Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
Refreshing and mellow . |
| Disadvantages: |
Occasional floaty bits from bag, but this may be my tea making mess - ups ! |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
I don't run out of tea bags very often (except when my tea mad parents are visiting!), but today I found just a few left at the bottom of the caddy, so I put 'tea bags' on my shopping list, and looked for good old 'Tetley's' in the shop.
Today's purchase was a bag of 160 teabags from Safeway supermarket at the price of £2.67. Oh, and it also had a free decaffeinated tea bag sample attached to the top!
************* Why the Tetley brand is the brand for me *******
I do not buy any other tea brand now, because I have become very fond of the lovely smooth and mellow flavour that Tetley provides. My particular taste in tea is for a refreshing drink. I can not stand strong tea. Some brands I find leave a bitter aftertaste in the back of the throat, whereas Tetley is much milder.
*********** Why tea bags as opposed to loose tea? **************
For me, this is a matter of convenience and tidiness. My mum insists on using loose tea so you don't taste the paper from the tea bag. For me, this is not a problem. I personally can not tell that the tea flavour has been filtered through a paper 'bag'. When you buy loose tea, the strength often varies from packet to packet which I find annoying. Also, the tea leaves need to be strained (extra washing up!) and disposed of carefully so you don't clog up your kitchen drain, or leave a yukky mass of leaves around your sink. We put our used tea bags into our compost bin, but the bags are very easy to squeeze out and plonk into your klitchen bin.
I don't know why this is, but ocassionally, I get some small, scaly, floating bits on the surface of the tea after making it. I am not sure whether this is to do with tea bags, or does it also happen with tea made with loose leaves? It doesn't always happen, but I would be interested to know why it sometimes does!
*********** The packaging *******************************
The tea bags come in a 'soft pack', made of a glossy, thick paper. As you can see from the picture, it is sealed into a square shape which is very easy to store. The opening is at the top, which once opened, can be resealed with the strong sticky flap. This can be opened and shut quite a lot of times before losing stickiness.
I usually store my tea bags in an airtight tin, and although I don't use them all at once, I find, that the flavour of the tea doesn't lose anything over time. There are inevitably some left that can not be squashed into my tin caddy, but the packaging on the blue bags is good enough to keep the remaining bags airtight until there is space! The sticky tape on the top of the packaging is adequate to keep the bag sealed. I don't know why, but I get a kind of satisfaction from laying out all those nice flat(ish), round bags into the tin. I get a similar satisfaction from arranging my biscuits in the biscuit tin. Maybe it's the 'tea and biscuits' as a treat anticipation, getting me excited!
The pack has some facts about the tea written on it, which I hadn't actually taken much notice of before now. The main message on the front of the pack is that the tea is "naturally rich in antioxidants". There is a little picture of some fresh green tea leaves with a little heart shape around to let you know from their clever imagery, the benefits to your health. The smaller print arount the packet lets you know that "the antioxidants found in tea, fruit and vegetables form an important part of a healthy diet. Also, "Tetley contains LESS caffeine than either a cup of instant or ground roasted coffee..." Well, I don't actually drink tea because of it's health benefits, but the information would be reassuring to me if I did!
The pack tells us the blend of tea in Tetley. : "Assam teas from India, for bady and strength" . I presume this means the strength and body of the tea, and not the drinker! Also, " African teas for that distinctive taste and 'red' colour. Ceylon teas for the smooth refreshing finish." Again, I was not aware of these facts before, but just knew that I enjoyed the Tetley flavour!
The pack also gives information of where and how to contact them, in great detail. And also to store in a cool, dry place.
The tea bags are also available in quantities of 40, 80, 240, or the drawstring variety, which I have not tried.
There is a wealth of information on the Tetley website, again highlighting those 'health benefits', info on the products, etc. You can even view the recent TV adverts there.
*********** Making your tasty cuppa!***************
The tea bags couldn't be easier to use. Pop them in the pot, or mug, add boiling water, leave for your desired brewing time, pour the tea, and add the milk to your cup. Dispose of the bags as you wish.
On the Tetley website, there is a scientific formula for making the perfect cuppa, and goes into details of how to do it! I say, forget this, just do it your way! The perfect cuppa is one of the most individual things I know! The main point made though, is to add freshly boiled water that is more than 98.5 degrees centigrade, to extract the flavour from the leaves. Also to add the milk last. Very sensible.
*********** Aaaahhh, satisfaction! ***********************
Well, surely the best part is the drinking of the tea. Some people can not function without their first cup of tea in the morning, or when they get home after a hard day's toil. Is tea addictive? Some members of my family couldn't think of life without it. I have just tried the free decaffeinated tea bag that came with my purchase and I feel satisfied that it still tastes like a 'proper' cuppa. This would be the ideal drink for tea lovers who are concerned about their caffeine intake. Tea is not recommended for babies and small children.
As the pack is opened, I get a memory of sticking my nose into old tea caddies to sniff that unusual but pleasant tea aroma. So, from pack to cup, I am pleased with my cuppa.
********** Why the Tetley advertising worked for me**********
We have drunk tea for 200 years, apparently , so I don't see any signs of it becoming less popular. All the more reason to create effective advertising. I was brought up seeing on the television, those cheeky little Tetley tea folk, and almost believing they were real! Maybe this is where my love for Tetley stems from. (The cheeky chimps of other brands were a close rival, but performing animals don't quite have the appeal they used to in this day and age).
