Huh. Our crappy little Kroger sells Tetley British Blend…that’s what we drink (in fact, I’m having a cuppa right now!). I didn’t know it was hard to get. Maybe I’ll have to have a little more respect for the old Kroger.
This whole thread reminds me of my mother-in-law and donuts. She came over from Australia for my and my husband’s wedding. She had never been out of her country before (actually, I don’t think she’d ever really been out of her state before). When they were in Hawaii, the hotel they were staying in had one of those “continental breakfast” things set up in the lobby…you know the deal - soggy toast, bitter orange juice and three day old donuts from the local 7-11. She STILL - *eight years later * - talks about how you can’t get good donuts in the U.S. Every time I see her, she brings this up and then rambles on about how lovely Australian donuts are.
I think if you know where to go, you can get good tea and donuts in the U.S. We’re not tea-drinkers, though (typically), so the good tea probably won’t be found at every half-assed grungy diner you come across.
It must depend on what area of the country you live in, whether you can get it or not. In this part of FL, you can buy a box of Tetley tea bags on a string, but they don’t taste as good as the other kind. And you can buy a huge, round bag that’s for making iced tea. But what I know as “regular” round Tetley bags aren’t marketed down here. Fortunately they are available on the web. It’s odd, though, that they only come in boxes of 80. In Canada you could get boxes of 144 or 216!
Anyway, their availability in the US is a welcome change from how it was when I first arrived nine years ago. Before I moved, since I was so close to the Tetley HQ in Toronto, I called them to ask if it was available here, and they said no. I don’t suppose they had a web store then, either. At least I don’t have to bother people in Canada to send me tea bags in the mail anymore!
Can some dopers from the British isles who drink what they consider to be “good tea” fill us in on what brands the purchase? I usually drink Yorkshire, and I’m curious if Brits consider that average or good tea.
Me, I prefer Tetley’s (round bag) but these days go for FairTrade. PG Tips is OK.
In Ireland they have their own, the most famous of which is Barry’s, which comes in a variety of blends and is very nice. There’s also Nambarrie. They also get UK brands there too.
Yorkshire’s fine. I use Tetley’s, Nambarrie or Twinings Assam, mostly. I don’t think that the various British and Irish blends would win many awards for subtlety or fragrance, but they’re great for making a huge mug of strong tea - which is key for many of us.
Heh, that’s great! When Nambarrie appeared over here years ago the TV adverts were all misty lochs and glens with hunky rain-soaked backpackers turning up in a wee tea-shop for some tea and cake and flirting with a couthy local lass. I suppose all that they did was dub it into a Scottish accent. Very economical marketing!
We should probably tell you that Yorkshire tea is made by Betty’s - if you’re ever in that bit of England (Yorkshire), pop around to Harrogate and visit them… you won’t regret it.
++ If you can’t make Harrogate there’s a perfectly good Betty’s in York, but the Harrogate branch is the one to go for. Tea and cakes of the gods.
If you just get stuck in London, Tea at the Ritz is an option, but it struck me as horribly overpriced (but good, nonetheless) when I took my mum there.
I am not British or Irish, but I agree completely that you can’t get a good cup of tea in American restaurants and one of the grossest things they do is run the water through the coffee maker to get it hottish. Then it tastes like weak, weak coffee with a tea bag dunked in it. Also, many Americans, and my Northern Irish co-worker LEAVE THE BAG IN WHILE DRINKING. Even though there’s milk in it too! Blech!
I like Tetley’s British blend in the water microwaved for 2 minutes 40 seconds and left to sit at least one more minute. Skim milk and two equals, please.
You can buy British tea right here, the exact same stuff that they drink in England. Yes, you do have to look around a bit, but it is available. But they also have cheap-ass tea over there too.
You can have it made the exact same way. I know of three places within 10 miles of here that have classic British “High Teas”.
But yes, the Bristish drink their tea in a different way than us Americans do. Neither way is any more “real” than the other way. It’s hard to get a good burger in England for that matter.
I recently heard a good example of how tastes become more sensitive and developed over time. My British FIL drinks coffee when he is visiting us in the US because “well, it’s just coffee, isn’t it? It all tastes the same.” I think regular coffee drinkers would disagree.
Microwaved? Oh dear god! Please get an electric kettle. I know the power thing is different, but you need boiling water to pour into your mug. Mug. Teabag. Boiling water from a kettle. Skim milk. Microwave?
I’m partial to the Twinings teas (especiallyl the Black Currant) I can get in any grocery store around here. Is it not the same as what you can get in the UK? Is it not considered “good” tea?
It isn’t tea. It’s called tea, but AFAIK there’s no tealeaf in it. It’s not a “brew” like wot we is talkin about.
P.S. Sorry for the double post upthread there. Absolutely no idea how that happened, particularly 12 minutes apart or something. Hamsters had too much tea probably.
Absolutely. ABSOLUTELY. Even reheating tea makes in undrinkable, IMO.
(I’ve heard something about the different components of the tea becoming soluble at different temperatures, so microwaving is going to create an inherently different taste from the same tea as pouring of boiled water would. Make any sense to anyone?)
