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So we've had a British biscuit thread. I think we need to reinforce the English stereotype some more by having a debate over the best Teabag out there

So I'll admit it - I'm a teabag heretic. I used to drink loose tea back when I had an Ikea teapot in Qatar that had a built in strainer. Now that's gone, and I've gone back to having a personal tin of my favourite bags.

Which ones are they, you might ask? Well, I've had a mega soft spot for Typhoo, after my Nan made me a cup using their bags when I visited her just after my return to the country; easily the best cup of tea I've had in years

However, as my supply of Typhoo is dwindling, thanks to rapid consumption, and me forgetting to order a few more packs from ASDA, I must ask the question to my fellow tea drinkers, even those in Newer England - what's the best value bag for your money, and why? And while we're at it, what's your ideal tea strength, and amount of sugar, if any? Or even further, do you drink something other than a classic Breakfast tea regularly?

I hope you've brought a brew for this...

G.A

I drink Twinings Earl Grey frequently on a daily basis, although I'll chug any breakfast brew if that's what's available. Decent price, nice aroma, goes well with my milk and sugar. Easily available too.

I'll never forget how when I went to the States for Adepticon, I was forced to go buy some cheap heater device to boil my water in at the hotel as no kettle was provided. Outrageous. There were no decent looking teabags either, but I'd stashed just about enough in my luggage (fifty bags or so) to last me the week I was there (barely).

Yorkshire tea in the main. I'm also quite fond of Assam, Sainsbury's own brand is decent and fairly cheap.

Marks & Spencer Extra Strong are really good as a standard everyday tea. There is often a special offer available.

I also like Mason's Tea Edition Yorkshire Gin.

Ketara wrote:I drink Twinings Earl Grey frequently on a daily basis, although I'll chug any breakfast brew if that's what's available. Decent price, nice aroma, goes well with my milk and sugar. Easily available too.

I'll never forget how when I went to the States for Adepticon, I was forced to go buy some cheap heater device to boil my water in at the hotel as no kettle was provided. Outrageous. There were no decent looking teabags either, but I'd stashed just about enough in my luggage (fifty bags or so) to last me the week I was there (barely).

I used to drink Earl Grey with a friend back in Sixth Form, but I'm not sure if that was just a bonding exercise or because I actually liked Earl Grey I seemed to naturally gravitate back to classic breakfast tea either way.

That is pretty outrageous - I doubt you'd find a decent hotel in any other place in the world that doesn't at least offer you a kettle

Silent Puffin? wrote:Yorkshire tea in the main. I'm also quite fond of Assam, Sainsbury's own brand is decent and fairly cheap.

I did quite like the Yorkshires that are designed for hard water. However, I find the aftertaste a little too strong for my liking.

I don't have a Sainsbury's near me, so Assam is out, unfortunately. I will make a note to try it when the opportunity arises, though.

Speaking of supermarket specifics, sometimes I buy some of what M&S has on offer using my staff discount; very nice, and great quality, but even with that discount, a bit too pricey for how many bags you get.

I generally stick to PG Tips, but my girlfriend is a fan of Yorkshire Tea, and I can happily drink that too. I also like Assam, and am happy enough to drink the Sainsbury's stuff. Earl Grey tastes like dirty socks.

I like my tea medium strength, stirred quickly after the water is added rather than stewed for too long, with slightly more milk than most people. I've been using Canderel pills since my Dad was diagnosed with diabetes when I was about ten, but if I have sugar I have about half to 3/4 of a spoonful. I don't really see the point in messing about with "cups" and drink exclusively from mugs, sometimes even one of those Sports Direct monstrosities.

Well... Let lose the post of tea.

Yorkshire tea... Great with harder or less good water..

Pg, not bad, cheapish, reliable every day tea.

Twinnings, English breakfast, Assam, just good tea.

Early grey... I prefer lady grey.

Twinning's infusions... Peppermint, mango and rasbery, rasverty and stawberry. All great.

What else...
Had some fortum and mason Russian caravan, great stuff, same with a few others as special for Christmas.

