Put the kettle on! (PG Tips Teabags)

Member Name: Holidaying

Product:	PG Tips Teabags
Date:	04/04/09 (99 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Delicious cup of tea.

Disadvantages: None for me.

PG Tips is my favourite brand of tea! The one I am reviewing is exactly the same as the picture above, but the box I have here has 50% extra free. So normally you'd get 160 bags, but in this box you get 240 bags!

The packaging
I think that the packaging is very attractive. I like the fact that the tea bags are in a box and not in a bag (although of course most tea bags are packaged in boxes). The box has a cellophane wrapper around it. I suppose this is to keep the tea fresh but I think it would stay fresh without it, as the box has a perforated lid inside, and so the cellophane wrapper seems a bit superfluous!

The design on the front of the box is bright, with the red and green PG tips logo written at the top and towards the left, and a photograph of some leaves at the bottom. The photo is so clear it looks like the leaf is right in front of you. I think that this gives the impression of freshness.

The design on the rest of the box is of the same theme as the front, with the leaves at the bottom carried right around. The monkey who is in the adverts is on all the other three sides of the box, doing different things. I don't really see the appeal of this to be honest, other than the fact that it links with the advert so you know you're buying the tea that you saw on the advert!

The tea
As I said at the beginning, PG Tips tea is my favourite. I make the tea by putting the tea bag in the cup and then pouring on the boiling water and (cold) milk. The colour of the tea without any milk in it is very dark and I think this is how tea should be as I like a nice strong taste. I don't like the teas that look like the water in the washing up bowl. When you add the milk the tea lightens in colour to a pale brown, but a few good squeezes of the tea bag sees some of that rich brown colour return.

I think that the taste of this tea is quite strong. The tea is full of flavour and I think this is in large part because of the shape of the bags. Several years ago they made the tea bags pyramid shaped, and it says on the website that this gives the tea 'room to breathe'. To me this means that the water can come in to contact with more of the tea leaves and give me a better cuppa!

I think the tea has quite a 'heavy' taste. It is not at all fruity or earthy but has a slight tang to it.

Where can I buy it?
I always buy my tea in the supermarket. All of the big chains stock it. I paid about £3.40 for this, but normally to buy 240 bags would cost about £4.60. It is cheaper to buy a bigger quantity of PG Tips in most cases.

Other information
This box of tea is certified by the Rainforest Alliance and 50% of it comes from Rainforest Alliance Certified Farms. In practice this means that the rainforest where it comes from is conserved and the people that work there are treated fairly (according to the website of the Rainforest Alliance, www.rainforest-alliance.org). Obviously this is a good thing, but ideally 100% of the tea would come from such farms.

Recommendation
I highly recommend this delicious tea!

Summary: Recommended.