back to article El Reg rocket squad poised to select Ultimate Cuppa teabag

Vulture Central's pursuit of the ultimate cuppa is set to enter the final straight as we prepare to decide once and for all what constitutes the pinnacle of cha perfection. Mug with our Vulture logo Followers of our resolutely no-IT-angle-whatsoever path to tea heaven will be aware that we've already established a brewing …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Brewing altitude

    From memory, Peña Negr is pretty high up - can we assume that the brewing and testing will be taking place at a more appropriate altitude than 2000m? ISTR the boiling point of water being only around 93 degrees centigrade at 2000m which, I'm sure you'll all agree, is completely insufficient for this analysis. :)

    Tea's up!

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    Yorkshire Gold!

    For standard tea - that is the way to go. From a pot. When not drinking Earl Grey, this should be the de facto standard.

    The main variable here, though, is the hardness of water. Softer water makes, to my mind, a nicer brew by far. So at least use a Brita style filter to help things along.

    1. ukgnome

      Re: Yorkshire Gold!

      Totally agree on all counts. All water should be filtered. And as for the choice of defacto tea +1 to you sir

    2. Drem

      Re: Yorkshire Gold! - Hard or Soft blend of bags?

      Yorkshire Tea do a special blend of their tea for hard water areas. The green boxed stuff. So, if in a hard water area, you could test both the green in unfiltered water, and the gold in filtered.

      1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

        Re: Yorkshire Gold! - Hard or Soft blend of bags?

        But do they do a version for soft-southerner water?

    3. Code Monkey
      Unhappy

      Re: Yorkshire Gold!

      Coming from the wetter side of the Pennines it pains me to agree with you but, yes, Yorkshire tea is the best.

    4. Roger Greenwood
      Pint

      Re: Yorkshire Gold!

      We can sell you some proper Yorkshire Water if you like. See icon.

    5. Psyx
      Thumb Up

      Re: Yorkshire Gold!

      I was with you right until you revealed that your drink of choice is actually pot porri!

      PG Tips, Tetley and the usual all need to go on the list, though I'd also recommend adding Twinings 1706 [I think] strong breakfast to the test. Tesco red label and Co-Op brands are inferior, but also worth a mention in dispatches as worthy unbranded alternatives.

  3. This post has been deleted by its author

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      PG Tips

      Seconded.

      Furthermore I suggest thet anyone who puts forward any of those fruit / spice flavoured or night-time / relax abominations, earl grey or anything to do with liptons should be banned from commenting for a very long time.

      1. M Gale

        Re: PG Tips

        Furthermore I suggest thet anyone who puts forward any of those fruit / spice flavoured or night-time / relax abominations, earl grey or anything to do with liptons should be banned from commenting for a very long time.

        Never had a good cup of Turkish tea (basically, bits of bush swirled around in a cup) or Chai, then.

    2. monkeyfish

      eww, we have PG tips at work, horrible tea. Even sainburys own is nicer. I'd second Yorkshire, also put forward Tetley, and any good English Breakfast.

    3. rurwin

      Pyramids

      The pyramid bag is far more advanced than the penny-pinching circular ones.

  4. Michael H.F. Wilkinson Silver badge

    Twinings "Prince of Wales"

    If I have to use tea bags I go for this one, because the Keemun black tea it contains does not turn bitter when you forget to remove it from the mug.

    I tend not to use milk, ever since my student days, when the question "how many lumps" could accurately be used for the amount of milk, from time to time.

    1. Sporkinum

      Re: Twinings "Prince of Wales"

      Pete Puma How Many Lumps do you Want?

  5. frank ly

    Just wondering

    Can I make my own teabags by putting Yunnan Imperial loose leaf tea into small muslin pouches?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Just wondering

      RTFA and wonder no more ye un-enlightened one -> "widely available off-the-shelf teabags" so that would be a resounding NO. Which serves you right for trying to be an arty-farty smart alec.

    2. hplasm
      Happy

      Re: Just wondering

      Tea eggs! Little mesh ball things, great for loose tea.

      1. Peter Simpson 1
        Thumb Up

        Re: Just wondering

        I prefer the spring-loaded double strainer gadgets. Just enough for a cup, and the same utensil can be used to scoop it out of the tin.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Windows

    Yorkshire

    tea....

    Good, strong, rich in tannin....

