Like many people, I drink far too much tea, but rarely stop to consider the difference a decent tea bag can make.
After all, I've long been more worried about the atrocities some well-meaning pals can commit with a carton of milk, leaving me battling to taste the leaves through the dairy.
Plus, rarely in life do we actually try one type of tea bag directly after the other, unless you're at some sort of fancy tea tasting experience, and so it's sometimes difficult to discern which brand actually comes out on top.
With this in mind, I decided to pit five iconic tea brands against each other, in what I promise is far more than just a very cheeky excuse to nab a particularly lengthy tea break at work.
I sampled bags from Tetley's, Yorkshire Tea, PG Tips, Aldi's Diplomat Gold Blend and Twinings, ranking each one in terms of all-important factors such as flavour, moreish-ness and, of course, how well they take a good biscuit dunking.
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PG Tips - 7/10 *******
£2.50 from the Co-op for 80 bags of tea
First things first, I went for a slug of PG Tips fas this has become, for whatever reason, my tried and trusted bag of choice in recent years, a brand which I chuck in the basket without really thinking too much about it.
However, this just goes to show that you should branch out every now and then when it comes to your store cupboard staples, with this household name not quite hitting the mark when compared to its fellow tea break giants.
PG Tips doesn’t quite pack the same powerful punch as other teas, and I noticed a slightly thin, watery taste when compared with more flavourful options. Despite not making too much of an impact on me, this is still an enjoyable drink, with no lingering unpleasant aftertaste. I also found that the more subtle notes made it ideal for biscuit dipping.
Twinings - 8.5/10 ******** 1/2
£5.00 Tesco for pack of 100
Being at the pricier end of the spectrum, I would usually only plump for Twinings if I spied it on offer somewhere. Given that it does feel rather more suited to afternoon scones with the Queen than a rushed, microwaved job ahead of mid-week Zoom calls, it doesn't exactly feel in sync with my day-to-day life.
However, that said, this is a very good quality tea, and one that I don't mind buying every now and then as a special treat. Of course, I had to sip it from my fanciest Jane Austen Museum china cup, like the lady I am and was pleased as ever by the light flavours and comforting toastiness.
One of the more distinctive teas on the market, Twinings doesn't have the same bitterness that spoils so many other products.
But it narrowly misses out on the top spot given that the perfumed notes may get a little cloying after a few brew rounds. It felt wrong to submerge a biscuit in this one, but I had a good go anyway.
Tetleys - 6.5/10 ****** 1/2
£1.40 for 40 tea bags at Tesco
I've never personally been a Tetley's drinker, and can't say that I've ever bought a bag myself as an adult. However, I have some vague memories of collecting the little figurine men as a kid, so the bag did infuse a bit of nostalgia.
Admittedly, I was a little disappointed after going in for a gulp, and have to say that I'm somewhat surprised that this brand is as popular as it is, being the leading tea brand in UK convenience and independent grocery stores as of 2021, according to Statistica.
To be perfectly honest, I found Tetley's to have quite a bitter, earthy taste which may well take a little getting used to for those used to smoother beverages.
There was also quite a gravelly, dentist's waiting room-esque aftertaste that I would have expected from a lesser-known, cheaper label. I didn't bother to dunk.
Aldi's Diplomat Gold Blend - 8/10 ********
95p for a pack of 80 at Aldi
I love Aldi and do the majority of my recipe shopping there, but this is the first time I've gone for a bag of Aldi's own tea.
Although I do like to be adventurous with my food, I'm a stickler for habit when it comes to tea and coffee brands, and - I must say - I've learned a lesson on this front.
I opted for a pack of Aldi's Diplomat Gold Blend and was immediately impressed by the pretty scenic packaging, which looks a far cry from what you'd typically imagine a discount box of tea to look like.
However, the most pleasant surprise of all was the quality taste, with mellow, rounded mouthfuls making for a very satisfying - and biscuit-worthy - post-shift pick-me-up.
Being by far the best bang for your buck, this makes for a thrifty swap likely to please even the pickiest of tea drinkers.
Yorkshire Tea - 9/10 **********
£2.00 at the Co-op for 80 tea bags
As I've said, I've mostly drunk PG Tips in recent times, but I've previously been a Yorkshire Tea drinker through and through. This taste test made me wonder why I'd ever bothered to swap.
Classic, hearty, and above all reassuring, Yorkshire Tea is a hardy brew built to weather the various storms in life, and I knew it wouldn't disappoint.
Strong, yet moreish, flavourful but not overwhelming, this is the tea I'd opt for in a desert island scenario, knowing that it comforts me in my loneliest moments.
In all honesty, the only reason I'm not giving this king of teas a solid ten out of ten is that I'm sure there's some independent tea shop in some country village somewhere that might have just pipped it to the post. However, if there is, I'm yet to find it.
After some consideration, there can be no worthier winner than Yorkshire Tea, quite rightly voted as the UK's favourite brand last year in a poll by Tea and Coffee .
The ever-elegant Twinings was my second runner-up, with Aldi's Diplomat Gold Blend coming in a very respectable third.
My old go-to PG Tips didn't quite compare, ranking fourth in the list, while Tetleys was my least favourite of the bunch.
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