The Great Tea Tease - another review by ‘Grumpy’ Steve Collins

​

After his much-lauded Frozen Chip-Off from a couple of weeks ago, @TheGrumpster is back with a new review. Got any requests for future product tests? Let us know below!

There are a great many teas on our supermarket shelves, but which tea is the best?

In order to test the teas, I gathered together three tea-loving friends together with She Who Rules the Roost (my wife) to partake in a blind tasting test.

I chose common teas from the supermarket, which consisted of:
​

1. Woolworth’s Home Brand English Breakfast​
2. Lipton English Breakfast​
3. Twinings English Breakfast​
4. Nerada Black Tea, and ​
5. Bushell’s Blue Label​

Neralda Black Tea was the only loose leaf tea, the others were all tea bags.

I made the teas in teapots and put three teabags of each into their respective teapots, and three teaspoons of loose leaf, in its pot. I added boiling water and steeped each for precisely three minutes. Each tea was presented to the tasting panel in order, from one to five. As one tea was being tested, I brewed the next pot in order to keep the process the same each time.

There were four criteria for the panel to consider: Colour, Aroma, Flavour, and their Overall Impression.
​

​

The panel was sequestered in our dining room, away from the kitchen, so they had no idea which brand they were tasting. Keeping She Who Rules the Roost out of the kitchen was negotiated when I agreed to do the washing up and drying of the testing crockery afterwards. She does drive a very hard bargain.

None of the tasters took sugar with their teas, and one preferred to drink her tea white, so a small jug of milk was provided. I figured that the tasters should be able to drink the samples the way they would normally drink their tea, as that’s what their tastebuds are used to.

Water was provided so that the tasters could clear their palate after each tasting. Small cups were also provided for each individual tea as I did not want them to drink too much tea too soon, and I washed each cup after each tasting so as not to leave any residue in the cup that could change the taste of the new tea.

Each was given a marking sheet, with the teas marked only as 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 so that they genuinely had no idea which brand they were drinking. The teas were ranked out of 10 on aroma, flavour, and overall impression.

Marking for colour was close as the teas were marked (in order 1 to 5): 7, 8, 8, 7, 8.
For Aroma they marked 7, 7, 8, 7, 8.
Flavour markings were 7, 6, 8, 7, 8.
Overall Impression was: 7, 8, 8, 7, 9.
​

Tea Brand​	Total Scores​
Tea no. 1 ​	28, 22, 20, 22 = 92​
Tea no. 2 ​	29, 28, 28, 23 = 108​
Tea no. 3 ​	32, 24, 24, 21 = 101​
Tea no. 4 ​	28, 24, 16, 23 = 91​
Tea no. 5 ​	33, 27, 32, 24 = 116​

Therefore No. 5 was first, No. 2 was second, No. 3 was third, No. 1 was fourth and No. 4 was fifth - a difference of a staggering 24 points between the lowest and highest rated.

The tea that ranked last in our review was no. 4 - Twinings English Breakfast.

Coming in second was tea no. 1- Lipton English Breakfast.

In the middle was No. 3- Nerada Black tea

The second best was No.2 – Woolworths Home Brand English Breakfast

And the winner, by a considerable margin, was Tea No. 5 – Bushell’s Blue Label.

That last result was rather surprising as Twinings does have a reputation for being a reputable brand. The panel had no idea which teas were being tested, and they were surprised when the names of the teas were revealed to them.

To celebrate the successful completion of the tasting I provided high tea for them, and each taster could enjoy their personal favourite from the tasting.

It was mutually agreed that tea is more enjoyable when accompanied by scones, jam and cream, together with caramel cake and lemon sponge.
As a bonus, She Who Rules the Roost did help with the washing up for the post-tasting wing ding.

What did you guys think of this review? Do the ratings match up with your personal tea preferences?​

 

[Rota Williams]

The Great Tea Tease - another review by ‘Grumpy’ Steve Collins

View attachment 3183​

After his much-lauded Frozen Chip-Off from a couple of weeks ago, @TheGrumpster is back with a new review. Got any requests for future product tests? Let us know below!

There are a great many teas on our supermarket shelves, but which tea is the best?

In order to test the teas, I gathered together three tea-loving friends together with She Who Rules the Roost (my wife) to partake in a blind tasting test.

I chose common teas from the supermarket, which consisted of:
​

1. Woolworth’s Home Brand English Breakfast​
2. Lipton English Breakfast​
3. Twinings English Breakfast​
4. Nerada Black Tea, and ​
5. Bushell’s Blue Label​

Neralda Black Tea was the only loose leaf tea, the others were all tea bags.

