Peter Piper picked a peck of Peppermint Punch! (Tetley Peppermint Punch)

Member Name: dididave

Product:	Tetley Peppermint Punch
Date:	14/02/06 (157 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Subtle, refreshing taste, well-packaged with good value.

Disadvantages: Not "Punchy" as the brand name suggests.

Ah, the great British cuppa. There is nothing finer first thing in the morning but through the rest of the day, occasionally I hanker after a more refreshing brew. This is were Tetley’s Peppermint Punch comes in. I have tried herbal teas in the past and have been generally unimpressed. Camomile tastes like distilled urine, cranberry overly bitter and lemon palatable yet bland. Twinings have long been the front runner in a largely uncompetitive herbal tea market but too often have I found their tea either expensive or severe in taste. As such some genuine competition in the form of Tetley’s Herbal Teas is more than welcome.

Competitively priced at £1.89 for a tube of twenty bags further value is to be found in the various “buy one get one free” promotional offers in the supermarkets (I get mine in Morrison’s). The twenty bags in a sturdy cardboard tube which is far more practical than the foil bags and cardboard boxes of normal tea bags or even Twinings. Rather than rooting around the bottom of a box for the last few stray bags it is nice to pop a plastic lid and retrieve one. The airtight packaging also keeps the bags fresh, something you can tell by the waft of peppermint whenever you remove the lid.

Making a cup of Peppermint Punch is much the same as making any tea. Refreshingly, rather than the drawstring contraptions often associated with herbal teas (and Church fetes!), Tetley have gone for a round teabag that convinces my feeble little brain into thinking this will be a good replacement for a normal cuppa. After popping a teabag into a cup (you can make a pot but a cup is easier to monitor), I pour the boiling water in and I am instantly treated to a strong smell of peppermint. Tetley suggest leaving the tea for ten minutes to infuse so I return later and whip the teabag out giving it a stir.

The first thing I note about my tea is the colour. A light-green similar to that if lime cordial this is a lighter looking brew than the Twinings variety. Perhaps, this indicates my tea will be weak? Next I note the smell. The initial strong smell of peppermint is now much more subtle. It remains strong enough to tickle the nasal passages but does not overpower. Of course all the aforementioned means nothing if it tastes of gnats wee. Fortunately, Tetley does not disappoint. Sipping on my hot brew there is a nice tinge of peppermint which is perfectly balanced and not oversweet. Still hot it is difficult to truly appreciate Peppermint Punch until warm at which point you can take a good mouthful. This leaves your mouth with a refreshing, tingling sensation and a clear minty aftertaste that lingers similar to after sucking a mint.

Caffeine free and with no additives. Tetley’s Peppermint Punch is made entirely from peppermint. I have found it to be a perfect substitute for tea when I fancy a change and it may even replace my morning brew in the future. Peppermint Punch is perhaps an inaccuracy as this is a subtle tea that can be drank at any time of the day and has a refreshment value better than any tea I have tried before. All this writing has made me thirsty so I am off to make myself a brew. Peppermint Punch of course!

Summary: An excellent tea substitute.