PG Tips Loose Leaf

Today we went to a new place two towns over called the British Chip Shop – I can’t resist a place that serves chips with HP sauce and malt vinegar! They serve all the best loved British foods – bangers and mash, fish and chips, mushy peas, rarebit, pasties, you name it! We had a delicious meal followed by a pot of PG Tips and shortbread with lemon curd and berries.

It was an enjoyable pot of tea, but nothing mind blowing. Much better than the everyday teas served in the average American restaurant like Lipton or Tetley, but sort of in that same, nondescript family. I’m used to drinking way better tea :)

I would definitely get a pot again if (WHEN!!! I loved it there!!) I return to the restaurant, as part of the whole experience. I was not inspired in the least bit to take some leaves home with me (across the street is the English Gardener shop which is run by the restaurant owner’s parents! They sell PG Tips, Yorkshire tea, Barry’s, Taylors of Harrogate, etc as well as all the British specialty foods.).

Still, very nice, especially with shortbread. I’m not complaining :)

I read many good things about PG Tips, England’s best selling tea, and I’ve wanted to try it for several months. I finally found it at our local Earth Fare market.

A lot of the reviews that I read stated that this was not a wimpy tea and quite a bit stronger than the American brands. Even though I’m a “bolder is better” black tea drinker, I decided to go easy on the steeping, just in case I had met my match.

Just three minutes of steeping at 212 degrees produced a dark reddish amber brew. A potent and familiar British tea aroma wafted from the pot.

The flavor, true to the hype, was audacious and brassy. It immediately reminded me of the great cups of tea served by my cousins during my visits to Scotland. The taste is not complex but doesn’t need to be. It is simply solid, full, and clear. I experienced no bitterness. The aftertaste also contained no astringency. Although I always drink my tea straight up, I imagine this blend would hold up very well under the cover of milk and sugar.

After months of searching for this tea, PG Tips did not disappoint me. It is everything that it was advertised to be. It is a solid hitter and a great addition to my morning black tea lineup.

I wanted to try this out so I bought a box at the grocery store nearby. I can’t rate it this time since I used it to make spiced chai the way I like to make it – on the stove. I am studying for my step 2 board exam, which I’m taking on Monday and needed a break. Chai – my comfort beverage of choice!

This is exactly what I needed.

This was f a n t a s t i c! I added 2 heaping tablespoons of this blend. From the box (its a cute box IMO) it smelled like it would be strong and possibly bitter alone… the leaves are all cut up really small – fannings? CTC? Is that what its called? This blend turned out darker than any of chais that I’ve made in the past. It was not bitter! So delicious! Great tea for chai. Well… I think strong tea is great for chai. It balances out all the spices. ^_

If I were to try this plain, I would probably add half a teaspoon and steep for a short amount of time. Til next time!

On a trip in May (egads!) I finally found my beloved PG Tips in loose leaf in a H.E.B. in College Station of all places!
I bought it and it sat in the hotel room, waiting, while I drank other teas I had brought (including bagged PG Tips – when one has an early morning workshop to get to, one doesn’t dawdle with loose). I finally got around to opening it this morning.
The packaging is a sturdy cardboard box, with a plastic “seal” that has to be removed and discarded in order to get at the tea, so not much help with freshness. I will be placing this in tins later today.

In the box: The leaves smell exactly like when I first open a box of the bags – like a good, standard English Breakfast blend of black teas. The leaves themselves reminded me of dry couscous – little tiny hard balls. Adding boiling water didn’t do a lot to change their shape, unlike other black teas, but this meant that the flavor was released and realized quickly.

Brewed: Yup, this is PG Tips alright. A good basic standard English Breakfast tea, that needs milk and sugar. Apparently, I’ve been adding the milk incorrectly for years – after brewing/pouring – and it is supposed to go in first, according to the UK Tea Council website. I did notice that adding the milk to the cup then the tea gave a slightly different, not as robust flavor. Not sure if that’s because of the order of addition or the loose tea. I’ll have to make another cup to test, oh dear!