I made the teas in teapots and put three teabags of each into their respective teapots, and three teaspoons of loose leaf, in its pot. I added boiling water and steeped each for precisely three minutes. Each tea was presented to the tasting panel in order, from one to five. As one tea was being tested, I brewed the next pot in order to keep the process the same each time.

There were four criteria for the panel to consider: Colour, Aroma, Flavour, and their Overall Impression.
​

View attachment 3181​

The panel was sequestered in our dining room, away from the kitchen, so they had no idea which brand they were tasting. Keeping She Who Rules the Roost out of the kitchen was negotiated when I agreed to do the washing up and drying of the testing crockery afterwards. She does drive a very hard bargain.

None of the tasters took sugar with their teas, and one preferred to drink her tea white, so a small jug of milk was provided. I figured that the tasters should be able to drink the samples the way they would normally drink their tea, as that’s what their tastebuds are used to.

Water was provided so that the tasters could clear their palate after each tasting. Small cups were also provided for each individual tea as I did not want them to drink too much tea too soon, and I washed each cup after each tasting so as not to leave any residue in the cup that could change the taste of the new tea.

Each was given a marking sheet, with the teas marked only as 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 so that they genuinely had no idea which brand they were drinking. The teas were ranked out of 10 on aroma, flavour, and overall impression.

Marking for colour was close as the teas were marked (in order 1 to 5): 7, 8, 8, 7, 8.
For Aroma they marked 7, 7, 8, 7, 8.
Flavour markings were 7, 6, 8, 7, 8.
Overall Impression was: 7, 8, 8, 7, 9.
​

Tea Brand​	Total Scores​
Tea no. 1 View attachment 3176​	28, 22, 20, 22 = 92​
Tea no. 2 View attachment 3177​	29, 28, 28, 23 = 108​
Tea no. 3 View attachment 3178​	32, 24, 24, 21 = 101​
Tea no. 4 View attachment 3179​	28, 24, 16, 23 = 91​
Tea no. 5 View attachment 3180​	33, 27, 32, 24 = 116​

Therefore No. 5 was first, No. 2 was second, No. 3 was third, No. 1 was fourth and No. 4 was fifth - a difference of a staggering 24 points between the lowest and highest rated.

The tea that ranked last in our review was no. 4 - Twinings English Breakfast.

Coming in second was tea no. 1- Lipton English Breakfast.

In the middle was No. 3- Nerada Black tea

The second best was No.2 – Woolworths Home Brand English Breakfast

And the winner, by a considerable margin, was Tea No. 5 – Bushell’s Blue Label.

That last result was rather surprising as Twinings does have a reputation for being a reputable brand. The panel had no idea which teas were being tested, and they were surprised when the names of the teas were revealed to them.

To celebrate the successful completion of the tasting I provided high tea for them, and each taster could enjoy their personal favourite from the tasting.

It was mutually agreed that tea is more enjoyable when accompanied by scones, jam and cream, together with caramel cake and lemon sponge.
As a bonus, She Who Rules the Roost did help with the washing up for the post-tasting wing ding.

What did you guys think of this review? Do the ratings match up with your personal tea preferences?​

Blue label it is, after years of trying every brand. Twining Irish is next: can only buy when on special. I drank a brand in NZ, AmbetTips if I recall which is similar

 

[Buddinggems]

Bushells tea is no longer Australian grown or packed unfortunately - now packed in Indonesia from Imported ingredients. This is the case with most of the teas available in the supermarkets. I’m so pleased Nerada was part of the review as it is Australian grown in North Queensland. It tastes great and is the only black tea I will buy now

 

[goodmorning]

I like Coles brand of green tea but haven't been able to get it lately I don't like the bitter taste of some of the brands as I only like very week tea

 

[ElleJay]

Very surprised, I've always thought Bushell's tea was awful! I like strong tea and usually buy Twinings Assam Bold. I also bought some Scottish Breakfast tea from a little tea shop in Castlemaine (Victoria) and it's amazing!

 

[Phyll]

I only drink Yorkshire Tea Proper Strong. You cant beat this for a decent cup of tea in my opinion.

 

[Ricci]

It's great to know I have good taste. I always buy Bushell's blue label!!

 

[Ronloby]

I have been drinking Bushells Blue Tea for many years and I find it the best also. I also like Lipton English Tea but prefer Bushells.

 

[Ladyjay]

Blue label it is, after years of trying every brand. Twining Irish is next: can only buy when on special. I drank a brand in NZ, AmbetTips if I recall which is similar

I prefer Dilmah tea

 

[Dee Sharee]

Nerada, not only is it Aussie but it's organic.

 

[Kgee]

I've been drinking Dilmah for years as most others I find weak. I now drink Yorkshire tea as well. These are the best teas for me.

