A nice cuppa with Twinings (Twinings)

Member Name: ian22

Product:	Twinings
Date:	03/04/03 (297 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good quality

Disadvantages: Quite expensive

As a regular tea drinker, I am always looking for alternatives to the usual brand makes. I recently decided to try Twinings teas, and was certainly not disappointed.

Their teas are rich and full of flavour. Ceylon, Assam, Darjeeling, Earl Grey, English Breakfast and Lapsang Souchong are available in most supermarkets, although some of the rarer teas, like Keemun and Yunnan, may be more difficult to find. All types are sold in both bag and leaf form.

PACKAGING

As you browse the shelves in the tea aisle, you are instantly enticed by the neatly stacked boxes of Twinings teas. Their sophisticated boxes seem to stand out from among the other teas. Boxes seem to have a regal quality about them. They are black with a strip of gold across the top embodying the "Twinings" logo. On the reverse of the box is a very informative "tea guide". This tells you about the origins of the tea, its flavour, when it is best drunk and gives brewing instructions.

Packets are very easy to open thanks to a thin strip around the centre of the box which you tear to open. Inside you'll find another strip of card protecting the tea bags. This is again easily perforated. You get the impression that boxes have been meticulously designed to allure even the most fastidious of tea connoisseurs.

PRICE

Whilst Twinings are certainly more expensive than other brands of tea, they are very good quality. You can expect to pay about £1.49 for a box of 50 tea bags or £2.49 for a box of 100.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Having so far tried Darjeeling, Assam, Earl Grey and Lapsang Souchong, I would definitely recommend the first three. The last one, however, smelt awful (I didn't even bother to taste it!). Apparently it is a "a strong smoky Chinese tea" produced by "laying the tea leaves out on bamboo trays, and allowing smoke from pinewood to permeate through them". This distinctive flavour is not my cu
p of tea, if you pardon the pun, although it is clearly marked on the box that it has a "strong flavour". Others, such as darjeeling, are labelled as "delicate".

Overall, I would highly recommend Twinings teas. The range of different teas and the quality of the end product is second-to-none. Have a look at the Twinings website (www.twinings.co.uk) for more information on their range of organic and herbal teas.

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