Singapore’s luxury tea shop TWG Tea proves that tea is still very much favoured drink today despite coffee ever gaining ground.

TWG Tea will open a new shop at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand in October in addition to its existing two shops at The Emporium and Siam Paragon in Bangkok.

According to CEO Yuthachai Charanachitta of Italthai Industrial Group, TWG Tea’s franchisee in Thailand, TWG Tea will revolutionise the tea industry in the country, where there is a huge hunger for gourmet teas.

“Tea is all about taking your time, and as time is a luxury, tea has metamorphosed into a luxury of its accord. Coffee will never be related to luxury, and this is the biggest difference between the two,” said Charanachitta.

TWG Tea offers more than 800 single estate fine harvest teas and exclusive blends, as well as tea patisseries and other tea infused delicacies.

It currently has 22 shops in nine countries. To take advantage of the global tea market which is currently valued at more than US$5 billion, TWG Tea plans to open shops in the world’s big cities by 2018.