Tea Review - Tea Reviews and News

Tesco have a special offer on Tetley 160 Tea Bags Tea, 2 packs (of 160 tea bags) for £4.50, saving 98p, on the usual price of £2.74 per pack. Considering the saving, does anyone fancy writing a review of Tetley tea?

Clipper Originals Fairtrade Tea - From the local Co-Op, £1.79 for a box of 80 Tea Bags. The box is sealed in a see-through plastic wrapper, but when you open the box, the square yellowy coloured tea-bags are just in there (they aren't in any foil wrapper etc). They are slightly more yellow than the picture below shows, and definitely more yellow than the usual round tea bags you normally get. On the box they are described as "A delicious, golden blend of tea from the finest Fairtrade estates. The growers on these estates will benefit directly from every pack." Which gives me a feeling that I am doing some good in the world, and not contributing to the in-justice in the world. How does the tea taste, it's very nice - a good flavour. But I'll leave the score till I've had more time to try it out. More information can be found here [clipper-teas.com]

After drinking quite a lot of Tesco Finest Tea over the weekend, I'd give it 8 out of 10 stars. It's quite nice, there is no left over black dots in the bottom of the tea when it's finished, but if you wake up and have a cuppa, then it does leave you with quite a dry mouth after you have finished the drink.

The BBC have an article (and a quiz) on How to make the perfect Cuppa.

Just some linkage: there's an interview of "Nicey" from NiceCupofTeaandaSitDown over at b3ta which does cover drinking Tea. Super.

Tesco Finest* I don't know what the * (star) stands for, normally when there's a star next to something, it normally means there's some kind of get-out clause, which they normally explain in small writing, well not in this case, as there is no explanation. Well as you may have guessed, I was in Tesco, and decided to buy some tea, and what could be finer than the Finest* ? On the box it gives instructions on "Making your perfect cup of tea:" Use one teabag per person per cup, plas add "one for the pot" if using a teapot and ensure that the pot is warm. Boil freshly drawn cold water. Pour the water the moment it boiles. Infuse for 2-5 minutes according to your personal taste. Add milk, sugar or lemon to taste." Well, they seem to know their stuff, and the flavour strength rating they give this tea of 2:Medium seems to fit. They also advise "Usage Occasions: Suitable for everyday use, and for special occasions" which made me chuckle. So how was the tea? Lovely, very nice indeed, except I did put a little bit too much milk in due to just opening a large 6-pint semi-skimmed milk bottle, but aside from that, it was very good indeed. I will postpone the rating of the tea, until the next cuppa when I will hopefully be able to put the correct amount of milk in. One thing that did come to mind was storage, the box the tea came in is re-closable much like cereal is, but to maintain tea-freshness I keep the tea packet in a metal tin with a tight seal at the top, anything less and I'd be risking the tea loosing freshness.

I was made 2 cups of tea today, and whilst I was grateful for them, I did note that they tasted a little bit odd, I could only assume that they had used UHT milk, which gave the tea the odd taste. So a warning to all, avoid UHT milk.

Asda Gold mmmm nice. tastes better than spar premium, that's for sure. Also better than Asda standard. Very refreshing. Relaxing almost.

Asda standard round tea bags, are quite nice. Freshly boiled water, stirred slightly, till dark, semi-skimmed milk added. Served in a light blue mug. Tea bag removed when desired colour acheived. Very Nice.

What are your thoughts on de-caf tea? or different types of milk? Also, when is the best time to drink a cup of tea? Whenever you feel like it, or in the morning to wake you up? what about filtered water?

The North South thing. Unfortunately the average southerner has a completely different concept of what tea is and what tea is capable of being. Partly its the water. Partly its the tastebuds. partly it could be down to the brand of tea-bag.

I'll try not to offend too many southerners, but the London cup of tea is basically a hard acrid drink, with little of the refreshing flavour rich nuances that you're familiar with in the North. The water is hard in London, and this results in a blacker cup of tea, and a smal film of scum on the surface of the cup if you leave it too long. In addition, southerners have been brought up in an land where environmental pollutants have masked their senses and ... after years of drinking a dark bitter liquid, they've forgotten what tea was meant to taste like (... or maybe they never knew). I know you're probably in tears of anger and sadness at this injustice that such a basic human right could be denied to so many people.. it's a testament to their character and determination that they still have the courage to continue drinking tea even in it's T_s form.

Of course there is still hope:- With your help, we can provide meaningful experiences for these people, we can restore their taste buds.
All it takes is a small donation of a teabag, some water, and your hospitality,.. together we can make a difference. Yes that's right, this year marks the launch of

give a southerner a chance^TM

This is your opportunity to invite a random needy southerner into your home, all you have to do is make 'em a cup of tea, let them dunk a gingernut and over time, that hardened exterior will melt to reveal a flavour filled top notch biscuit.

last night i was drinking some tea, and left the cup by the side of my bed with some tea left in it. this morning, whilst half awake, i reached to the side to get a drink, only to drink a cold gulp of last nights tea. it was horrible, truly horrible, i thought i'd drunk some poisoned water or something. it definitely woke me up anyway!

was made another cup of spar tea by a different colleague, same sort of strength to the tea, with a similar amount of milk. no hint of sugar, but still slightly weak for my liking. hot but not too hot. i think i'll give this cup of tea 5 out of 10 again. no need for stars, you know what they look like now.

just been made a cup of spar by a work colleague, it's okay, not very strong, with milk, tastes slightly sugary as though he'd put suger in someone elses tea, and then used the same spoon to stir my tea. in the yellow mug again, which is slightly dirty from previous use. it's quite thirst quenshing, although my wife in her studies found out that the best thing to drink is "Water - pure fruit juice and diluted squash are included in this but not tea, coffee or fizzy drinks as these all dehydrate" in her article here. i'd give this cup of tea 5 out of 10 as it wasn't strong enough for my liking.