Since I’ve been drinking a lot more loose leaf lately, and mostly single cups of said teas, I dug out the Teavana Perfect TeaMaker that I received as a prize from an old job to brew this. That may have affected the flavor as well, but clean up certainly was a snap!

One does not compare an economy car with a luxry automobile for the simple reason that the two vehicles have different points of interest. And so each car must be evaluated based on it’s own merrits.

PG Tips is certainly an economy car in the tea world. Nothing fancy here and it’s not meant to be. Rather PG Tips was developed for mass consumption and to that end it favors consistent flavor and solid drinkablity over complexity and deep character.

That might sound dull and uninspiring but there is a huge dose of comfort in knowing that you get what you expect with this tea and it never disappoints.

Though its quite tastey black, this tea lends its self particularly well to milk and sugar and adding a little of each brings out carmely notes that are not readily appearant in the plain brew and is my favorite way to drink this tea.

This is comfort tea. Strong, dependable and embracing….just what I expect from an old friend when I am feeling down.

As others have noted this is a very strong tea over all but that can be tempered with using less tea and shortening steep time. Unlike other teas that would suffer if treated with a light hand, PG Tips remains true in flavor if brewed lightly so one does not end up with a simply watered brew, but rather a different dimension of the tea stands out.

Wheather your like your tea strong or mild, PG Tips can accomodate but it should never be compared to a fine single estate tea, rather it should always be considered for its own merits.

I have several British friends, all of whom insist that American teas are appallingly weak. Since I’m searching for a good coffee replacement, I decided to take them at their word and bought a carton of loose PG Tips at the supermarket (my local market has a whole section of British teas – perhaps I should try Barry’s next?)

This was not the best morning. I woke up 30 minutes before I had to leave the house, it was raining in a very ominous way, and I couldn’t find where my husband had parked the car (several blocks away, it turns out.) I quickly brewed this tea. Luckily, I got a new electric kettle to replace my old one last night, so I didn’t have to wait ages. I steeped for 2 and half minutes in boiling water, then dumped in my usual amount of milk and splenda before running off to class. I didn’t actually get to try this until I was actually in my British literature class, discussing our term paper (so, an appropriate tea choice for the day!)

My verdict? I see what my friends meant. This tea is strong and dark, but by no means bitter. It held up to milk and sugar, and had a nice dose of caffeine. It’s very drinkable. I may have to make it my standard tea to go – I find that I don’t enjoy more subtle teas in a travel mug, as I can always taste the plastic. Not in this tea! On another note, I love the commercials with the monkey (just saw a few on Youtube!)

Steep Information:
Amount: 3tsp
Additives: none
Water: filtered, boiling, 22 oz
Tool: Cast Iron Teapot with Mesh basket strainer
Steep Time: a little over 2:22 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: astringent, black tea, Assam?
Steeped Tea Smell: Bitter, Strong astringent black
Flavor: astringent black tea, slightly bitter
Body: Full
Aftertaste: bitter
Liquor: Translucent dark reddish brown

Yes, something can smell bitter.

I admit we bought this at the local grocery store because of the monkey commercials.

Post-Steep Additives: almond milk and German rock sugar
The tea was much smoother, less astringent and bitter.
The tea was barely drinkable before the milk and sugar.
An acceptable cup of tea, but I am not purchasing it again.

MilitiaJim – this is the bold black coffee of the tea world.

Next time we are doing 2 minutes or less.

images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/04/pg-tips-loose-leaf-black-tea.html

Builders’ strength this morning, straight up, no additives. Lousy night’s sleep and need to fortify myself for my pack of fifth grade church kids. (Love ‘em, but they don’t ease into the room gently!)

This is the best tasting of the PG Tips line if you want a solid caffinated cuppa. The leaves are very strong, so you will usually need less than you think you’ll need. Expect to waste a couple of teaspoons while figuring out the right amount and brew times for you. Personally, I think it’s best brewed in a brown pottery-like teapot, but that’s just me. I’ve also had good results from a French press (cafetire, usually for coffee). The leaves are great for tasseography (reading the future by looking at tea leaves).