English Breakfast or Earl Grey, Darjeeling or De-caff, Black of Green, the world's favourite beverage is available in a myriad of choices and preferences. Each one of us has our favourite tea…or teas, based on weather, workplace and weekday! But ever wondered, what would be favourite teas of world-famous people! Rich and famous as they are, most of them are choosy, or shall we say, selective, about their teas. From poets to politicians and from detectives to dramatists - each one has their favourite tea!

Read on as reveal the surprising favourite tea of some of the famous people…and maybe you share your favourite tea with one of them!

1. James Bond

The world's most famous detective preferred coffee for his over tea. In fact, he is known to have loathed tea of any kind. However, on a few occasions, like when he is recuperating from an injury or undergoing regular health check-ups in hospital, where coffee is not allowed, 007 has to drink tea. At these times, he prefers Earl Grey tea - it is said with sugar and milk!

2. Barrack Obama

The former President of the USA generally enjoyed fruit teas. His favorite always has been a cup of Berry Tea, which was frequently seen and photographed enjoying. Depending on weather and mood, he enjoyed his cup of Berry Tea both hot and cold.

3. Sherlock Holmes

The only 'consulting detective' in the world always went for a cup of Lapsang Souchang. Lapsang Souchong is a Black tea grown in the Fujian district of China, renowned for its dark, smoky flavour and a full-bodied, strong cup. Not for the weak-hearted!

4. Sir Winston Churchill

Arguably the greatest Briton of all time, and certainly of the 20th century, almost single-handedly won the second world War, was a person of very distinctive and unusual tastes. From the choice of his cigars to the choice of his whisky, Churchill’s choice was quite unlike the ordinary. His favourite tea was Lapsang Souchong, the Chinese black tea that is considered by many to be the first black tea ever made. Lapsang Souchong is dark, strong and distinctively smoky tea.

5. Rabindranath Tagore

The first non-European and the first non-white person to win the Nobel Prize for literature in 1913, the Bard of Bengal was surprisingly not very fussy about his tea or coffee. He would just take a small amount of Chinese Jasmine tea with a few petals of chrysanthemum for flavour. He was known to pour in hot water and very quickly, almost in a hurry, strain the infusion. To this very watery and weak tea, he would add a lot of milk. Indeed, he once remarked that he drank tea or coffee as a means to drink milk!

6. Hercule Poirot 

The world renowned Belgian detective who has a fetish for order and neatness, has a special preference for Tisanes. Not for this diminutive sleuth a milky or a Green tea. True to his European roots, his favourite tea is always a light Tisane.

7. Swami Vivekananda

The great monk from Bengal who took the Vedanta philosophy to the West and enchanted the first World Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893, loved his tea. So much so, that he even introduced it in the monastic order he had founded. This created a furore with the high-class Hindu Brahmins, who imposed a steep tax on tea. Swamiji challenged this tax in the court and the tea tax was eventually reduced. It is said that he relished the famous Lal Cha (red tea) - tea without milk or sugar, and Lebu Cha or lemon tea - tea liquor with a squeeze of lemon. 

8. John Lennon

The Beatle co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist, was a Brit to the core. He was particularly fussy about his tea - and the way it was made! He always ensured his favourite tea - English Breakfast in tea bag, was put in first and then hot water was poured. Apparently, when his wife sometimes put water first and then dipped in the tea bag, John would find this out in the first sip!

9. Princess Diana

The people's princess had quite a different favourite when it came to tea. Her favourite tea was a special blend of Rose Pouchong - a light, mild and floral tea, which she preferred to drink without milk or sugar.

Pouchong (pronounced Bao Zhong) is a very lightly oxidised Oolong tea, originally from Taiwan. It is amongst the most floral and fragrant of all Oolong teas. Compared to a usual Oolong (half way oxidized between a black tea and a green tea) a Pouchong is just about 8-10% oxidized.

Rose Pouchong is made by scattering rose petals over the tea leaves while they are being oxidised, allowing the tea to take on the natural flavour of rose. After the tea is ready, a few petals are sprinkled for decoration.

10. Vladimir Putin 

The President of Russia is one of the fittest political leaders in the world today. However, his diet is surprisingly not very much in the public domain. Every now and then, the Russian media comes up with interesting tit-bits about the President’s food and drink preferences. As far as his favourite tea is concerned, it seems the President loves Green tea. This seems to be a perfect choice for the President who swims for two hours a day and works out fairly regularly in the gym, and is known for his love for outdoors.

Now that you know the favourite tea of these famous people, let us know if your favourite tea, or your favourite personality, is mentioned here. We would love to hear back from you!

About the Author :

ketan desai | chief educator |  ketan@vahdamteas.com

Ketan Desai is the Chief Educator at VAHDAM Teas. After a brief stint with the family tea business, Ketan went on to work with some of the top tea planters, tasters, blenders and marketers across India, Sri Lanka, Russia and the CIS countries, the UK, Bangladesh, Indonesia  and Africa. 

A seasoned tea-taster and blender, and a passionate raconteur, Ketan conducts tea workshops and events, regaling participants with amusing stories while explaining the finer nuances of tea during live tasting sessions.

At VAHDAM Teas, Ketan spearheads tea, content and community initiatives. He leads TEAch Me, VAHDAM’s social initiative focused on education of children at tea estates.

Ketan's favourite tea is Darjeeling First Flush, which he prefers to have without milk or sugar. He can be contacted at @ketdes on twitter, @teatotaller on instagram or at ketan@vahdamteas.com.