    Not like the watery dishwater some of the competitors tea tastes like... Even a quick dunking will result in a moderately decent brew. Best tea bags for the "we dont make tea" brigade who deliberately fuck up the seemingly simple act of brewing a cuppa to ensure they are never asked to mash again.

    1. Mike Smith
      Thumb Up

      Re: Yorkshire

      Seconded. And thirded.

      Simple choice, you see

      Is between Yorkshire tea or

      Dehydrated wee

    2. A J Stiles

      Re: Yorkshire

      Yeah, I know what you mean. Pouring hot water over dead leaves should be impossible to get wrong; yet there are people out there who can manage this feat.

  7. John 29
    Pint

    Twinings Everyday for an office situation

    For an office (not home where you can take time etc.), Twinings Everyday won it's place in our office (being honest, it's up to me as the only boss who cares about Tea). We broke the emergency seal on the PG the other week and productivity suffered...

    I'd have thought the good folks at Yorkshire Tea would have sent the Hard Water version to the Reg - a scientifically designed variant indeed.

    1. Evil Auditor Silver badge

      Re: Twinings Everyday for an office situation

      Seconded. (And surely none of the horrible Everyday Blended stuff)

      Although, with milk I prefer the stronger Twinings Assam.

      Whichever, it really has to be the one sold in the UK. I don't know what the difference is besides the size of the teabags but the shitty little teabags Twinings sells on the continent do in no way compare to the ones I bring over from the UK.

      1. andreas koch
        Thumb Up

        Re: Twinings Everyday for an office situation

        Twinings Assam. Excellent choice.

        Or, with a bacon sandwich, Lapsang Souchong. But that doesn't belong here.

        Yup. Assam.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Twinings Everyday for an office situation

          I find Morrisons's own brand Assam is just as good as the Twinings.

          1. Triggerfish

            Re: Twinings Everyday for an office situation

            Haven't been to morrisons for ages, but they used to sell an own brand assam in gold boxes that was excellent.

  8. Encorespod

    Yes, Altitude

    But also, water... I discovered the altitude problem as a young man when I found that my tea tasted stronger when I was on the coast compared to my relatively lofty office.

    But there is also the composition of the water to consider, soft or hard water? Opinions?

    1. Piloti
      Happy

      Re: Yes, Altitude

      Soft and clean water.

      I'm in Bern right now and the tap water is better than any bottled water. Some of the best teas I've had have been here,

      1. This post has been deleted by its author

  9. Piloti
    Happy

    Bettys Assam

    http://www.bettys.co.uk/product/Pure-Assam-Leaf-Tea,19131,107.aspx

    Only available in Yorkshire, which, when sitting on the moors near Goatland, is the best place to take a cuppa.....

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Windows

      Re: Bettys Assam

      "Only available in Yorkshire, which, when sitting on the moors near Goatland, is the best place to take a cuppa....."

      As is Hendersons relish.. That's a shame, nay, crime not to share that stuff with the rest of the world. Their meat and potato pies know not what they miss.....

      1. Bert 1
        Thumb Up

        Re: Bettys Assam

        Have an upvote for mentioning Hendersons Relish!

        I have to buy it in bulk every time I return home.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Windows

          Re: Bettys Assam

          Ditto. I may only be 50 miles away from my home town where the dark nectar is in abundance. Ergo, I buy several bottles at a time...

          Upvote repaid for knowing what it is and loving it...

  10. John 29
    Devil

    Those that don't Mash

    @Cornz 1 - great point - no matter the scientific merit of the above, those who give it just a 30 second dunk will destroy the whole damn thing.

    Forgot an honourable mention for Waitrose Gold - best of the own label we thought at our gaff when we tried a few.

  11. ArmyCrow
    Mushroom

    EBT FTW

    I'm often called a tea snob by my mum, who thinks the ultimate cup of tea is the filth in a bag known as Sainsbury's Red Label. This devil's juice is about a quid for a landfill's worth of tea bags and the taste is probably something similar to the tea I've been reading about in Metro 2033: tea created by the mushrooms grown on the Moscow subway system 30 years after a nuclear war.

    For me the ultimate has to be Twining's English Breakfast Tea. Don't let the name put you off: this is truly an all day affair. Rich, golden in colour and thoroughly satisfying, it's the tea that tea would drink itself. Assuming of course that tea is sentient and not a cannibal.

    1. Piloti
      Happy

      Re: EBT FTW

      SAinsburys... "almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea".