Look for the FAIRTRADE Mark if you want to be sure the producers get a fair deal.

FairTrade Teas reviewed on this site:
ASDA Fairtrade 80 tea bags
Percol Perfect Tea Fairtrade Tea
Dilmah Ceylon Supreme Ethical Tea
Masala Chai Fairtrade Tea
Tesco FairTrade Tea
Tea Direct Fairtrade Tea
Clipper Originals FairTrade Tea
(this list will be updated as we review more fairtrade teas)

It would be cool if we could taste test a few more of these and compare with 'normal' brands. Here are some reasons why its important.

fairtrade tea

Clipper Fairtrade Tea Bags are sold in many major supermarkets. Sri Lanka Golden, Nilgiri Blue Mountain and Earl Grey Nilgiri Tea Bags and Loose Tea are sold in wholefood shops and by mail order by Clipper (0800 169 3552).

Equal Exchange Organic Assam Tea Bags and Loose Tea, Organic Breakfast Tea Bags and Loose Tea, Organic Earl Grey Tea Bags and Loose Tea, Organic Darjeeling Tea Bags and Loose Tea, Organic Green Tea Bags and Loose Tea, Organic Lemon Green Tea Bags, Organic Masala Chai Tea Bags, Organic Mint Green Tea Bags, Organic Premium Tea Bags are sold in health-food and wholefood shops, delicatessens and by mail order from Equal Exchange; www.equalexchange.co.uk

Hampstead Tea & Coffee Company Organic Biochai Masala Leaf Tea and Tea Bags, First Flush Leaf Tea, Makaibari Darjeeling Leaf Tea, Green Leaf Tea and Tea Bags, Oolong Leaf Tea, Earl Grey Tea Bags and Leaf Tea, Ginger Green Tea Bags, Green Verveine Tea Bags and White Leaf Tea are sold in specialist shops and by mail order from Hampstead (Tel: 020 8731 9833).

Morrisons Fair Trade Organic Tea Bags are sold in Morrisons.

Suma Organic Assam Tea Bags, Organic Earl Grey Tea Bags, Organic Darjeeling Tea Bags and Organic Breakfast Blend Tea Bags are available in health and wholefood shops.

Teadirect Tea Bags, Organic Earl Grey Tea Bags and Organic Green Tea Bags with Lemongrass or Cinnamon are sold in major supermarkets, independent retailers, Oxfam shops, Traidcraft mail order, One World shops and independent health and wholefood stores. Teadirect Tea Bags are also available in Costa Coffee shops.

Themis Organic Memory, Vigour, Slimming and Vitality Fairtrade Tea Bags are sold in health- food shops.

Traidcraft Indian Ocean Tea Bags, East African Gold Tea Bags, One Cup English Breakfast Tea Bags, One Cup East Africa Tea Bags, One Cup Earl Grey Tea Bags, Tanzanian Loose Tea are available from wholefood and One World shops, and by mail order and online shopping from Traidcraft at www.traidcraftshop.co.uk. Catering packs of One and Two Cup Teabags are also available from Traidcraft.

i've just made a cup with Spar "premium" tea bags, £1.19 from spar for a bag of 80. i used the water from a "hydroboil" water boiler in the work kitchen, i used a yellow mug with a smooth finish, i made sure i washed the cup prior to use, and filled it full of boiled water just to rinse it before filling it with the water to use with the tea. i got the water first, dipped the tea bag in and then swished the tea bag around a bit. i added semi-skimmed milk from the fridge, then stirred the tea bag some more with a tea spoon, until it looked the colour i wanted it to look, i took the tea bag out. tasting it, it is slightly too weak for my liking, and tastes a bit bitter. it is hot, but not too hot. it is quote satisfying however, and i am pleased that i took the effort to make it myself. there was black powder residue in the bottom when i finished the tea. i give this tea 6 out of 10 stars: - additional note, my wife has a theory that the water in the boiler becomes ionised, due to it re-boiling the same water over and over again, which would make sense as i am beginning to suspect that the water from it is not as good as it would be if i had got fresh water and just boiled it once in a standard kettle.

site started : ilovetea.blogspot.com* - this is a site for and more importantly by tea lovers. we are (the majority of us) in the UK, so our tea experience and love is second to none. when posting reviews of your cup of tea, please post as much information as possible, including brand of tea, water used, how much milk, if someone else made it for you (and perhaps it was too milky or a bit too weak), what type of mug / cup you used, whether you finished it, or left some in the bottom, etc. the more information the better. * for those of you interested, it uses a new blog thing, from blogger.com