Damn good tea! Though too poor for every day.

You don't see the point in cups?

GOOD GOD, MAN! DO YOU WANT TO BECOME AMERICAN?

One always must be elegant.

But when you want a good brew...

Only the mug shall do for that first morning brew of power.
The extra volume is required.

(plus I find mugs easier as hands bit shakey, extra weight. )

I usually go for PG Tips or Yorkshire, depending on which is better value (look in bargain store types of places and you can get huge boxes of PG tips for a very reasonable price). My personal favourite has to be Tesco's 'Scott's tea' though, it's got a really nice strong flavour and isn't exactly expensive, I just don't get to a Tesco often enough for it to be my main source.

If there's anyone out there who hasn't, I also implore you to try chai tea. Preferably with the cup about half warmed milk (boil in a pan or stick in a microwave for a minute) and the other just hot water, and just a tiny amount of sugar. Lovely and warming on a cold winter day, perfect with some shortbread or a slice of cake. Tea India's vanilla chai is a good brand, Lidl and Tesco carry it I think and it's very reasonably priced.

You brew your tea in a mug.

WHAT HAPPENED TO TEA POTS?

O woe! That it has come to this.

 Kilkrazy wrote:
You brew your tea in a mug.

WHAT HAPPENED TO TEA POTS?

O woe! That it has come to this.

When you are making 3 different types... A pot is meaningless.
Pots are for leaf teas, and ones that require more advanced tools. Ikea make good tea pots though... And the internal thing that acts like a filter to keep bits out... Brillient. Np sperate strainers needed.

PG just needs a spoon and mug.
That stuff ain't fancy.

 Kilkrazy wrote:
You brew your tea in a mug.

WHAT HAPPENED TO TEA POTS?

O woe! That it has come to this.

Someone say that they just put a teabag in a mug, and heat it up in the microwave.

I want to watch Kilkrazy’s head explode.

On topic:

I drink whatever is in the cabinet. We get more tea coming into the house then we drink, so I took it on myself to just crack open tins and start brewing it. Work through the backlog. Enjoying some Jasmine green tea as the current supply. The last batch was some vanilla almond thing I had to choke down.

Yorkshire Tea for me.

 Kilkrazy wrote:
You brew your tea in a mug.

WHAT HAPPENED TO TEA POTS?

O woe! That it has come to this.

Tea pots are for when you have loose leaf teas and scones. Can't be having with them first thing in the morning.

I'm a big fan of Yorkshire Tea.


But obviously, the milk must go in first.








(I kid.)

Thanks to my Indian bosses I was introduced to a powerful elixir.

Pg Tips, Mug of whole milk + Microwave= That stuff makes you strong! It also keeps you chugging along nicely when its frikkin cold and frosty outside.

It's not one to drink regularly mind. all that milk!

Other than that brew I go for PG Tips but I have been moving more towards green teas and white teas. Mainly because I dont use milk and reduce my sugar intake.

Whitards have an okay range and teapigs are pretty cool. Their teas make great iced beverages in summer!

Various types of green tea for me. No sugar and obviously no milk.

Milky oolong is also good.

Generally prefer tea leaves rather than bags though.

The only tea is Yorshire Tea in tea bag terms, value for money and a quality brew, after all it is from God's own county.

Otherwise I use my own loose leaf mix. Which is essentially various loose leaf stuff I've collected, thrown in a tin and shaken up.

I've been a big fan of third-brew Lapsang Souchong, but my everyday teabags come from 'clipper' - organic everyday blend in unbleached bags.

I used to buy exclusively from twinings but clippers' unbleached bags and their earl grey made me switch.

I got a free Teabag in Destiny PvP. Free is a pretty good deal.

Twinnings Assam (or just an Assam) no milk, no sugar and a dash of honey. Has to be stewed as long as poss though.

Why do people put milk in tea?

Has to be Yorkshire tea for me.

I like PG, but just not as strong really.




Oh, and stir before adding milk.
You do not add the milk then stir!

