Mazawatee Tea
One sheet vintage advertisement for
Mazawattee Tea, one of the most prominent and heavily advertised tea brands in late Victorian and Edwardian Britain.
The Mazawattee Story
The company was founded in 1887 by the Densham family. The name "Mazawattee" is a unique blend of two languages: the Hindi word "Maza" (meaning pleasure or fun) and the Sinhalese word "Wattee" (meaning garden). This exotic name was designed to evoke the lush tea gardens of India and Ceylon (modern-day Sri Lanka).
Peak and Popularity
Market Leader: By 1898, Mazawattee had become the largest tea company in the world.
Innovative Advertising: The brand was famous for its creative marketing. They were known for placing signs on almost every railway station platform in Britain and even used a team of tame zebras to pull their delivery vans through London to emphasize tea's exotic origins.
The "Old Folks" Campaign: While your image features a woman in a white dress, the brand's most famous recurring motif was the "Old Folks at Home" picture, showing a grandmother and granddaughter sharing a cup of tea.
Decline and Legacy
The brand faced significant challenges after 1900 due to rising tea taxes and competition. Their infrastructure suffered devastating blows during World War II when their London headquarters and main factory were destroyed by bombing. The company was eventually sold in 1953, and the brand largely disappeared by the mid-1960s.
Today, Mazawattee has seen a modern revival and offers a variety of blends, including English Breakfast, Earl Grey, and Masala Chai.
Mazawattee Tea, one of the most prominent and heavily advertised tea brands in late Victorian and Edwardian Britain.
The Mazawattee Story
The company was founded in 1887 by the Densham family. The name "Mazawattee" is a unique blend of two languages: the Hindi word "Maza" (meaning pleasure or fun) and the Sinhalese word "Wattee" (meaning garden). This exotic name was designed to evoke the lush tea gardens of India and Ceylon (modern-day Sri Lanka).
Peak and Popularity
Market Leader: By 1898, Mazawattee had become the largest tea company in the world.
Innovative Advertising: The brand was famous for its creative marketing. They were known for placing signs on almost every railway station platform in Britain and even used a team of tame zebras to pull their delivery vans through London to emphasize tea's exotic origins.
The "Old Folks" Campaign: While your image features a woman in a white dress, the brand's most famous recurring motif was the "Old Folks at Home" picture, showing a grandmother and granddaughter sharing a cup of tea.
Decline and Legacy
The brand faced significant challenges after 1900 due to rising tea taxes and competition. Their infrastructure suffered devastating blows during World War II when their London headquarters and main factory were destroyed by bombing. The company was eventually sold in 1953, and the brand largely disappeared by the mid-1960s.
Today, Mazawattee has seen a modern revival and offers a variety of blends, including English Breakfast, Earl Grey, and Masala Chai.
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