My strongest memories are of the late Brian Glover's Yorkshire accent telling us those tea bags had "five thousand perforations", and of the tea folk (Gaffer and Sydney, especially) , singing the songs ending in "... and we all agree, Tetley make tea bags make tea!" For me, the new adverts featuring the likes of Tea-coloured David Dickinson, do not have the same appeal. The Tetley tea folk seem to have disappeared for now, although up until recently you could still get merchandise with them on. I have looked at the Australian Tetley site which still has those little characters featured. I'm wondering whether Sydney's name is a link to Sydney Australia. Well, I'm off on a tangent there........
************ Conclusion ************************************
As previously stated, Tetley tea bags suit my lifestyle. I enjoy the flavour and I like the convenience of them. They are very good value for money and they store well. I would certainly recommend them.
Thank you. Joanna.
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 Tetley Tea Bags Are Fine
Review of Tetley Tea Bags by
ashford
Advantages: Good Flavour Not too strong,not too weak
Disadvantages: Very few
...numbers of British expatriates,is Tetley . .
Tetley get their black tea from plantations in India, Indonesia and some African countries. Reputedly they have buying agents at all the world’s major tea auctions-including the very famous ones at Calcutta and Mombassa-each and every week. Tetley,it seems purchase more than 2 million pounds of tea to produce their various blends. Black tea is made from tea leaves that have been fully oxidised or ...
...coppery-brown in colour. Tetley also produce a decaffeinated option-good for the health conscious-as well as a range of flavoured speciality teas such as Black Currant,Strawberry,Lemon and Apple Cinamon,Green tea, Earl Grey and some full-bodied herbal teas. What most of us are familiar with Tetley Classsic Blend which is a deep amber coloured tea,available in tea bags,with a full-bodied flavour. I find it to be a very satisfying drink,refreshing ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful |
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very helpful
20.01.2002
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 Fancy a Brew?
Review of Tetley Tea Bags by
newby2
Advantages: nice tea, cheaper than others
Disadvantages: none
Tetley Teabags....
Tetley tea bags are of good value for what you are actually getting. They are slightly cheaper than brands such as PG or Twinings but the taste in my opinion is not overly different. Tetley bags are round to look at and of course this is different from the two other brands I mentioned before. PG claim that their pyramid tea bags help to diffuse the tes quicker and more efficiently but I feel Tetley teabags make the tea leaves ...
...The taste of Tetley tea is rather nice and far better than shops own brand tea. I do have to have either sugar or sweetener in my tea and this I suppose hides some of the actual tea taste. However I do like a good cup of strong tea and to be honest I am not overly bothered what make it is. I tend to buy whichever brand is on offer at the time I go shopping.
Tetley are a good make however and I think they deserve a four star rating and a RECOMMENDATION. ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful |
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very helpful
16.01.2009
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Bags Ready, Freeze Dried Ready, FIGHT
Review of Tetley Tea Bags by
Squidget
Advantages: Freeze Dried is quicker but bags are better flavour overall
Disadvantages: Freeze dried are a lot more expensive than bags
...recently bought a jar of Tetley Freeze Dried tea, as I thought it would come in handy for the times I had no tea bags left. I thought that this would be a good experiment to test something that I really enjoy.
A jar of freeze-dried tea contains 80 cups of tea 1 teaspoon per cup! It looks a lot like coffee but has a distinct smell that is not at all pleasant, very musty and is slightly lighter than your average coffee.
Now this is the easy a bit ...
...I know I enjoy Tetley tea bags so I started with that so as not to mar my judgement by tasting the new contender first. The flavour as usual was full and delicious adding just a spot of milk and no sugar just the way I like it, now you all know how I like my tea so no excuses when I pop round for a cuppa!
I did not have the freeze-dried straight away I waited until I felt the need for a cuppa, this was a few hours later and was well rewarded as ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful |
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very helpful
08.01.2002
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You will feel better after a cup of tea
Review of Tetley Tea Bags by
Louise90
Advantages: Great tasting tea. Makes the perfect brew.
Disadvantages: None
...to purchase a box of Tetley teabags. Personally, I prefer the drawstring ones, which are the ones I'm going to tell you about today. I paid £1.54 for a box of 80 teabags. I know they're not the cheapest around. Considering you can probably buy the same amount of the shops own brand for around 50p!! But, when it comes to drinking tea, we only want the best, don't we?! Although saying that, there's nothing wrong with Tesco's or Sainsbury's if you're ...
...a navy blue box with Tetley drawstring on the front. It's a rather colourful container, so can't miss it. Just take the wrapping off from the outside of the box - this may take a while if you haven't a knife or pair of scissors handy!
The first thing you notice when you open the box is the smell. The teabags do have a certain aroma about them. The aroma is a good one. You can smell the somewhat strong wiff of tea. The teabags themselves are round ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful |
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very helpful
24.10.2002
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DRINK TEA AND PROSPER
Review of Tetley Tea Bags by
alflavor
Advantages: Tasty, refreshing, genuinely doing you some good.
Disadvantages: None, unless you really do not like tea.
...sold in large quantities by Tetley and PG is the prevailing choice of us UK folk.
A good cup of Tetley (my preferred brand and focus of the writing here) is made by the bag. One bag per mug is required, and you should add freshly drawn and boiled water directly onto the bag. The drink one then makes is totally 'to taste'. Ideally, for me anyway, the water should be left for around 2 minutes to allow the flavour to infuse fully into the water. This ...
...unique taste.
For me, Tetley is slightly astringent (drying) and warming in the first instance. It has a real clean and slightly earthy aroma, and a full flavour. The taste finishes off to be astringent again, and leaves a really nice 'tea' taste. Rather like a good red wine, Tetley is full bodied. I prefer Tetley to PG for example, as I find PG to not be as strong in the flavour department.
Coming back to health, tea is a very healthy drink, especially ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful |
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very helpful
04.01.2003
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