Supermarket own-brand teas steam ahead of branded rivals
The latest Which? taste test of teas reveals supermarket own-brand teas steam ahead of competition from more expensive branded rivals.
We tested in total 19 English breakfast and 17 Earl Grey teas and found:
- Among the top tea bags for English Breakfast teas were from supermarket own-brand ranges, with Morrisons M English Breakfast and Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference English Breakfast (Fairtrade) being awarded the joint highest score of 80%. Both teas were rated highly by our experts for their classic full-bodied flavour and, respectively, only cost 2p and 3p a bag.
- Whittard English Breakfast Tag & Envelope came bottom of the English Breakfast standard tea bags, with a score of 50%. It was among the priciest English breakfast teas we tested at 15p per bag. One expert described the tea as tasting “like old cabbage”.
- Aldi Diplomat Earl Grey topped the taste test for Earl Grey standard tea bags with a score of 78%, for its well-balanced, warm, citrus flavour, and costs only 2p per bag. Duchy Originals from Waitrose had the lowest score of 38%, and costs 8p per bag.
- Separately, we also tested premium mesh pyramid tea bags for both English breakfast and Earl Grey, which are more expensive at around 30p per bag. The best performing ones did only slightly better than the other teas we tested.
- You can see the best and worst tea bags at www.which.co.uk/tea
Which? editor, Richard Headland, said:
“Our taste test revealed a big difference in the quality of English Breakfast and Earl Grey teas. With some of the best teas costing just a few pence per bag, and supermarket own-brands beating luxury brands, it shows you don’t need to spend a lot to get a great cup of tea.”
Notes to editors
1. Our panel of four tea experts blind tasted the teas in different orders, with and without milk. Each tea was scored on appearance, aroma, taste, body/strength and aftertaste. Standard bags were brewed for three minutes and mesh bags for five minutes. All teas had exactly the same amount of milk and water added.
2. Results of the Which? tea taste tests:
|
English breakfast tea |
Price |
Price per bag |
Score |
| Morrisons M English Breakfast |
£1.85 for 100 |
2p |
80% |
| Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference English Breakfast (Fairtrade) |
£2.30 for 80 |
3p |
80% |
| The Co-operative Loved By Us (Fairtrade) |
£1.59 for 50 bags |
3p |
70% |
| M&S English Breakfast (Fairtrade) |
£1.50 for 50 bags |
3p |
65% |
| Twinings 1706 Strong Breakfast |
£6.59 for 80 bags |
8p |
65% |
| Duchy Originals from Waitrose (Fairtrade) |
£1.99 for 25 bags |
8p |
65% |
| Fortnum & Mason Breakfast Blend |
£3.75 for 25 bags |
15p |
58% |
| Lidl Knightsbridge |
99p for 50 bags |
2p |
55% |
| Pukka Elegant (Fairtrade) |
£2.39 for 20 bags |
12p |
55% |
| Tesco Finest |
£2.39 for 100 bag |
2p |
55% |
| Twinings |
£4.49 for 100 bags |
4p |
55% |
| Aldi Diplomat |
99p for 50 bags |
2p |
53% |
| Asda Chosen By You |
£1.82 for 80 bags |
2p |
53% |
| Clipper Everyday Specials Big Breakfast (Fairtrade) |
£3.80 for 80 bags |
5p |
50% |
| Whittard English Breakfast Tag & Envelope |
£3.75 for 25 bags |
15p |
50% |
|
English breakfast mesh tea |
Price |
Price per bag |
Score |
| Teapigs Everyday brew | £3.99 for 15 bags | 27p | 85% |
| Whittard English Breakfast | £4.75 for 15 bags | 32p | 85% |
| Twinings Speciality Tea English Breakfast | £4.49 for 15 bags | 30p | 83% |
| Fortnum & Mason Royal Blend, Large Leaf Tea Bags | £6.50 for 20 bags | 33p | 83% |
|
Earl Grey tea |
Price |
Price per bag |
Score |
| Aldi Diplomat Earl Grey |
99p for 50 bags |
2p |
78% |
| Clipper Everyday Specials (Fairtrade) |
£3.59 for 80 bags |
4p |
73% |
| The Co-operative Loved By Us (Fairtrade) |
£1.59 for 50 bags |
3p |
73% |
| M&S Earl Grey (Fairtrade) |
£1.50 for 50 bags |
3p |
68% |
| Twinings Earl Grey |
£4.49 for 100 bags |
4p |
68% |
| Asda Chosen By You |
£1.82 for 100 bags |
2p |
65% |
| Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference (Fairtrade) |
£2.65 for 100 bags |
3p |
65% |
| Whittard Earl Grey Tag and Envelope |
£3.75 for 25 bags |
15p |
63% |
| Fortnum & Mason Earl Grey Classic |
£3.75 for 25 bags |
15p |
58% |
| Tesco Finest |
£2.39 for 50 bags |
5p |
58% |
| Lidl Knightsbridge |
99p for 50 bags |
2p |
55% |
| Morrisons M |
£1.75 for 100 bags |
2p |
53% |
| Pukka Gorgeous Grey (Fairtrade) |
£2.39 for 20 bags |
12p |
50% |
| Duchy Originals from Waitrose (Fairtrade) |
£1.99 for 25 bags |
8p |
38% |
|
Earl Grey mesh tea |
Price |
Price per bag |
Score |
| Whittard Flowery Earl Grey | £4.75 for 15 bags | 32p | 83% |
| Fortnum & Mason Earl Grey Classic, 5 Large Leaf Tea Bags | £6.50 for 20 bags | 33p | 65% |
| Teapigs Darjeeling Earl Grey | £3.99 for 15 bags | 27p | 50% |