      1. ArmyCrow
        Trollface

        Re: EBT FTW

        T'was as if Douglas Adams had foreseen the future of the dip and drain tea dispensing system.

    2. phuzz Silver badge
      Thumb Down

      Re: EBT FTW

      I'm not fussy about my tea, I'll drink most any brand, and take it anywhere from black with three sugars to white with none, but I Will Not Drink Sainsburies Red box tea, it tastes bloody vile.

      Even decaff tea tastes better.

      Also, relevant video is relevant (and entirely safe for work)

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eELH0ivexKA

    3. Mark York 3 Silver badge
      Black Helicopters

      Re: EBT FTW

      For pure filth in a cup, try Red Rose.

      Fortunately able to source Tetley\PG\Yorkshire in Canada without issues.

      Helicopter because Montana is just down the road.....

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Don't forget the water

    I used to like Yorkshire Gold but found a few years ago that it (and others to be fair) seemed to have reduced in strength. So I've been moving around trying to find what satisfies me.

    I settled on "Murroughs Welsh Brew" - consistent and a decent strength.

    But there is a serious point, already mentioned : the union of blend and water type is crucial. As Murroughs puts it :

    The special blend of African and Indian teas have been specifically chosen to perfectly compliment the waters of Wales (needed a bit of proof-reading there, I think)

    So any test that doesn't marry the blend and the water of its devotees will surely mislead?

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    from Piccadilly

    On mission to London last week, I brought half a suitcase of tea back here to southern Europe; natch lotsof Yorkshire Gold but I did also pickup a packet of Fortnum & Mason Green Earl Grey tea bags (steamed not fermented they claim) This could work well at altitude as the "1867 Oilmen to their Royal Highnesses Prince and Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein" suggest to "Brew with water heated to 80°C for a couple of minutes"

    The correct colour at drinking point is given in this image http://www.fortnumandmason.com/images/product/large/2002721_3.jpg

  14. Harvey Trowell
    Joke

    Tesco Everyday Value 80 Teabags 250G

    Yes, yes, y'all. 27p and cheap at half the price. "Blended and tasted by experts", donchyaknow, and coming with the following instructions:

    How to make the perfect cup of tea: 1. To enjoy this tea at its best, always warm the teapot first with boiling water. 2. Use one tea bag per person and one for the teapot. 3. Pour on boiling water and leave the tea to stand for 4-5 minutes to allow the full flavour to brew. 4. Serve with or without milk.

    Hard to argue with any of that, except maybe, just possibly, the presumption that using said raw materials will result in the perfect cup of tea.

    Bless 'em.

    (Source: http://www.tesco.com/groceries/Product/Details/?id=258290317)

    1. andreas koch
      Happy

      @ Harvey Trowell - Re: Tesco Everyday Value 80 Teabags 250G

      >...

      Blended and tasted by experts

      ...<

      They where German, these experts*, I guess.

      *Washing machine repair experts.

    2. a cynic writes...

      Re: Tesco Everyday Value 80 Teabags 250G

      I think they're awful but SWMBO who drinks a lot more tea than I do loves 'em. She has been known to kick off when I buy decent tea instead.

  15. Kingston Black
    Happy

    Yorkshire Hard Water Blend

    If you've got hard water, then Yorkshire's Hard Water blend gives an excellent mug of tea.

    "no-IT-angle-whatsoever". Really? Not much programming gets done around here without a decent (see above) mug of tea...

  16. Captain Hogwash
    Stop

    Milk?

    Perverts! The whole damn lot of you.

    1. alain williams Silver badge

      Re: Milk?

      Milk ruins a good cuppa, the flavour is lost under the sweet milk.

      Tea without milk is a completely different drink, much more delicate and softer.

      For those who have not tried it: you need a good tea (not a supermarket own label), don't brew it long.

      The only downside is the residue left on the side of the mug, a small price to pay.

    2. Cliff

      Re: Milk?

      Actually, perverse as it sounds, in hard water areas a tiny dab of *skimmed* (shock horror!) milk works well

  17. bill 36
    Boffin

    Tetley put the T in Britain

    Can't survive without a Tetley Tea bag in the morning. But the water source is very important. Hard water just doesn't do it.

    Twinnings has the chemical symbol P1Sh.

    So Tetley gets my vote.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Tetley put the T in Britain

      >Tetley put the T in Britain

      And Tata took it out.

      Didn't realise at the time of writing but on second reading you could add, quite a lot of IT to India.

