Tetleys and me. (Tetley Tea Bags)

Member Name: thingywhatsit

Product:	Tetley Tea Bags
Date:	27/02/07 (369 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good quality and taste

Disadvantages: Silly gimmicks

Tetley have been in the tea business for a long time. I use Tetley because I like the taste, and it has always fitted my price bracket, though perhaps they are getting too clever, and what tempted me to write this review was that it struck me that the amount of money being paid to designers in order to present the customer with the latest tea bag gadgetry would seem unjustified when there are greater world issues that could use that extra funding. I mean, are we so fickle that we need to have the latest gimmicks of different shapes of tea bags, and now the new Pull string attachment to our tea-bags ?

Where Tetley have done well is in the taste factor. For me, their tea is middle of the road in taste, not too strong like Yorkshire Teabags, and not as weak as Liptons. They avoided the popular trend of adding colourants in any quantity as well, which pleases me, since I am sensitive to colours in teas. The taste factor is always what makes Tetleys stand out above the rest. Take for example PG Tips, which to me is rather harsh. The taste of Tetleys is that mild though distinctive taste of quality tea, a sip leaving that refreshing taste, without the afterburn that other teas leave.

I like the blend of this tea very much and across the board, what Tetleys give you is 100 per cent tea, no additives, colours or anything but a blend of Assam, Ceylon and African teas and the blend really is just right. Not only does tea act as an antioxident, but it certainly has more benefit to me than drinking coffee, leaving me feeling refreshed. I have even taken to drinking it black as part of my anti-cholesterol drive, and enjoy the taste even more without milk, even adding a little fresh lemon in hotter weather to give it that extra zest.

Brewing tips: Always warm the pot or even the cup, and let the tea bag brew in boiling water to the strength required. In a pot, I used to use one per person and one for the pot, although with Tetleys one each is easily sufficient. They don't skimp on tea.

Costwise, they have strong competition, and it irks me that human ficklety comes into play so much, and that makers are competing so hard, not with the flavour, but with the presentation, and as far as I am concerned, the saying that comes to mind is 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it', and providing silly retracting drawstrings to a good quality tea bag is sheer silliness, and then passing that cost onto the customer even less sensible. Compared with other major brands, their prices are competitive, and 3.78 GBP for 240 bags isn't bad going compared with Yorkshire Tea's expensive 3.45 GBP for 160. Buying the soft packets does seem to be the economical way to go, although I did notice a price difference for exact same amounts of tea bags of 60p just for having the new drawstrings, which to my mind is crazy.

Tetleys have been making rather a good range of teas and their speciality infusions both herbal and fruit do make good options for those seeking drinks that are a little different, for different times of the day, or for relaxation, and their green tea selection is rather nice. I especially like the Mint one, since the hint of mint is sufficient to leave the tastebuds refreshed, and its' after-taste is certainly a lot nicer than cheaper alternatives.

They also have a range of speciality teas, although here I prefer the English Breakfast tea to the Earl Grey, which really does leave an unpleasant taste and is certainly an acquired one. Looking at the range of teas available on the market, they do shine as leaders and their tea certainly merits consideration, since they really are free of all the irritating additives that other teas use in order to achieve taste. The only area in which Tetley seem to fail is in their decaf version, and here something has happened to taste, which really does seem disappointing.

I do enjoy tea these days, although I am going to resist that temptation to spend 60p extra, just so I can have drawstrings that are actually impractically placed and of little use.

Whatever will they think of next ?

Summary: A great cuppa.