Dee Ledonio, center in pink, cutting the ribbon to commemorate the launch of Duchess Fine Teas
On March 27, 2025 at the World Food EXPO: Drinks + Bakes 2025, Duchess Fine Teas was launched, aiming to bring the experience of the art of tea to the Philippines and to usher in an alternative to the coffee experience with their curated, world-class teas. It was born of owner Dee Ledonio’s love of tea culture, developed during her travels to Europe. She wanted to bring back to her home country something she grew to love, and hopefully begin laying the foundations of a new wave of tea culture. “Tea is more than just a drink—it’s an experience, a ritual, and a connection to cultures across the world.”
I wouldn’t call myself a tea lover, but listening to Ledonio talk about what Duchess Fine Teas aims to do for tea culture in the Philippines excited me. Thanks to TikTok and other social media channels, I’ve recently been getting more into tea. As someone who works from home, I love having something to sip on while I work, and coffee can’t always do it for me, especially with the way caffeine affects me. I’m one of those people who gets sleepy from caffeine, so tea has been a great alternative.
Tea is known for its relaxing wellness properties, helping reduce the risk for heart disease, having antioxidant properties, and aiding in weight management, among other benefits. Besides that, the culture and mindfulness practices surrounding tea are great for slowing down in our extremely fast-paced world—a short, well-needed respite during a hectic day. It’s a practice of mindfulness and resetting one’s self. Of course, that’s nothing compared to some of the other rituals around tea, but it’s something that we can all apply in our lives.
My experience with the launch of Duchess Fine Teas expanded my horizons on what tea could taste like. After having grown up on the tea bags available in local grocery stores, I learned that the teas served at Duchess Fine Teas are loose leaf—a mark of a quality. Teas that are served loose leaf are able to steep better compared to their bagged counterparts, as they are able to expand within the hot water and release their flavors more fully. With bags, the tea leaves used usually come from the scraps of loose leaf tea to create a much more watered-down version. You hear about teas tasting like “leaf water” because people are drinking tea that from the scraps of the better parts of the leaves. The best teas have a variety of flavor profiles that can be enjoyed, and Duchess Fine Teas is one of the best ways to acquire them.
The brand has a wide variety of teas from around the world that one can enjoy, so you’re bound to find the kind of tea that you like. My personal preference is black teas with citrus notes such as Early Grey or Chinese herbal green teas for those days where I’m feeling a little under the weather. For matcha lovers, they also offer a selection of ceremonial-grade matcha to have either on its own or during your daily morning cup of matcha latte. For those who want to try a variety, Duchess Fine Teas offers curated sample tea packages.
Ledonio’s aim is to bring the world’s finest teas to homes, hotels, cafes, and restaurants across the Philippines. They also plan to introduce exclusive tea accessories, luxury packaging, and educational workshops in the future to introduce and elevate the tea experience for those curious to try and bring this into their own homes.
Tea is an underrated beverage here in the country, so I hope to see it grow into something bigger, and have more variety in my own kitchen cupboards.
For more information, visit their e-commerce website at www.duchessfinteas.com.ph or follow @DuchessFineTeas on Instagram and Facebook.
