PG Tips Decaf

Breakfast for dinner – English muffin sandwich with smoked gouda, fried egg and ham and PG Tips decaf.

I’m really glad I picked up a box of these when I did – mostly for when I want a plain black decaf, but also now that I know the store I frequent no longer sells this (or any PG Tips for that matter – humph!)!

I really love this for the ease factor too! Two bags, 12 oz. boiling water, half-and-half, with enough sugar to lure an ant colony. Simple comfort in a cup with less caffeine!

When up against the other black teas I tried, this one tasted metallic. It must be because of the decaffeination process. I did not have regular PG Tips to compare it to, so I’m not sure.

I love this tea. However, I only like plain, black teas & I prefer decaf.

I overdid it with the puerh yesterday. After I steeped my chenpi to extinction, I moved on to another shou, which was extremely delicious right up until I discovered from first-hand experience that ‘tea-drunk’ skips right over the pleasant intoxication of, say, ‘merlot-drunk’ and goes straight to the hangover.

I’m not even going to review yesterday’s second shou experience, but it did make me go to the corner shop and get a load of digestive biscuits and croissants to fill the snack-cupboard with, lest I encounter puerh on an empty stomach ever again.

This morning I tried to seek comfort and solace in my favourite, gentle, softly-murmuring Oolong, but yesterday’s dizzying memory still haunts me, so I’m settling myself with PG Tips decaf, with a big splash of milk to cool it down and temper any lingering and vicious shards of caffeine, tannins, polyphenols and whatnot.

It’s quite nice, though to get any tea-taste at all, it has to be brewed for a good couple of minutes in a mug of boiling water, whilst poking at the teabag then squeezing it against the side of the mug with a teaspoon.

I’m rating this highly for a mass-market decaf with a watery taste. 65 I think, because although I once opened up a teabag of it and tried to brew the ‘leaves’ in a jug, like loose-leaf, and watched the tiny particles turn to an unhealthy-looking brownish sludge, sometimes it’s exactly what I need.

It’s like the fizzy-fizzy-make-feel-nice of Alka-Seltzer for merlot-lovers, but for intemperate tea drinkers.

A lot of decaffeinated teas taste terrible, but I found that PG Tips Decaf tastes wonderful compared to some others on the market. Though plain on its own, a dash of milk turns this into a wonderful treat. The taste is mellow but delicious and is sure to warm you up from the inside out!

Although most decaf teas leave much to be desired, this is my go-to. My tummy doesn’t like caffeine first thing in the morning, so I like to keep a package of this at my desk, and a package at home.

You really need to use boiling water with this one. Using 195 degree water just makes the tea laugh at you and taste like wooden stirrers. Great with (lots of) milk and sugar.

Beware this tea! Strongly sour, bitter, herbaceous, and unpleasant. I get this result no matter whether I steep the tea for one minute or three, no matter whether I use boiling water and a hot teapot or water well below boiling. It is very hard to find a really good decaffeinated tea, but almost all are better than this.

Background: The non-decaffeinated version of “PG Tips” is sold bagged and loose in grocery stores across the U.K. It is known for its dark brew and strong flavor.

It can be found in many supermarkets in the United States, often in the “Ethnic Foods” aisle.

It is very hard to find good decaffeinated tea, and I have never tried a decaffeinated tea as good as typical non-decaffeinated black tea.

Still interested in decaf tea? Look for teas decaffeinated using the CO-2 process, rather than the Ethyl Acetate process. Then brew the tea for a shorter time than you would a regular tea — two minutes and thirty seconds should be your upper limit.