 

[Cheb]

My tea is so, very, very weak that it doesn't really matter which brand that I buy.
I have to stop friends from making my cuppa too strong as they always put the tea bag into the cup and then add the hot water. I put the water in first and then just dunk the tea bag once or twice. A tea bag last me the entire day.

 

[KatKop]

I love strong tea and coffee so it's definitely Twining's Extra Strong Breakfast for me. Every time.

 

[SilverPinkDragon01]

Love a nice cup of Bushells Blue & have just discovered Australian Roogenic native teas, very nice.

 

[Penny4]

I used to use Nerada tea due to being Aussie.
But changed to Tetley and Nature's Cuppa English Breakfast.
Both products are plastic free tea bags.
Nature's Cuppa tea bags use unbleached paper.
Tetley tea bags use a plant based woven paper containing cellulose and starch.

 

[Izzabel]

The Great Tea Tease - another review by ‘Grumpy’ Steve Collins

View attachment 3183​

After his much-lauded Frozen Chip-Off from a couple of weeks ago, @TheGrumpster is back with a new review. Got any requests for future product tests? Let us know below!

There are a great many teas on our supermarket shelves, but which tea is the best?

In order to test the teas, I gathered together three tea-loving friends together with She Who Rules the Roost (my wife) to partake in a blind tasting test.

I chose common teas from the supermarket, which consisted of:
​

1. Woolworth’s Home Brand English Breakfast​
2. Lipton English Breakfast​
3. Twinings English Breakfast​
4. Nerada Black Tea, and ​
5. Bushell’s Blue Label​

Neralda Black Tea was the only loose leaf tea, the others were all tea bags.

I made the teas in teapots and put three teabags of each into their respective teapots, and three teaspoons of loose leaf, in its pot. I added boiling water and steeped each for precisely three minutes. Each tea was presented to the tasting panel in order, from one to five. As one tea was being tested, I brewed the next pot in order to keep the process the same each time.

There were four criteria for the panel to consider: Colour, Aroma, Flavour, and their Overall Impression.
​

View attachment 3181​

The panel was sequestered in our dining room, away from the kitchen, so they had no idea which brand they were tasting. Keeping She Who Rules the Roost out of the kitchen was negotiated when I agreed to do the washing up and drying of the testing crockery afterwards. She does drive a very hard bargain.

None of the tasters took sugar with their teas, and one preferred to drink her tea white, so a small jug of milk was provided. I figured that the tasters should be able to drink the samples the way they would normally drink their tea, as that’s what their tastebuds are used to.

Water was provided so that the tasters could clear their palate after each tasting. Small cups were also provided for each individual tea as I did not want them to drink too much tea too soon, and I washed each cup after each tasting so as not to leave any residue in the cup that could change the taste of the new tea.

Each was given a marking sheet, with the teas marked only as 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 so that they genuinely had no idea which brand they were drinking. The teas were ranked out of 10 on aroma, flavour, and overall impression.

Marking for colour was close as the teas were marked (in order 1 to 5): 7, 8, 8, 7, 8.
For Aroma they marked 7, 7, 8, 7, 8.
Flavour markings were 7, 6, 8, 7, 8.
Overall Impression was: 7, 8, 8, 7, 9.
​

Tea Brand​	Total Scores​
Tea no. 1 View attachment 3176​	28, 22, 20, 22 = 92​
Tea no. 2 View attachment 3177​	29, 28, 28, 23 = 108​
Tea no. 3 View attachment 3178​	32, 24, 24, 21 = 101​
Tea no. 4 View attachment 3179​	28, 24, 16, 23 = 91​
Tea no. 5 View attachment 3180​	33, 27, 32, 24 = 116​

Therefore No. 5 was first, No. 2 was second, No. 3 was third, No. 1 was fourth and No. 4 was fifth - a difference of a staggering 24 points between the lowest and highest rated.

The tea that ranked last in our review was no. 4 - Twinings English Breakfast.

Coming in second was tea no. 1- Lipton English Breakfast.

In the middle was No. 3- Nerada Black tea

The second best was No.2 – Woolworths Home Brand English Breakfast

And the winner, by a considerable margin, was Tea No. 5 – Bushell’s Blue Label.

That last result was rather surprising as Twinings does have a reputation for being a reputable brand. The panel had no idea which teas were being tested, and they were surprised when the names of the teas were revealed to them.

To celebrate the successful completion of the tasting I provided high tea for them, and each taster could enjoy their personal favourite from the tasting.

It was mutually agreed that tea is more enjoyable when accompanied by scones, jam and cream, together with caramel cake and lemon sponge.
As a bonus, She Who Rules the Roost did help with the washing up for the post-tasting wing ding.

