The Tea Museum was founded in South Korea in May 2001 by David and Jade Kilburn who are Chairman and President of the company.

In December 2006, Tea Museum Japan K.K. was incorporated

In South Korea, the Tea Museum is that country’s leading retailer of high quality teas and herbal infusions. Fine Teas, flowers,herbs, and spices are imported from more than a dozen countries, including China, Taiwan, India, Ceylon, Japan, Nepal, Australia, Paraguay, South Africa, Egypt, Iran, Germany, France, UK, Slovakia, and the Ukraine and sold under the Tea Museum brand name in our own stores.

Each year, Tea Museum management visit growers in different countries to examine growing and production methods in order to select the best quality sources for the Tea Museum. Many ingredients are organically grown; others are harvested as wild plants in remote regions.

The Tea Museum also creates new teas, for example, Sapphire Oolong is an especially mild Oolong tea grown on a plantation where the ground is naturally laced with very tiny sapphires. Other examples include ‘Kilburn Imperial,’ the rarest and most delicate of White Teas, and Earl Grey Original, a surprising rediscovery of the very original Chinese method of making the famous Earl Grey tea.

The Tea Museum also creates original blends using herbs and flowers: Flower Vacance, Whispering Breeze, Belle Jardin, Bodycalm, Morning Sunrise, Rooibos Summer Flowers, and Zeylanica are just a few examples. There are also original blends of Korean Green teas, such as the Tea of Serenity, the Tea of Harmony, Green Venus, and Morning Dew.

Teas and infusions are available in a wide variety of prices and sizes with packaging based on works of art and old engravings in the Tea Museum Collection. Special Tea Museum services include the creation of unique blends for weddings, other important events, and the design of ‘signature’ teas for companies.

The Tea Museum holds a number of public lectures and presentations each year to increase people’s understanding and knowledge of tea.

The Tea Museum maintains a collection of old prints, drawings, and ceramic ware related to tea. The oldest items date back to the sixteenth century.