It Would Make Grannie Grimace and Giggle (Sainsbury's Basics Teabags)

Member Name: skidd

Product:	Sainsbury's Basics Teabags
Date:	25/11/07 (184 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very cheap

Disadvantages: Too weak to call tea!

When I was very young, I remember my Grandma serving tea. There were no teabags in those days and the leaf tea would be spooned into the brown earthenware teapot, one spoonful per person and one for the pot! The pot would then be encased in its knitted, pompom-topped cosy whilst the tea was left to "draw". After an appropriate time lapse, the steaming brown brew would be poured into delicate flowery china cups with matching saucers. Most of the time all was well and Grandpa would compliment her on a 'lovely cuppa' but now and again, Gran would study the result of her labours, furrow her brow and proclaim, "Gnats!" and I somehow knew all was not well. She would then cast her eyes to the floor, clasp a hand over her mouth and giggle like a teenager.

When I was adjudged old enough, my mother explained to me that my Gran's utterance on such occasions was actually her own curtailed version of "gnats' piss'" and that, for some inexplicable reason, this meant that the tea was unacceptably weak! I have never managed to discover the derivation of this term but, to this day, I have to smile when I consider that this inoffensive word was the extent of my Gran's profanity. This abiding memory of Gran, with her genteel ways and reserved air, borne of her years 'in service', was the best part of my experience of Sainsbury's Basics Teabags.

For readers who have not already read about my quest for less expensive everyday items, my sortie into " cheap side" began a few months ago when I received one of those unsolicited state pension projections/ illustrations. It came as a bit of a shock as the reality of my approaching retirement age hadn't hit me before and this prompted thoughts of living on a much reduced income. I must admit that, previously, I was not a keen student of prices because, always being in a hurry, I would just grab what I needed when it came to essential supplies and pay up looking reasonably happy. But now I had to address the pulling in of my very expensive horns!

"Sainsbury's Basics" range consists of over 260 everyday products and is actually their economy range. The no frills packaging of these items is easily identifiable with it's white background, prominent red and yellow "Basics" label and naïve red graphics describing and illustrating the contents. The teabags, which are only available in packs of eighty, come in a rather thin, recyclable cardboard. Mine arrived in my delivery in rather tattered condition but the contents were unaffected.

There were no instructions as to how to use the teabags so I followed my normal practice, placed one in a mug, poured on the boiling water and waited a minute or so. It's difficult to ascertain the strength of the tea without adding milk so in went a dash (my normal amount) and a very pale liquid was revealed. I swilled round the teabag a little, left it another minute, re-swilled and squeezed the teabag as much as possible. By this time it was a more respectable colour if not quite the strong rich hue I would expect after such a length of time "brewing". I know tea does not have a strong aroma but there is usually a faint, satisfying, familiar whiff as your nose approaches the mug . This time even when I leaned in close and deliberately sniffed, I could hardly identify any scent at all. I took a first tentative sip, then a second and really couldn't believe that all I could taste was a slightly chemical, slightly floral flavour as if somebody had sprayed cheap perfume into hot water. I persevered but threw most of it away.

Having no other supplies in the house I tried again, this time with two teabags steeped for the same two minutes. I could detect very little difference from the first offering and that too ended up down the sink. I then tried leaving two teabags for a longer period, roughly about four minutes. This resulted in a slightly more identifiably scented taste which was worse than the first offering. There was just nothing more to it and I would have been happier with a mug of hot water. I even tried a three teabag mug full to no avail! There was just no comforting "kick", no trace of the tang of tannin. In short it did not elicit my usual "aaaaah" but more of an "arghhhhh". I admit I like a strong cuppa and usually alternate between Yorkshire and Typhoo brands but I doubt that even the greatest aficionado of "gnats" type brews would find this satisfying. I reckon that, if I used my normal teabags three times over, I would get more satisfactory results.

These sorry excuses for teabags were only used once more when I had run out of my usual brand and my neighbour called round. I tentatively handed him the mug of tea (in which I had swished around two teabags for a fair amount of time) with an apologetic explanation. His verdict was, "Well at least it's wet and warm!" But I noticed that he never finished it and, as he is usually a " to the dregs" man, this suggests I am not alone in my opinion of this product! He would have been far too polite to say. The remaining teabags remain in my cupboard unused. So much for economy.

There is one good thing I can say about this product, the box of eighty only costs 32p. This is amazing when you consider other brands charge five to six times this amount and, if you like a really weak tea, it might be worth giving this a try. If it proves to be a mistake at least it will not be an expensive one! However, I believe Sainsbury's would be well advised to find a better product. Even if they had to market it at double the price, it would still qualify for inclusion in their economy range.

As for me, I am now happily back with my normal brands and enjoying regular doses of those satisfying brews. No more 'gnats' for me, Gran. But to Sainsbury's I still owe a debt of gratitude and to them I have to say, thanks for the memory!

Summary: Try it only if you like your tea exceptionally weak!