Twinings Traditional Afternoon Tea Bags

TWININGS TRADITIONAL AFTERNOON TEA

Tea is truly wonderful; a soothing and comforting drink that you can hold through the toughest times, or even just to sip day to day while going about your life. I really cannot imagine not having a cup of tea in my hand. I am a great coffee drinker, but I drink 2-3 cups of coffee compared to around 10 cups of tea a day.

I enjoy Twinings tea. Although not my favourite, since it is not ...
...of my favourite blends of Twinings tea.

THE BOX

This tea comes in a sophisticated black box, with the name of the tea in a green font. A lovely picture of some sort of tree is on the front, along with some basic flavour information about the tea. This one has a strong flavour, according to the box. It’s very nice packaging, however the contents have no foil wrapping, and once the box is opened, it is very difficult to ... more

TWININGS TRADITIONAL AFTERNOON TEA

Tea is truly wonderful; a soothing and comforting drink that you can hold through the toughest times, or even just to sip day to day while going about your life. I really cannot imagine not having a cup of tea in my hand. I am a great coffee drinker, but I drink 2-3 cups of coffee compared to around 10 cups of tea a day.

I enjoy Twinings tea. Although not my favourite, since it is not Fair Trade, and has a limited amount of organic versions. I have to admit, though, that Traditional Afternoon is one of my favourite blends of Twinings tea.

THE BOX

This tea comes in a sophisticated black box, with the name of the tea in a green font. A lovely picture of some sort of tree is on the front, along with some basic flavour information about the tea. This one has a strong flavour, according to the box. It’s very nice packaging, however the contents have no foil wrapping, and once the box is opened, it is very difficult to keep the tea fresh, unless you put it in a plastic tub. This prohibits you from displaying the box, though. Also, when you open the box, it doesn’t seem to want to close again.

THE BREW

I am sure we all know how to make a cup of tea, but I will state my preparation preferences for the record. I put the bag in a cup, pour over boiling hot water, wait four minutes, remove the bag, and add a dash of cold semi skimmed milk. This is my favourite way to have tea.

Traditional Afternoon makes quite a bold cup. The colour is quite dark, and the aroma is lovely – earthy, a little malty, and very seductive. When you sip the tea, it has a very distinctive taste, and if you were to compare it with a cup of Tetley, for example, then the differences would stand out. This tea is not as strong as your Tetley brew, but it does hold its own, and have a good strength.

AFTERNOON TEA

The idea behind this blend is for the tea to be enjoyed in the afternoon, perhaps with biscuits. The very name of the tea, Traditional Afternoon, conjures up the image of good times. You can invite your chums over, slap a few bags in the teapot, and really have a good old fashioned Tea & Biscuits sort of afternoon. How British!

In fact, according to Twinings’ website, “Afternoon Tea has become an important part of British life, a ritual originally introduced to provide welcome invigoration during the long period between lunch and dinner.”

INVIGORATION?

Does this tea live up to its claim to invigorate you? Well, I would say yes. All teas refresh me, and give me more energy. I think this is due to the slow release of caffeine in the tea. Unlike coffee, which gives you a sudden kick, tea releases its caffeine into your body more slowly, allowing you to enjoy a slightly elevated mood for longer periods of time, without the sluggishness you may eventually receive from drinking coffee.

Sometimes if I have a class at 10am, I’m back home by mid day, have a cup of Traditional Afternoon around 2pm before I head back out, and really get a lovely feeling of a new lease of life, which carries me into the evening.

WHAT IT’S NOT

It’s not Fair Trade, and it’s not organic. This is a little of a letdown for me, because I prefer to have fairly traded tea. Having worked in a coffee shop, I know the difference in price, and what Fair Trade means. It means that the tea farmers not only get a higher price for their crop, but also receive healthcare, education for their children, and a much better environment to live in. I feel a little guilty buying a tea that isn’t part of this system; however as fairly traded products become more popular, this may change.

Also, it would be a nice thing if the tea were organic. However, with the costs of certifying tea crops as organic, many farmers don’t think it is worth the bother. A lot of teas actually are grown with minimum pesticides, etc, but the costs of having a crop certified organic isn’t worth it to the farmer. This too could change.

WHAT IT IS

It is a very refreshing tea, wonderful in the afternoon, or indeed at any time of day when you need a strong brew to pick you up. I’ve been drinking this tea for around three years, and do enjoy it. I always keep a box, and go through perhaps one every two months, since I drink it less often than my usual tea.

It is also good value for money, costing around £1.49 for a box of 50. Not as cheap as regular tea, but still not extremely expensive. It’s a much more quality tea than Tetley, PG Tips, etc, and still affordable.

CONCLUSION

I recommend this tea. I do think that in order for it to obtain five stars, it needs to be fairly traded, organic, or both. In addition, the packaging needs to be better designed to keep freshness in. Most specialty teas are packed in foil. In fact some normal teas are packed in foil. And with the box being as flimsy as it is (not closing properly once opened), then I think the packaging needs to be redesigned. If I could award this tea 3 ½, then I would. It’s not worthy of a three, so I have rated it four. It is a good tea, and a nice treat. 

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