It's a question as old as humanity itself: is upmarket tea really nicer, or are the posh-cuppa brigade just a bit up themselves? We'd had a tin of loose (and therefore posh by definition) tea leaves hanging about in the back of the cupboard forever. I actually thought it was coffee, so never tried it (don't drink coffee really). Actually even if I'd know it was tea I wouldn't have used it 'cos there's no difference, the posh-cuppa brigade are just a bit up themselves, right? Well we thought it was about time to put the question to bed once and for all and rest easy in our beds at last. We took a brand-new, first-one-out-the-packet Tetley tea bag, and brewed it up (in the mug). We took a couple of spoonfuls of the undefined posh tea leaves and brewed them in the pot until they and the Tetley looked about the same colour in their respective mugs. In a nod to science we added precisely the same exactly one shot of milk and half a spoon sugar to each. So which tasted better to the 'blind' tester...?
click here to see the test in action
Send your own Tetley's (or any other normal tea) v. (any) posh tea test results and/or Youtube video to blindtastetesters@yahoo.co.uk
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7 comments:
I'm not having that. There are too many variables in the making of a cup of tea to judge which is superior from one blindtastetest. I am frequently staggered at the difference in taste from the same type of tea, from the same kettle in the same mug and prepared by the same hand. Once, whilst tripping on magic mushrooms, I tried explaining how to make a cup of tea and it was not easy. You shoudl try it!
I agree - sometimes the first cup of tea of the day is literally a life saving elixir. Other times . . . not so much. I guess that's why more taste testers are required to generate aggregate results?
I suspected some in the research community might have issues with the methodology! Why don't conduct your own test and email us the results? Although we might be accused of selection bias, at the very least n=2 is better than n=1, no?
Excellent! As a "posh" tea drinker I am SO glad that the posh tea won!
Great site my friends - making me smile loads! Thank you!
Hugs JoJo x
I think Tamsin, that you may want to consult our( and indeed most people's at this rate)former colleague, Andrew Kaye, who was a tea-taster in a previous life. Perhaps he can provide you with an insight into the many factors that need to be taken into consideration when tasting tea. ;)
A turn up for the books! Although it almost certainly has to do with the loose tea leaves brewing better than leaves trapped inside a teabag, circular or otherwise. Keep up the good work BTT! I will sort out a test of my own very soon!
I'm not convinced by the method - I reckon you should drop the sugar and just tough it out with tea in its rawest form.
It's all in the name of science, you understand.
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