Tealicious (Tetley Naturally Decaffeinated)

Member Name: salem_witch

Product:	Tetley Naturally Decaffeinated
Date:	18/09/04 (8710 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A lovely cuppa without the caffeine.

Disadvantages: More expensive than normalTetley

A couple of months ago I was having trouble sleeping. I thought about the caffeine I was drinking. Now I’m not a coffee drinker so that was ok. That just left tea. But surely there isn’t much caffeine in a cuppa? Well there’s not. There are approximately 40 to 50mg of caffeine per cup of tea. Still I thought I’d try Tetley’s Decaffeinated Tea. So I managed to remember next time I was shopping to get some. A box of 80 tea bags cost me £1.76, which is more expensive than the ‘normal’ Tetley Tea at £1.37. Still I thought it would be worth it if I could still have my tea and not the caffeine.


**HISTORY OF TEA**

Tea was first discovered over 5,000 years ago in ancient China. Legend has it that Shen Nung, an emperor ordered his water to be boiled before drinking it. When out one day his servants were boiling the water in a field and some leaves fell in from a nearby bush. They made the water turn into a brown liquid. Shen Nung tried it and liked the taste. Although this is a legend it is believed to be close to what actually happened.
It was drunk in China and Japan long before it became known in Europe. In 1560 it was first known in Portugal and gradually became known in other countries. It was expensive at first and only the rich drank it. The price dropped as more and more was imported. The first its been recorded in Europe was between 1652 and 1654. It soon became the most popular drink over ale. The first time milk was used was in 1680. In 1908 teabags were invented. It wasn’t until the 1980s that decaffeinated tea was first made.


**HOW DO THEY REMOVE THE CAFFEINE?**

Caffeine is removed by using chemical solvents, water or using pressurised carbon dioxide. These methods can be expensive and can remove some if the taste of the tea. Most companies use the chemical compound called ethyl acetate because it is cheaper. Ethyl acetate occurs naturally in tea as well as in coffee, bananas and other produce. As it is naturally derived many believe that the use of it to remove caffeine is also ‘natural’.

It is thought that polyphenols, a healthy compound is destroyed in the process. The polyphenols in tea leaves are natural plant antioxidants. The ethyl acetate method retains only 30% of the polyphenols whereas the method using carbon dioxide and water retains 95% of the polyphenols.

I’ve also read that 80% of the caffeine from a normal tea bag is released after the first 30 seconds. Some people dunk the tea bag in water for 30 seconds and then throw it away. They then use the tea bag again. I personally haven’t done this so I can’t comment on how effective it is.


Research is being conducted at the moment on producing genetically modified decaffeinated tea and coffee plants. Scientists have found the plant gene that makes the caffeine and are now looking for a way to switch it off. This will enable us to enjoy the tea at its full flavour without the caffeine. It is thought that this will take between 5 and 10 years.


**PACKAGING**

Tetley Decaf Teabags come in a box rather than the re-sealable bags that the normal ones come in. The box is white with the Tetley logo on it. It has the British Heart Foundation logo on it and gives some tips on healthier living. The box also tells us that Tetley Decaf has the full flavour without the caffeine and rich in antioxidants. It is also worth noting that they are decaffeinated to 0.2%


**WHAT DOES IT TASTE LIKE?**

This is the part you all really want to know! You make the tea in the exact same way you would a normal cup tea. I’ve found that you need to leave the tea bag in longer as it takes longer for it to get to its full strength. The first time I tried it I noticed that it did taste slightly different but I couldn’t put my finger on why it was. Now I’m used to it I don’t really notice any taste difference. It’s worth telling you that I like my tea weak. I’ve made several cups of tea for other people and not told them that it was decaffeinated until they had finished drinking it. No one suspected it was any different.
Now I am sleeping well I tend to drink these later on in the day. I would recommend these to anyone that is considering cutting back on caffeine or just drinks loads of cups a day!


Tetley Decaf tea is using dichloromethane, and the dichloromethane is then removed. They use carefully selected leaves, and the caffeine is removed just hours after picking, while the leaf is still green. They use this method because they believe it gives the best quality and flavour. Thelabs check that the dichloromethane has been removed to within the limits recommended by government legislation.

The amount of caffeine in Tetley Decaf is approximately 4 mg, which makes it 99.6% caffeine free. This is compared to the 40 to 50mg of caffeine in a normal tea. For those interested a regular coffee has between 80 and 120 mg of caffeine. These are all based on 8oz cups.


So overall I would recommend them. They are definitely worth trying. There is not much not to like about them and no one I know has disliked them.

***

If you are cold, tea will warm you
If you are too heated, it will cool you
If you are depressed, it will cheer you
If you are excited, it will calm you.

W E Gladstone

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