Yorkshire Tea

Amongst the dreaded bills in today's post was a small white jiffy bag. Like a child in a sweet shop it had to be opened first, mainly because I couldn't remember what freebie I'd ordered! Inside was a green box containing Yorkshire Tea bags, not just any tea bag but Taylors of Harrogate's special blend for hard water and ten of them at that.

Pictures of rural Yorkshire adorn the box and for a few moments memories came flooding back to me. I was born 11 miles from Harrogate and the pictures returned me to the countryside I played in as a child. I was also reminded of trips with my grandparents to Harrogate market where after a busy morning, my Gran took me to Betty's Tea Rooms (part of the Taylors empire) while my Grandad sampled more than his share of Yorkshire ale. Such was the impression the box made on me.

Right that's memory lane visited, back to the task in hand or more accurately the hot, steaming mug of tea in hand. While that cools, a bit more on the box. Apart from the rural scenes there's a green teapot on the front of the box that states, this is the best cup of tea in Britain. A bold statement but as Taylors have been tea merchants since 1886, they must have some belief in their product.

The back of the box explains what hard water can do to your kettle, soap and of course the taste of your tea. Then follows a sales pitch about their expertise in the tea trade and the lengths the buyer has gone to select the teas used in this blend. All this and still the rural background pictures! On the inside of the box lid is a short message from Fiona Hunter, it doesn't identify her role but there's a picture of her with cup in hand. Just before you get to the tea bags there's a 30p off voucher valid across the Yorkshire Tea range and can be used up to 30 June 2004.

I'm not going to try and explain how to make the perfect cup of tea, simply because I never follow a set pattern. I think it's a personal choice how you make your cuppa and if you're happy, why change?

As I took the first tea bag out of the box I was hit by an aroma of fresh, leaf tea which was refreshing and slightly spicy. Almost as if the bag was inviting you to drink it. Once in my mug, with boiling water poured on, this same aroma tried my patience, I really did want to drink it.

I left it to stand a few moments, well about eight minutes because I went away and forgot about it if I'm honest. I don't mind strong tea so I carried on. I don't put much milk in my tea and when added the brew was almost terracotta in colour. It looked and smelled delicious without the surface scum that accompanies some tea bags. You also have the bonus of one bag making two cups of tea.

The taste lived up to the image the aroma had left in my mind, so much so I had a second cup just to be sure! For me the taste was excellent and lingered on the taste buds once the drink was finished, I enjoyed the aftertaste but others may not. Does it live up to the boast that it's the best cup of tea in Britain? I don't know, I've not tasted all the tea in Britain.

I was already a fan of Yorkshire Tea but hadn't tried this varient. It is expensive, Tesco charge £1.64/80 or £3.45/160 while sainsburys want £1.85 for 80! I would buy it again as in my opinion it's worth paying that bit extra for. A tea drinkers treat. Enjoy