What did you guys think of this review? Do the ratings match up with your personal tea preferences?​

I still think Nerada is the best in all respects. And I like to support Australian grown and packaged. So all in all Nerada deserves full points for every category

 

[Izzabel]

I also think that if a test is to be fair, all teas should be either loose leaf or bags, because the brewing of loose leaves produces a different coloue and aroma as well as difference in taste. Therefore this was an unfair test.

 

[Wendy]

I only drink Yorkshire Tea Proper Strong. You cant beat this for a decent cup of tea in my opinion.

Yes I agree, love my Yorkshire tea

 

[lozat54]

The Great Tea Tease - another review by ‘Grumpy’ Steve Collins

View attachment 3183​

After his much-lauded Frozen Chip-Off from a couple of weeks ago, @TheGrumpster is back with a new review. Got any requests for future product tests? Let us know below!

There are a great many teas on our supermarket shelves, but which tea is the best?

In order to test the teas, I gathered together three tea-loving friends together with She Who Rules the Roost (my wife) to partake in a blind tasting test.

I chose common teas from the supermarket, which consisted of:
​

1. Woolworth’s Home Brand English Breakfast​
2. Lipton English Breakfast​
3. Twinings English Breakfast​
4. Nerada Black Tea, and ​
5. Bushell’s Blue Label​

Neralda Black Tea was the only loose leaf tea, the others were all tea bags.

I made the teas in teapots and put three teabags of each into their respective teapots, and three teaspoons of loose leaf, in its pot. I added boiling water and steeped each for precisely three minutes. Each tea was presented to the tasting panel in order, from one to five. As one tea was being tested, I brewed the next pot in order to keep the process the same each time.

There were four criteria for the panel to consider: Colour, Aroma, Flavour, and their Overall Impression.
​

View attachment 3181​

The panel was sequestered in our dining room, away from the kitchen, so they had no idea which brand they were tasting. Keeping She Who Rules the Roost out of the kitchen was negotiated when I agreed to do the washing up and drying of the testing crockery afterwards. She does drive a very hard bargain.

None of the tasters took sugar with their teas, and one preferred to drink her tea white, so a small jug of milk was provided. I figured that the tasters should be able to drink the samples the way they would normally drink their tea, as that’s what their tastebuds are used to.

Water was provided so that the tasters could clear their palate after each tasting. Small cups were also provided for each individual tea as I did not want them to drink too much tea too soon, and I washed each cup after each tasting so as not to leave any residue in the cup that could change the taste of the new tea.

Each was given a marking sheet, with the teas marked only as 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 so that they genuinely had no idea which brand they were drinking. The teas were ranked out of 10 on aroma, flavour, and overall impression.

Marking for colour was close as the teas were marked (in order 1 to 5): 7, 8, 8, 7, 8.
For Aroma they marked 7, 7, 8, 7, 8.
Flavour markings were 7, 6, 8, 7, 8.
Overall Impression was: 7, 8, 8, 7, 9.
​

Tea Brand​	Total Scores​
Tea no. 1 View attachment 3176​	28, 22, 20, 22 = 92​
Tea no. 2 View attachment 3177​	29, 28, 28, 23 = 108​
Tea no. 3 View attachment 3178​	32, 24, 24, 21 = 101​
Tea no. 4 View attachment 3179​	28, 24, 16, 23 = 91​
Tea no. 5 View attachment 3180​	33, 27, 32, 24 = 116​

Therefore No. 5 was first, No. 2 was second, No. 3 was third, No. 1 was fourth and No. 4 was fifth - a difference of a staggering 24 points between the lowest and highest rated.

The tea that ranked last in our review was no. 4 - Twinings English Breakfast.

Coming in second was tea no. 1- Lipton English Breakfast.

In the middle was No. 3- Nerada Black tea

The second best was No.2 – Woolworths Home Brand English Breakfast

And the winner, by a considerable margin, was Tea No. 5 – Bushell’s Blue Label.

That last result was rather surprising as Twinings does have a reputation for being a reputable brand. The panel had no idea which teas were being tested, and they were surprised when the names of the teas were revealed to them.

To celebrate the successful completion of the tasting I provided high tea for them, and each taster could enjoy their personal favourite from the tasting.

It was mutually agreed that tea is more enjoyable when accompanied by scones, jam and cream, together with caramel cake and lemon sponge.
As a bonus, She Who Rules the Roost did help with the washing up for the post-tasting wing ding.

What did you guys think of this review? Do the ratings match up with your personal tea preferences?​

No, you know I think I’ll rely on my own taste buds thanks!

 

[Ladyjay]

I now like Lipton tea, I dont do dairy so it black and not strong, have one latte a day with soy or almond milk. Looking for dairy free choc drink for winter