(Singapore October 1, 2026) Beaming broadly TWG Tea Co-founder Maranda Barnes came over to me and introduced herself. The opening marked a significant milestone in the brand’s international growth. Welcoming travellers around the clock, from around the world, the TWG Tea Gallery is smartly  located in one of the world’s leading aviation hubs, underscoring TWG Tea’s continued investment in travel retail as a key pillar of its global expansion strategy. 

Her husband, CEO and co-founder Taha Bouqdib, was tied up doing press interviews and I didn’t get an opportunity to talk with him. But Maranda told me the co-founders had a love for tea much longer than before they opened their first TWG Tea shop in Singapore. “We were living in Paris,” the American told me “And we wanted to start an international brand in Asia. Asia, the birthplace of tea, didn’t have such a company and we believed it needed one. We checked out other places but when we visited Singapore, we immediately knew this was the place to launch TWG Tea. Singapore is great. The give us so much support.”  

TWG Tea was founded by Taha Bouqdib, Maranda Barnes and Rith Aum-Stievenard in 2008. A subsidiary of V3 Gourmet, the brand was developed as a luxury concept that incorporates unique and original retail outlets, elegant tea rooms and an international distribution network.

Like that decision, deciding to go into Changi Terminal 3 was a no brainer too. Closed for the private event I heard travellers walking by and making positive comments on the colourful tea emporium. “It’s beautiful,” said a young man. It is indeed. 

Spanning 2,700sqft beneath a soaring 23-foot-high ceiling, the new flagship represents the brand’s most ambitious retail expression to date, setting a new benchmark for luxury tea in the global travel retail landscape. “The TWG Tea Gallery represents the most definitive expression of TWG Tea to date. More than a Tea Boutique, the flagship brings the past, present and future of tea into one immersive experience, celebrating the stories, traditions and artistry that have shaped tea over the centuries, brought to life through its landmark TWG Tea Museum. Singapore has remained central to TWG Tea since its founding, and we are honoured to present our largest global flagship at Changi Airport, an icon of aviation excellence and an extraordinary platform to bring the world of TWG Tea to travellers from around the world,” stated Taha Bouqdib, President & CEO of V3 Gourmet and Co-Founder of TWG Tea.

Envisioned as an immersive expression of TWG Tea’s craftsmanship and savoir-faire, this destination invites discerning travellers into a luminous world where rare harvests, exquisite blends and timeless rituals converge. Its landmark TWG Tea Museum showcases more than 170 antique tea wares and over 50 antique Russian samovars from the 17th to 20th centuries, personally curated by the brand over the past 15 years from around the world. TWG Tea Gallery also introduces a selection of exclusive creations, including the Grand Voyage Tea from the Grand Mode Tea Collection, the Singapore Surprise Gift Set, and specially created tea-infused macarons, ice cream and sorbet. 

The takeaway Ice Cream & Sorbet concept brings the brand’s tea gastronomy to travellers on the move, with exclusive creations including Pandan Gula Melaka & Coconut Tea Ice Cream and Soursop & Temi FTGFOP1 Sorbet.  

If you like macarons, you will love TWG Tea’s version. They are very light, almost fluffy, and they are flavourful – but they don’t beat the coconut ice cream. It was the only one I tasted btu the others were probably equally good. 

The selection of tea-infused macarons and chocolate bonbons, include the exclusive Mango Macaron with Alfonso Tea-Infused Chocolate Ganache and Pistachio Praline with Crème Brûlée TeaInfused Royal Feuilletine Crisp. 

An impressive tea wall displaying more than 1,200 tea tins, anchors the space, transforming it into a compelling new expression of  TWG Tea for today’s global traveller. 

Hung Jean, Managing Director of Airside Concessions at Changi Airport Group noted, “Changi Airport is proud to be home to TWG Tea’s largest flagship store in the world and its first-ever TWG Tea Museum. As one of Singapore’s most recognised brands, TWG Tea offers travellers a uniquely Singapore experience. Together with TWG Tea, we are delighted to introduce a collection of exclusives created specially for Changi Airport. This new flagship transforms a retail visit into an immersive journey through the heritage, artistry and culture of tea, reflecting the innovation and hospitality that define both TWG Tea and Changi.” 

A Voyage THROUGH DESIGN 

This location in Changi Airport was chosen to house TWG Tea Museum to form a defining part of the flagship experience, showcasing more than 170 antique tea wares and decorative objects spanning cultures and eras. The collection offers a compelling window into the artistry and cultures that have shaped tea over the centuries, adding a rich traditional dimension to the contemporary travel retail experience. We were given a guided tour of the museum that Maranda told me began many years ago from Taha’s love for tea. “It was a personal collection, but now we collect for the museum. It is great to have a place to display the collection that started from a passion.” 

