approximately 20 minutes.
• Tours are held Monday through Thursday at 3:30 PM and 5:00 PM and Saturday and Sunday at 1:00 PM, 3:30 PM and 5:00 PM.
• Registration at the The Tea Caddy gift shop. begins at 11am, and is first come first serve. Each tour is limited to 20 Guests, so sign up early in the day.
• The Tour is Wheelchair Accessible.
• The English Tea Garden tour is free with Epcot admission.

Tea Tour Signs Are Always Available


If you don't have a chance to take the guided tour of the garden, you can still learn all about what goes into your cuppa. Signs placed around the tea garden take guests through a self-guided look at the process of what goes into making Twinings Teas. Have you been on the Twinings Tea Tour? Did you learn anything new? Leave a comment and let me know if you enjoyed it.