The brew of truth

A good cup of tea is a fundamental British right, but how much do you care about the brand of cup you sup? 4Food put Britain’s teas to the blind taste test to see which brew steamed ahead.

Loyalty runs high when it comes to tea with drinkers dedicated to one brew of truth. Suggesting a switch of brand to the hardened tea drinker is like asking them to change football teams or use salt instead of sugar.

The challenge
Our tea taste challengers had all seen their fair share of action and weren’t scared to sup at least three a day. Their brands of choice included PG Tips and Tetley for their full flavoured brew alongside Twinings, described as an upmarket tea. Some suppers were sure they’d identify their brew but with seven other cups vying for attention how different is the scent of each rival cuppa?

Let brewing begin
The first brew off the blocks was heavyweight brand PG Tips described by one taster as his ‘favourite morning tipple’. But after an initial sip the brand was struggling with half the challengers convinced it was the supermarket’s own.

The budget brand came next and was deemed to be stronger, though its unusual flavour conjured up thoughts of Fairtrade.

Next up was Twinings – the posh totty of teas – and the group agreed it was a fragrant brew. Tetley entered the arena to a mixed reception considered to be watery but still a drinkable dram.

On to Fairtrade Clipper, a brew the group had expected to be a little weak. But no, the blind tea tasters thought this was Yorkshire Tea, a brand commonly considered the Samson of teas.

Typhoo was up next and clearly held its own. “Very normal tasting,” was one review of the classic brand. The supermarket’s own tea came up smelling of rosy lee as everyone agreed it did for the standard cup. And finally Yorkshire Tea received a glowing reception, a bit strong for some but how a tea should be.

A better, blander brew
So it seems you can’t judge a brew by its brand and it pays to switch around when you sup. Yorkshire Tea is ideal for those who like brews with bite and Twinings had a fragrant edge for the delicate drinking palate. Clipper surprised the group with its punchy panache but with the lesser tasting teas going down a treat it seems for many British drinkers a blander brew is best.

Can you tell your Tetley from your Twinings? Let us know which brew is best in the comments below.

Try a slice of these cakes with your tea.

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