    2. Captain Hogwash

      Re: Tetley put the T in Britain

      I don't know what it's like elsewhere but at my own hard water location, Tetley tastes like aluminium. I don't recommend it for drinking.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Joke

      Re: Tetley put the T in Britain

      But who put the C*** in Scunthorpe?

      1. Charlie Clark Silver badge

        Re: Tetley put the T in Britain

        But who put the C*** in Scunthorpe?

        Don't know but I wish he'd stay there.

  18. sysconfig
    Pint

    Uhm....

    What else was in that mug before you wrote the article?

    Not that I disapprove of it; I just need to know as it's Friday.

  19. Caff

    Robert Roberts

    Here in Ireland the discussion is normally Barrys vs Lyons but I suggest the underappreciated Robert Roberts ( none of that Bewleys Irish tea stuff you get handed in hotels )

    www.robert-roberts.ie

    1. Caff

      Re: Robert Roberts

      Sold as Campbells Perfect Tea in the UK

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Robert Roberts

      Barrys! It's a class name for a tea. It's not my tea, oh no it's Barrys!

      When my parents visit Ireland they buy Barrys tea and take it back to England. One of the family works for Twinings tea and can get it discounted but no.... the parents prefer Barrys.

    3. Peter Simpson 1
      IT Angle

      Re: Robert Roberts

      @Caff - gets the prize for mentioning Lyons, and thereby providing the IT angle to this story :-)

    4. joeW
      Thumb Up

      Re: Robert Roberts

      Barrys tea by a mile. Being from the People's Republic I may be slightly biased, but we were a Lyons household when I was growing up (don't tell the neighbours) so my preference for Barrys is down to taste alone.

  20. Neil Barnes Silver badge

    The problem is...

    that Lapsang in a teabag is *always* too strong. It really really should be loose.

    So I'll have to make do with Earl Grey, I suppose.

  21. Pypes
    Thumb Up

    twinnings english breakfast

    or failing that yorkshire, they know their tea.

  22. an it guy

    lapsang souchong

    don't know what Niel was on about, but it's not too strong. If anything, it's a bit weak

  23. Ejit
    Mushroom

    Nambarrie made with soft Scottish water - preferably from the well in the garden, which makes that Yorkshire stuff look like maidens wash.

    Proper stand yir spoon up in it tea.

    1. jungle_jim
      Thumb Up

      Nambarrie is fucking lush

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Agreed, just discovered Nambarrie tea, it's awesome stuff.

  24. Jimll
    Thumb Up

    Sainsburys organic fair trade teabags. Not only right on ethically but lovely tasting brew too.

  25. Jak2029

    PG Tips

    "The Fresh One" for my money

  26. Jake Fraser

    Twinings Traditional Afternoon

    Easily my favourite tea blend that Twinings do, although it's painfully expensive as it comes in 80/160 teabag boxes at best...

  27. edjimf

    There's only one Own Brand worth having...

    ...Sainsbury's Red Label: proper tea, with a proper tea taste (and the discerning expat's tea of choice, according to the Independent)

    They've been selling the stuff for over 100 years, so something must be right about it!

    1. andreas koch
      Paris Hilton

      edjimf - Re: There's only one Own Brand worth having...

      Does that make Fortnum & Mason's Tea 3x better?

  28. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    waitrose english breakfast ftw.

  29. jai

    I've always been a PG Tips drinker, of course these days it's the pyramid bags. but that's likely as much through habbit as anything else, but folks always bought PG Tips so its the brand i buy too.

    not sure if i've tried Yorkshire Gold though, i shall give is a go.

    the missus had a funny turn and decided she wanted lots of fruit teas, so we spent a small fortune ordering a bunch of weird flavours from Twinings for her. i snuck a selection box of their more normal teas (Earl Grey, Prince of Wales, Breakfast, etc etc) and while they were nice, for a change, the most refreshing and revitalising cuppa in the morning or the end of the day was from a humble PG Tips.

    Plus, when i were a lad, they had the adverts with the chimps. and now, they have adverts with Johnny Vegas and a monkey. you gotta give them points for consistency over the years :)

  30. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Yorkshire Gold...

    ...obviously. Preferably loose leaf, but a teabag will suffice. At a push.

  31. MJI Silver badge

    Due to caffeine intolerance,*

    I drink mainly decaf tea, and I actually like the Asda ones.

    * I get very panicy and think everything is going to go wrong. avoid caffeine and I am fine.

