Talk to me about tea bags.

Soldato
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I got given some fancy black tea bags as part of a Christmas hamper. They make a really nice brew and it's got me wanting to try different brands other than the usual Tetley, PG Tips etc.

What do you guys drink/recommend for the perfect black tea?
 
I'd wager black tea is much like coffee - a real rabbit hole, but potentially highly educational if you are into it.

I'd assume loose leaf tea is where you'll find the aficionado quality stuff, and then you'll get into the nuances of water to tea ratio, water types, brew temperature etc. There must be a dedicated forum or twelve on the subject, given the numbers of coffee forums around?
 
Yes it’s a bit of a rabbit hole like coffee. Although most of the nuance with coffee is the brew method and equipment, most good coffee is of the same variety. Where’s tea can be almost anything - you can even make tea from coffee flowers.

There are a few brands like teapigs that sell in supermarkets which is basically loose tea in a bag. For a daily brew we have clipper which is in most supermarkets and is just normal black tea.
 
Cant say I can notice much difference.

I drink tea and coffee, normally 2 cups of coffee in the morning, tea the rest of the day.

I am a real coffee snob also, I have my own grinder and buy beans online, grind them myself brew etc.

Tea on the other hand, I dont really notice much difference, I quite like Typhoo, and Tesco's own isnt bad. Some of the posher ones, Twining English Breakfast I dont rate, Tetley and PG tips are worse still. Obviously thats subject to personal taste. I think the thing is with bad tea, it isnt that bad, vs bad coffee is bloody horrible, so I am less fussed with tea.
 
During the first lockdown I volunteered with someone local that owns a specialty tea company and they gave me a load of samples. I'm not a huge tea drinker but the ones I've tried have been very nice.

I could post you a few if you wanted to try them.
 
I got given some fancy black tea bags as part of a Christmas hamper. They make a really nice brew and it's got me wanting to try different brands other than the usual Tetley, PG Tips etc.

What do you guys drink/recommend for the perfect black tea?

there are some herbal brands out their like pukka and tea India who still make bags with more traditional fillings. Some of these make black tea variants that are delicious.
 

Over 15 years ago, president and founder of "Obubu", Akihiro "Akky" Kita, visited Wazuka, Kyoto. The tea produced in this rural district is known as Ujicha, one of the highest quality premium teas in Japan. Akky fell in love with tea and has gone from tea farmer apprentice to one of the most respected growers in the community. In 2004 he met Yasuharu Matsumoto and the two discovered a similar vision to cultivate Wazuka tea and share it directly with tea drinkers around the world. They now manage 4 acres, most this land is abandoned tea fields that are now productive and contributing to the community's economy. Buy Akky's Tea Here http://bit.ly/AkkyTea
 
Recently made the switch from Twinings Everyday to Clipper. Tastes better with our hard water but the main reason was there's no plastic in the Clipper teabags. They're unbleached too. Would recommend
 
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