On a PG Tip - The Taste of a Nation

PG Tips is one of Britain's weapon of choice when it comes to tea. They have, along with Tetley, dominated the the market for decades with their amusing, often simian-based advertising campaigns and approximately a quarter of all tea drunk in the UK is PG. If you are thinking of having a cuppa the chances are that the taste-memory you are experiencing is that of PG Tips. The question remains though: Is it any good?

PG Tips is a member of the Unilever family and falls heavily under the Everyday tea category. It is blended to produce a strong flavour that is robust enough to hold its own against the array of different drinking styles thrown at it. It deals well with sugar and can work equally well with skimmed and whole milk - in short, it's strong enough to be considered similar to English Breakfast teas. PG Tips hold a steady price-point and, while not the cheapest tea, it is generally affordable enough to be kept in store by those who only stock tea for their guests.

Whilst PG Tips like to keep their cards close to their chest when it comes to the blend, some international blurb that I have found refers to Assam, Ceylon and Kenyan teas where only the very topmost tips are used.

On first pour the aroma was a fair mix of maltiness and fragrant, tippy flowers with a slight twist of citrus which all jostle for position but fail to linger. This is married to a deepening russet colour - the steeping process is fairly quick which PG Tips puts down to it's revolutionary pyramid bags and colour change is equally quick. The first thing I get from the flavour is a taste of tea bag but, having drunk this in its loose-leaf form this is inherent in the tea itself. Despite the astringent strength of the tea the flavour is thin - most drinkers should experience a tingling on the sides of the tongue but, aside from this, there is little to keep the attention going. This is not a cup to be savoured and, given that Britons regularly slurp down a staggering 35 million cups of this a day, this is no great surprise!

As the tea cools the thinness remains and there is no mellowing or deepening of flavour. This is a simple brew for simple times with the lack of complexity possibly aiding rather than hindering the average tea break. Even I can't deny that there is something to be said for Rich Tea biscuits dunked in a mug-brew of PG! Overall though this is not a brew for me. It is supplied for free at my place of work and yet I choose to bring in my own teas and I think that says it all. That said, I tried to be as objective as possible with this review - a mammoth task given the ubiquity of this brand - and I have been as honest as I can be. Love it or loathe it, it's Britain's number one brew and I'm sure it will continue to wear that crown for some time to come.

The Specifics:
Location: Work
Method: Tea pot
Brewed for: Approximately 3 minutes

The Score:
This is a surprisingly heavy everyday tea but the bitterness and astringency make it. for me, almost undrinkable and I will (continue) to avoid it. I can understand how this would be a popular tea given the fair price-point and robustness versus milk and sugar but I can only give it a score of 3:i - certainly not the worst tea I have ever tasted but definitely not the best.

Try it with: McVitie's Rich Tea Biscuits