    1. Ru
      Boffin

      Re: Due to caffeine intolerance,*

      I get very panicy and think everything is going to go wrong. avoid caffeine and I am fine

      As Pratchett has observed in the past (with reference to coffe, rather than tea), the phenomenon you have encountered is called being 'knurd'... experiencing life as it really is without all the comfortable fluffy delusions your brain erects to make things bearable.

      And besides, everything has already gone wrong. It is just getting worse, now.

      1. MJI Silver badge

        Re: Due to caffeine intolerance,*

        Funny! (Reading Long Earth at moment)

        I started getting panics and headaches about 10-15 years ago, I was drinking tea at work, changed to decaf and panics went as did headaches.

  32. Sceptic Tank Silver badge
    Coffee/keyboard

    Thanks for that image

    "exotic loose-leaf blend rolled on the thighs of Assamese virgins"

    Hmm, hmm! Fsck the tea ... enjoy the virgins.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: "fsck the tea"

      Why? Does it have bad sectors?

      1. jai

        Re: "fsck the tea"

        only if you haven't de-scaled your kettle recently

  33. taxman
    Windows

    Try Co-op 99

    Was brought up on this back in the 60's as it was the nearest thing to NAAFI tea my dad could get. Although it was the loose leaf tea then.

    A good mix was 99 and Typhoo loose tea on a 1:1 basis

    1. Anomalous Cowturd

      Re: Try Co-op 99

      I too was raised on Co-Op 99 loose leaf tea, and my dear old Mum still uses it. Yummy stuff.

      Nowadays, my personal preference is Tetley, with Taylor's YT a close second. The water down here in the far south east is as hard as diamonds, but I didn't like the taste of their "Hard water" stuff. The YT Gold Rwandan was quite nice, but not often spotted in the wild, at least not round these 'ere parts...

      Should I move back to Yorkshire, or Rwanda?

  34. sandman

    NAAFI Tea

    Strong it is. Was available from Spar and various other High Street outlets, but haven't seen it for a while. Worth tracking down. If not, Yorkshire (Hard Water) or Twinings Assam. Use Steredent tablets to remove the tannins from the mug and spoon :-)

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: "Use Steradent tablets"

      Or, use a cloth/sponge and apply a little elbow grease.

      I haven't come across anything in the world that can't be cleaned by rubbing it.

      Cleaning products in the main are just snake oil for those who are too soft to scrub.

  35. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Yorkshire Gold

    I don't know WHAT they put in that tea, but they must put something - because since I tried that tea, every other one taste like hay, honestly :(

    it's got another benefit, which probably only appeals to freaks like me: one teabag goes a very long way, and by "a long way" I mean a one litre thermos flask of strong tea off one bag. No milk, thank you, just... sugar. And half a slice of lemon (sorry, like I said, a freak). And if you wonder what the (..) would you need a 1 litre flask of tea for, well. There are places, where "it could save your life", and other places - where it could save your life too.

  36. Jason Bloomberg Silver badge
    Pint

    Hard or soft water?

    It is my belief that there can be no single 'best'; you can only have the tea which tastes best for the other ingredients used and, as the prime ingredient is water, that will vary regionally.

    I'm a PG Tips man, like it stewed, so I thought I'd like Yorkshire's tannin but found I hated the flavour.

    Worst tea ever must be the flavourless slop that Burger King serve up. That does Tetley no favour at all.

    1. MJI Silver badge

      Re: Hard or soft water?

      I notice the change, tea tastes different on holiday,

      And it is not the plastic plumbing doing it, we now take the first 25l of water with us to acclimatise to the different water.

      Nor is it the kettle.

      After that it seems OK.

  37. AndrueC Silver badge
    Happy

    Whatever the company is providing because I'm a tight wad and anyway they owe it to me. Currently it's Yorkshire but I often have to put two bags in to get a decent brew. Given the choice I'd go with Typhoo though.

  38. graeme leggett Silver badge

    I'd like to know

    what it is they put into the paper or plastic cups that sucks the flavour out of tea?

    eg on a train, there's a Twinings Breakfast tea bag (a reasonable brand), you leave it in the cup for hours, fish it out with that wooden stick and it tastes of nothing. Sucking on the stick wihout paying £2 would have given more refreshment.

    1. Triggerfish

      Re: I'd like to know

      They don't use hot enough water. Lukewarm water, teabag looking sad, disappointment every time.

