PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

Hello Forumites! However well-intentioned, for the safety of other users we ask that you refrain from seeking or offering medical advice. This includes recommendations for medicines, procedures or over-the-counter remedies. Posts or threads found to be in breach of this rule will be removed.

Loose tea

After being off the stuff for years, The Lady Wife announced last week that she fancied a cup of "proper" tea again, so I dutifully returned home from the shops with a box of PG Tips Loose Tea. Which to our surprise is sort of crumbs, or granules, as opposed to tea leaves.

Is it supposed to be like that, and if it is, what's that about? What happened to proper loose tea?
We're all doomed
«13

Comments

  • No it is not supposed to be like that. Decent quality tea will be bigger. Most of the loose tea bought from the supermarkets is not very nice. We buy ours from a specialist tea shop, or a local deli.
  • Si_Clist
    Si_Clist Posts: 1,527 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Ah. But is loose tea still supposed to be like it always was i.e obviously bits of the leaves off tea bushes?
    We're all doomed
  • Farway
    Farway Posts: 14,516 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Homepage Hero Name Dropper
    Si_Clist wrote: »
    Ah. But is loose tea still supposed to be like it always was i.e obviously bits of the leaves off tea bushes?

    Yes, unfortunately bog standard loose tea these days is what we used to refer to as floor sweepings

    I use Waitrose Assam, but it is more costly than floor sweepings, like twice the price and upwards

    I only have one pot a day, so for a relaxing nice cuppa I suggest look in Waitrose or a specialist
    Eight out of ten owners who expressed a preference said their cats preferred other peoples gardens
  • I buy from this company:


    https://www.hebdentea.com/


    Really nice tea and they can deliver by post too
  • bouicca21
    bouicca21 Posts: 6,679 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    That sort of dust is cheapo tea, I think technically known as fannings. I've noted that even Twinings seems to have more fannings than it used to have. Since I'm fussy about my tea I now buy from a specialist shop.
  • Si_Clist
    Si_Clist Posts: 1,527 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Farway wrote: »
    Yes, unfortunately bog standard loose tea these days is what we used to refer to as floor sweepings

    I use Waitrose Assam, but it is more costly than floor sweepings, like twice the price and upwards


    The Lady Wife's not particularly fussed about what manner of tea she drinks as long as it's proper black tea, and she prefers it weak, so given that a little will go a long way, should I just push the boat out and get some of that? Is "Assam" what might at one time have been considered yer ordinary tea?
    We're all doomed
  • bouicca21
    bouicca21 Posts: 6,679 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Assam is strong. If weaker tea is preferred, try Ceylon. Lighter still is Darjeeling.

    I suspect the nearest equivalent to what you think of as 'ordinary' tea is English Breakfast, which is a mix of Assam and Ceylon.
  • Si_Clist
    Si_Clist Posts: 1,527 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Thanks for that bouicca21, it's very useful to know. I got some of Waitrose's Assam this morning and The Lady Wife reckons it's a lot more like :)

    I did notice that when I made her a brew with PG bloomin' Tips, what I chucked out looked exactly like coffee grounds, whereas this Assam stuff actually looks like drowned tea leaves. It even smells like tea too, which t'other crap stuff didn't :)
    We're all doomed
  • LadyDee
    LadyDee Posts: 4,293 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    I buy Yorkshire Tea loose tea - available from most of the supermarkets. They also do a hard water version.
  • C_J
    C_J Posts: 3,185 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    I buy from here (they do mail order) : https://cardewoxford.co.uk/pages/teas
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 350.3K Banking & Borrowing
  • 252.9K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 453.2K Spending & Discounts
  • 243.3K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 597.9K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 176.6K Life & Family
  • 256.4K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.6K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.