I'm actually very surprised to see that you guys enjoy tea a lot, and at the same time use tea bags.
Most tea enthusiasts I know (including me) consider tea pots a must, and the tea store I go to doesn't even sell tea bags.

Is there a specific reason to use teabags? It is because the special blends you enjoy are not sold as loose leaves?

Mr. Burning wrote:Thanks to my Indian bosses I was introduced to a powerful elixir.

Pg Tips, Mug of whole milk + Microwave= That stuff makes you strong! It also keeps you chugging along nicely when its frikkin cold and frosty outside.

It's not one to drink regularly mind. all that milk!

Other than that brew I go for PG Tips but I have been moving more towards green teas and white teas. Mainly because I dont use milk and reduce my sugar intake.

Whitards have an okay range and teapigs are pretty cool. Their teas make great iced beverages in summer!

I used to drink a full milk tea at school, because somehow using more UHT milk and heating it made it taste a lot better

Probably not a good idea day to day though...

I've bought my mum gifts from Teapigs; the variety they offer is insane! However, they are pretty pricey, and for me, special teas never really undercut a breakfast brew on a day to day basis.

That being said, I did fall in love with some Strawberry infused Ceylon tea I bought in Sri Lanka. Those went pretty fast.

Magister wrote:Twinnings Assam (or just an Assam) no milk, no sugar and a dash of honey. Has to be stewed as long as poss though.

Why do people put milk in tea?

To stop it from being bitter?

I'm not too fussed when it comes to milk - I just need an amount of it in my tea. I do have a soft spot for milky tea though, which is always a point of ridicule by others who notice.

I've only taken sugar in my tea when I've had bad headaches, or am feeling very down on things. G.A is never well when he needs sugar in his tea

fresus wrote:
I'm actually very surprised to see that you guys enjoy tea a lot, and at the same time use tea bags.
Most tea enthusiasts I know (including me) consider tea pots a must, and the tea store I go to doesn't even sell tea bags.

Is there a specific reason to use teabags? It is because the special blends you enjoy are not sold as loose leaves?

Speed and ease; a teapot will often make a better quality tea, but the glory of the teabag is that you add it, take it out and bin it. No messing about with strainers or cleaning out the teapot after each use.

fresus wrote:
I'm actually very surprised to see that you guys enjoy tea a lot, and at the same time use tea bags.
Most tea enthusiasts I know (including me) consider tea pots a must, and the tea store I go to doesn't even sell tea bags.

Is there a specific reason to use teabags? It is because the special blends you enjoy are not sold as loose leaves?

Convenience. When you drink eight cups a day doing loose leaf would take far too long.

 Nevelon wrote:

 Kilkrazy wrote:
You brew your tea in a mug.

WHAT HAPPENED TO TEA POTS?

O woe! That it has come to this.

Someone say that they just put a teabag in a mug, and heat it up in the microwave.

I want to watch Kilkrazy’s head explode.

On topic:

I drink whatever is in the cabinet. We get more tea coming into the house then we drink, so I took it on myself to just crack open tins and start brewing it. Work through the backlog. Enjoying some Jasmine green tea as the current supply. The last batch was some vanilla almond thing I had to choke down.

I prepare my tea at work by putting the tea bag in and microwaving the mug.

Even worse- I just leave the bag in and add more water throughout the day.

Generally, I go with the cheapest black tea available. Sometimes that's publix brand, other times Lipton (which is not good) or Red Rose which I think is the best of the bargain teas.

Tetley, PG Tips or Typhoo.

Only tea at work is Lipton. It's... bearable.

All the Americans look at me funny when I put milk and sugar in there. Oh well, haters gonna hate.

Another vote for Yorkshire Tea, with Tetley neck-a-neck.

But PG Tips is frankly manky dishwater :p

Alright, Tea-ignorant American has popped in on this thread a couple times to scan for curiosity sake and noticed the praise heaped upon 'Yorkshire' Tea. What is 'Yorkshire Tea'? Is it a brand of Tea or a style...if that's the right word...of Tea? I'm all about coffee, but would groove on an education regarding this matter.