  39. John 110
    Pint

    Scottish blend

    Specially formulated for Scottish water, apparently. And it makes a serious number of cups from one bag. (Fill a teapot containing one bag. Give it 5 minutes, then pour 5 mugs. Microwave as required throughout the day)

    <-- MIGHT be tea in an inadequately rinsed glass...

  40. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "•Tea format: Teabag

    •Mug or cup: Mug

    •Pre-warm mug/pot: Yes

    •Brewing time: 3-4 minutes

    •Milk: Yes

    •Milk type: Semi-skimmed

    •Milk in mug before or after tea: After

    •Sugar: No

    "

    No wonder there is so much failure! Sick Sick people.

  41. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Yorkshire Tea is foul.

    Typhoo is tasteless!

  42. Jagged

    As long as its a strong Ceylon blend

    Personally I am PG Tips man all the way, but as long as the brew has a strong Ceylon element I am happy. "British" tea (and all the major British brands) have had a strong Ceylon element in the blend, ever since Thomas Lipton popularised the stuff, way back when.

    Only things I really can't stand are Sainsbury's Red Label (shouldn't be legal to call that tea) and Earl Gray (Victorian Con Trick).

  43. dougal83
    Thumb Up

    I say...

    Yorkshire Tea. It's lovely. I used to use Lyons Red label loose but have been converted to the dish-lish Yorkshire for the past 9 years!

  44. Tom 11
    Thumb Up

    Nooooo! can't believe I missed this first time around!

    Yorkshire Gold Rowandan is the best bag on the market. I must confess that they rarely get used though, as when at home I use a Tea pig with a loose leaf mix of Assam and Lapsang (about 5 to 1 ratio). Both pig and mug filled with water straight off the boil. After 10 seconds the pig is emptied then filled with payload of Tea then water out of the same kettle WITHOUT REBOILING. 6 minutes with a gentle stir at 2, A dash of full fat milk until the tea becomes opaque rewards me with (in my tatses) a perfect brew that cannot be matched.

    Unfortunatley, this dabbling has forced me to shun the more ghetto mainstream efforts of using a bag as it all tastes like hogwash in comparason. This has had the terrible consequence of me abandoning Tea at work in favor of a coffee percolator (for which I grind beans for the day freshly every morning) as I simply cannot take the pig to work as the time and faffing involed is simply not workable, also I'm IT operations for a global materials technology firm and if the workshop lads saw me with that I would be lynched!

  45. Mike G

    Obligatory listening for tea tasting:

    Professor Elemental - Cup of Brown Joy

  46. Vortex
    Happy

    LIDL "Knightsbridge" Gold Blend

    Purchased once out of curiosity and have never changed since. It's Wunderbra (how's my German?)

  47. A J Stiles
    Thumb Up

    Another vote for PG Tips Pyramids

    Cheap teabags are a false economy, if you take into account the time taken from consumption to ..... erm, "exit".

    PG Tips tea just stays drunk for longer. And can usually be had on promotion; 160 bags for £3, 240 for £4 or the jackpot: 160 + another 160 free for £5, at one or other of the supermarkets.

  48. Benjol

    I quite like a Darjeeling (tends to be Twinings round here).

    And Rooibos of course, but I'm guessing that's off limits...

  49. jonathan keith
    Happy

    Twinings Assam

    No contest.

  50. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    A recent discovery.

    Nambarrie Tea. Deliciously strong cuppa.

  51. Kath_Brentford
    Happy

    Twinings English Breakfast. Strong and tasty

  52. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I am really into tea me

    Downvotes for all those who cannot spell their "favourite" brand of tea.

  53. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Clipper Organic

    ... is right up there with Twinnings English Breakfast in my opinion. Never understood why everyone seems to like Yorkshire Tea as it tastes a bit average to me, but each to their own I guess.

    1. MJI Silver badge

      Re: Clipper Organic

      That sounds behind the times, shouldn't it now be Visual Objects?

  54. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Glengettie and Yorkshire Tea are the faves in our house.

  55. bill 36

    one day in Leeds

    Thought i'd share this with you all. True story on radio Aire from about 25 years ago.

    Its a phone in quiz show and the lady on the phone is asked by the presenter " What is another commonly used term for making a pot of tea ?"

    After several wrong answers she asks for a clue.

    Presenter " The Jewish language"

    After a long pause and a few mutterings,

    "Mashit" she said.

    I was driving at the time, nearly passed out laughing.

