It's TEA, but WITH A DIFFERENCE... (Typhoo Decaffeinated)

Member Name: JJJJ

Product:	Typhoo Decaffeinated
Date:	03/10/08 (224 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great for those who can't have caffeine

Disadvantages: Weaker than regular tea.

Typhoo Decaffeinated Tea
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There are some of us who cannot have caffeine due to it causing heart palpitations and other generally obnoxious side-effects.

Whilst i'm luckily not one of those people, having an inquisitive nature, I was interested to find out how decaffeinated tea-bags compare to their non-decaf brethren.

How is it decaffeinated?
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Tea is decaffeinated in a variety of ways depending on the manufacturer. One of the methods involves the tea leaves being steamed for a set time period and then rinsed with ethyl acetate for 10 hours or more. The tea is then steamed again to take away any of the nasty residue which may still be present.

Typoo's Product
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Made by Typhoo (tea makers since 1903) this particular product, known simply as 'Typhoo decaf', has had a re-branding and taste overhaul in the last few months. Therefore, ignore the picture linked to this product, the new packaging is now a foil lined bag with a white minimalist appearance.

The blurb on the front tells us that "Way back in 1903, John Sumner made a refreshing discovery. By specially selecting and blending a number of great quality teas he unlocked the secret of the Typhoo OOs... a deliciously smooth tasting cuppa. And when it comes to decaf, all we've done is gently remove the caffeine without touching those OOs, making it perfect if you want to lead an even healthier lifestyle. So why not put the kettle on and let those OOs infuse".

I don't know about you, but those OOs were starting to annoy me.

Anyway, what Typoo claim then, is that the decaf should taste as good as the non-decaf variety.

But does it?

The Taste Test
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What I did was to make two cups of tea - one with a Typoo de-caf tea-bag, and one with a regular version. I then brewed the tea as usual (in rigorous scientific conditions of course...) and performed a taste test.

Firstly, I noticed that the de-caf tasted slightly watery. I took a sip of the 'regular' tea and found it to be much stronger - even though both varieties had the same brewing time. The non-decaf also had less of a tea-like aftertaste.

I would compare the flavour of this product to a cup of tea which has only been brewed for half the recommended time.

Having said that, if you only drink this without the regular tea comparison, then I imagine you would be perfectly happy with the experience and flavour.

The Price
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Costing £2.14, this product is of a reasonable price considering rival tea-maker Tetley's de-caf bags cost around 50p more. For this price you get 80 tea-bags, which will last a fair amount of time depending on the level of your tea drinking addiction!

These tea-bags are widely available and I have seen them for sale in all the major Supermarkets which I have visited.

Storage
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Typhoo recommend keeping this product in a cool dark place - but not too cool, and away from strong odours which may impair the flavour. The tea will generally have a long-tem best before date - generally a year and a half after purchase.

Conclusion
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I think i've covered everything, and all that's left for me to say is that I would recommend this product - even though it doesn't quite match up to full caffeine tea.

I can imagine that this product would seem like a godsend to those who have been unable to drink tea in the past, and there isn't anything unpleasant about it.

I would personally recommend brewing Typhoo decaf for a little longer than instructed, in order to bring out more of the flavour. I can understand why (after researching the decaffeination process) this product tastes weaker than the regular 'cuppa's' that we're all accustomed to.

If you want to learn more about Typhoo products, see their website at www.typhoo.com

Time to put the kettle on!

Summary: Typhooooo