Among its highlights are Yixing clay teapots, traditionally marked by their makers and prized for their craftsmanship and provenance, alongside Chinese and Western tea wares tracing evolving traditions of form and decoration from the 18th century to the present day. Blue-and-white ceramics shaped by Chinese-Islamic artistic exchange sit alongside porcelain once prized in Europe as “white gold,” revealing the movement of ideas and aesthetics across cultures through the rituals of tea. The collection also includes more than 50 antique samovars from Russia, with notable 19th- and early-20th-century examples from the celebrated workshops of Tula and beyond. Works by makers such as the Batashev and Shemarin brothers bear distinctive hallmarks attesting to their provenance and craftsmanship, offering a further perspective on the decorative traditions surrounding tea. This dialogue between cultures continues in the flagship’s design, crowned by a hand-painted ceiling depicting a luminous world tea map. As its defining architectural feature, the composition traces the global journey of tea through intricate motifs and rich colour, extending the museum’s narrative of cultural exchange into the contemporary setting of Changi Airport Terminal 3. 

TWG TEA MUSEUM:  Did You Know Imperial Russian & Soviet Samovars 

A samovar was both a functional tea-making device and a decorative centrepiece in the Russian home, providing a steady supply of hot tea throughout the day. Samovars from award-winning workshops, such as the most famous Tula factories of the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries, featured in our collection, would be stamped with a hallmark, showcasing their artistry and the quality of their craftsmanship.

Chinese Yixing Clay Teapots

Yixing teapots are left unglazed and simply rinsed with cold water after use, allowing the porous clay to absorb traces of tea and develop a unique patina over time. With the continued infusion of the same variety of tea, the teapots can enhance the flavour over time. Yixing potters traditionally signed their work with a personal stamp. This fortunate practice enables collectors today to attribute pieces to a specific time period and even to an individual potter.

Bachelor Teapots 

Often mistaken for a children’s teapot, the bachelor teapot was in fact a charming little piece of silver designed for a single person, hence the name ‘bachelor’. Popular in the 1800’s prior to the invention of teabags, the bachelor teapot in the TWG Tea collection is beautifully crafted in sterling and silver plate and reflect the variety of shapes and forms popular during this period, including the Neoclassical, Georgian and Victorian styles.

Porcelain, Earthenware & Bone China Teawares 

The white-and-cobalt blue coloured tea ware which is so iconic today was in fact developed as a result of a cross-cultural exchange between the Islamic and Chinese potters during this period. By the 17th century, teapots and other teaware from China had set off a porcelain mania in Europe, with pieces sold at auction at such high prices that porcelain became known as “white gold.”

Tea Caddies 

Tea was a very expensive commodity in the 18th century, too precious to risk leaving in the kitchen. Therefore, it was stored in a lockable container and kept in the parlour. They evolved from narrow necked jars with a cap that doubled as a measuring device, to what eventually became known as the Tea Caddy. The word “caddy” was derived from the Malay word “kati”, a unit of weight by which tea was traditionally sold.

A World of EXCLUSIVE DISCOVERIES 

The flagship design language carries through to Grand Voyage Tea, created in celebration of the opening and unveiled as an exclusive edition. Presented in TWG Tea’s iconic Grand Mode Tea Collection packaging, its artwork echoes the world of tea on the ceiling, creating a distinctive visual connection between the Tea Boutique and its signature tea. Inspired by Singapore as a crossroads of cultures and journeys, the refined whole leaf green tea features notes of golden orchard fruits, pink rose petals, mallow blossoms and warm spices. It is available as a packaged tea or freshly prepared, hot or iced, at the Takeaway Tea counter. 

Among the exclusive offerings are the Singapore Surprise Gift Set, bringing together three beloved and signature exclusive tea blends: Singapore Breakfast Tea, Silver Moon Tea and 1837 Black Tea. TWG Tea Gallery also presents TWG Tea’s collection of more than 1,000 single-estate harvests and exclusive tea blends, alongside a selection of travel-exclusive gifts, tea accessories and tea-infused gourmet delights. 

AN ICON on the Global Stage TWG TEA GALLERY 

Exclusive Promotions and Privileges MyTWG Member Privilege Enjoy a complimentary Takeaway Tea with a minimum spend of S$100 at TWG Tea Gallery. Changi Tote Bag Bundle TWG Tea Tote Bag with two choices of TWG Tea Cotton Teabag Giftboxes and a TWG Tea Mug (S$98) The TWG Tea Gallery reinforces Singapore’s strategic role within the brand’s global network and reflects its continued investment in travel retail as a key pillar of international growth. With an expanding presence across airports, luxury hotels and cruise lines worldwide, TWG Tea continues to bring its distinctive retail and gastronomy concepts to major travel destinations, reaching international audiences across markets. Recent openings in Saudi Arabia and Mongolia, alongside continued growth in global cities including Seoul, London and Kuala Lumpur, further underscore the brand’s expanding international footprint. Looking ahead, TWG Tea will continue to pursue purposeful, experience-led growth across key destinations in Asia, Europe and the Middle East as the brand approaches its 20th anniversary in 2028.

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