  56. Tim99 Silver badge
    Boffin

    Sorry Lester - No Teabags

    Lester,

    Your basic design is flawed. The Royal Society of Chemistry posted the correct way to make a perfect cup of tea 10 years ago Link to PDF - This was done at the time of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Eric Blair (George Orwell), who wrote a set of rules for making a nice cup of tea in 1946.

    If neither of the above suits, try ISO 1303, which specifies a standardized method for making tea.

  57. Chris G

    A nice mug o' rosie

    Generally I drink Tetleys but when I can get it here I buy Taylors YT but Barrys Irish is as good as Taylors in my opinion.

    Earl Gay (not a typo) is not and never has been tea just like everything Liptons turn out.

    Twinings Red Breakfast tea is doable if you put two bags in a cup and PG Tips doesn't seem to travel whenever I drink it here in Spain it only seems to have half the flavour of Tetleys.

    One infusion that can compete with tea is Rooiboos (Red Bush) from South Africa either plain or flavoured with cinnamon.

    In response to the 1 litre flask comment , how could any self respecting tea drinker consider 1 litre of tea as 'a lot' ? I won't consider buying a flask for tea that is less than a litre.

    Just so you spoilt buggers in the UK know, A pack of 40 Tetleys tea bags cost €2.08 here.

    1. Charlie Clark Silver badge

      Re: A nice mug o' rosie

      The blenders used to blend tea to suit various parts of the country. It sounds like you've got Tetleys suited for hard water and PG for soft. Try making both after using a water filter and then compare, I've always found Tetleys distinctly lacking in taste even when using soft water.

    2. Triggerfish

      Re: A nice mug o' rosie

      I agree on Liptons the scourge of holiday breakfasts.

  58. Charlie Clark Silver badge

    PG Tips here - I prefer the dry Assam taste over classic builder's brew. Yorkshire tea is also good and I'll have to give the hard water blend a try next time I can pick some up. The water here next to the Rhine is hard as fuck: great for beer, shit for tea, filter is essential and you have to stop the Jormans giving you luke warm water with a teabag and condensed milk.

  59. Charlie Clark Silver badge
    Go

    @Lester - love the new mouseover on the SPB logo!

    1. Lester Haines (Written by Reg staff) Gold badge

      Ah yes, Playmobil goodness.

  60. SeriousSam

    Make Us A Brew!

    You need some of this in your life, their organic English Breakfast is the best bagged tea I've ever tried.

    http://www.makeusabrew.com

  61. C. P. Cosgrove
    Pint

    MILK ?

    You put milk in it !

    I just lost all interest

  62. dhanhurley

    MESMER TEABAGS ( HAMBURG , DE ) and TYPHOO

    Hi People,

    WE ALL know who put the " T " in BRITAIN .. TYPHOO ....... But WHO put the #UNT in SCUNTHORPE....

    CIAO... Dhan Hurley

  63. PKM
    Thumb Up

    Twinings Assam

    Twinings Assam gets my vote- a robust flavour means you don't need to brew it for ages and get that bitter, grainy stew that comes from overbrewing a lesser teabag. Ceylon for a slightly milder flavour comes in a close second followed by PG tips for an everyday cuppa.

    Fun fact about pyramid bags, they have been shown to produce a discernibly better flavour but only if you open the bag out into a proper tetrahedron shape before brewing. Further research into the morphology of tea enclosures clearly required...

  64. Dylan Fahey

    PG Tips for the win

    I like it. Sometimes I go crazy and put two bags into one big cup of joy.

    I do use sugar.

    I do use a spot of milk.

    And I'm lazy, so I rarely take the bag out of the cup.

    I guess you can tell from the above, I'm American.

    My grandmother used to make me the perfect tea and buttered toast when I was 10. Loved it.

  65. Slow Joe Crow

    Yamamotoyama Oolong

    also the Pu-erh teabags i get from Uwajimaya (can't remember the brand).

  66. John 62
    Headmaster

    Cafedirect

    No, not the poison known as coffee! Cafedirect does tea, too (used to be called Tea Direct), and it's the only stuff I buy. Tastes extremely good after being left in the cup for 5+ minutes.

    Here in Northern Ireland we have Punjana/Thompson teas, the packaging of which claims that other teas are all stalk and no leaf. I don't know if that's true or not, but to me Punjana is just dust and seems to give me a cough if I drink too much (I don't know how that works either!).

    Barry's tea is good, too.

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