Incredibly important: The cost of tea.

Auntie Slag · Post by **Auntie Slag** » Thu Dec 16, 2010 7:32 am

Has anyone else noticed that the price of tea has skyrocketed lately? A few months ago a box of 80 PG Tips was about £1.57. Today it's £2.80 or something! What the hell is going on, don't they know there's a recession? In disgust I bought Tesco's own brand for a squid and it was abysmal. I'm sure there's a trades description violation there.

This is a vital commodity. Coffee is not a substitute. I sense an uprising.

Anyone else passionate about tea? Incidentally Denyer posted a link years ago to making the perfect cup. I've followed it ever since because I think it really works. Changed my life, so it did.

Thundercracker · Post by **Thundercracker** » Thu Dec 16, 2010 2:34 pm

Albeit living in the states and such I know not of your tea prices, but this recipe you talk about intrigues me. Might it be possible to inform me of it.

Auntie Slag · Post by **Auntie Slag** » Thu Dec 16, 2010 4:34 pm

Sure, its not so much a recipe; simply an order in which to make the tea.

Basically you put the milk in first, then you introduce a splash of boiling water to the milk so that the milk doesn't scold. Once it's happy you pour in the rest of the boiling water and make the tea as usual.

If you do it in this order/style you should never get another bitter or dodgy tasting cup of tea. It seems to work. It could just be a placebo effect, but I'm sure I remember making a few crappy teas prior to reading Denyer's link (I always used to mput the milk in last). Now I swear by it.

Having decent tea bags is the other half of the puzzle.

Rack 'n Ruin · Post by **Rack 'n Ruin** » Thu Dec 16, 2010 5:11 pm

Auntie Slag wrote:Having decent tea bags is the other half of the puzzle.

Good quality loose tea brewed with soft(ened) water FTW.

Forget the milk. Maybe a dash of lemon if you feel the need.

Sugar = sacrilege.

MissingSea · Post by **MissingSea** » Thu Dec 16, 2010 5:15 pm

I've found that Sainsburys Red Label aren't that bad for the cost. I generally get a huge bag every few months, their only downside in my opinion is that they tend to be dustier then some of the more expensive brands, but the saving for me outweighs the pain of having to clean the tea container on a more regular basis

Maybe get a smaller box to try them first, you may have a more discerning palette than me

Auntie Slag · Post by **Auntie Slag** » Thu Dec 16, 2010 11:13 pm

Oh no, Red Label are fine by me... completely different kettle of fish to the Tesco equivalent I find.

I'm a tea Slag/Slut in that I alternate from brand to brand. Its what keeps me fresh and exciting:

- PG Tips for the mainstay.
- Typhoo is a fairly decent substitute, depending on the wind.
- Twinings yellow box is a bit posh. Very smooth, too smooth in any great
quantity and after a while I hanker for a bit o' rough (PG).
- Red Label
- Quick Brew (haven't had this in years actually).

There's other's but I've forgotten them. Then there's all your namby pamby ones like Earl Grey, Peppermint, Dog and foxglove, Sweat of a Gnat, Camomile and fairy dust etc. They're all nice, but for once in a blue moon...

I haven't had sugar in tea in donkey's.

Sixswitch · Post by **Sixswitch** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 7:18 am

Tetleys is better than Typhoo.

Clipper is a good tea - a bit more expensive, because it's fairtrade. I've always thought that's pretty ironic. They claim to be guaranteeing a better deal for third world growers/workers, but the only reason they do it is because they charge more for the product in the first place. So the 'moral' people here are the folks who buy the stuff, rather than the company itself. </rant>

I think PG Tips are my favourite though for every day use. And yep, teabags are expensive these days. Normally though I can find a 2 for 1 offer on somewhere, and as I live on my own, they last for bloody ages.

-Ss

Auntie Slag · Post by **Auntie Slag** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 7:28 am

Yeah, my choice is pretty much determined by what on special offer at the time.

How many cups do you have a day, roughly?

I reckon I get through about six or seven, that's just a rough average though.

I stopped drinking tea at work because it just went through the roof, to the point where it was just habit and not even enjoyable anymore.

Wildrider · Post by **Wildrider** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 8:43 am

I'm an avid Green Tea drinker and a bit of a sucker for herbal styles, I drink it under the self deluded opinion that it will speed up my metabolism and make me superhuman, although I'd probably have to drink in excess of fifty cups to make an useful contribution.

On it's own it's mundane, but I tend to branch out into versions with lemon or mint for an added twist, also red bush tea is an acquired taste, but I quite like it, a strange brew but satisfying. There is a version with vanilla essence added, but that's a bit sickly for my liking.

Been drinking a nice ginger and lemon herbal infusion, like a gentle ginger beer to warm the cockles lately after coming in from the cold.

Have to say I was quite pretentious in my youth when it came to tea, drinking only Twinnings and specifically Assam, milk and one sugar, but I don't' have milk or sugar these days in anything.

I just wish there was some kind of tea infused with cinnamon, then all my worldly dreams would come true!

Post by **Sades** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 9:17 am

I like tea. Usually herbal tea. I put a bag in the cup, and pour hot water in it. I'm not much of a stickler for any one method, except that one.

Sometimes I add sugar, sometimes I use honey or try one of those odd flavour-syrups they use in lattes and stuff. Rarely milk or cream.

I used to drink a lot lot lot of tea, but I find I'm tending back towards coffee.

Summerhayes · Post by **Summerhayes** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 10:51 am

I'm a fairly boring PG tips/ Tetley man. I generally leave he milk until last, but maybe I'll try your way.
I'm phasing out the sugar as I get older, I notice. It's like a right of passage.

tahukanuva · Post by **tahukanuva** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 1:23 pm

Twining's Lady Grey, a splash of milk, and more sugar than is probably necessary. Good tea for the drinking hot is rather difficult to find and expensive around here, but tea's more of an occasional treat than a habit, so I don't feel too bad splurging for it. Pretty much any brand's breakfast variety seems fine, but Tazo (Starbucks' brand) anything is just awful.

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 2:06 pm

PG Tips, a fair bit of milk, six sugars. Student tea, it doesn't taste right otherwise now. TBH, though, I only really drink it as a vessel for getting as much sugar in me as possible. You get weird looks at work if you sit there with a bag of sugar and a spoon.

Sixswitch · Post by **Sixswitch** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 3:48 pm

Probably about the same as you, Slag. Maybe a bit less 5-6 cups maybe. Weird thing is, I don't drink too much tea at home - mainly because I'm not organised enough to keep fresh milk in the flat. I'm not hugely bothered about the brand either - I'm a simple tea and milk man myself - I like it fairly dark though.

-Ss

Shrapnel Clone · Post by **Shrapnel Clone** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 8:52 pm

As I am lactose-intolerant, I'm horrified by the idea of putting milk in tea.

In other news, we now have Dutch Blend!