by Hajnal Farkas

Created on: October 03, 2010   Last Updated: October 05, 2010

I have a very nasty cold for about three weeks now which started with sore throat, then I started to cough a lot and nowadays my runny nose and the coughing are the most unpleasant symptoms. All I can do to feel better is to have a hot drink. I can’t drink more than 3 coffees a day and I like them short and strong so espressos don’t help, remains the tea.

I drank as much tea in the last three weeks as in the past 32 years altogether. After I ran out of Twinings English Breakfast tea I bought PG Tips from Tesco as they were on offer. A box of 40 teabags cost 1 pound. Most of the tea I drank in the last 3 weeks was PG Tips. We have PG Tips and Tetley in the office so I can continue my tea drinking habits in the office too.

I remember my mother made me loads of tea with lemon and honey when I had a cold or flu. That tea had a characteristic taste which I can’t describe but when I made the first cup of PG Tips I felt that taste again. I don’t think it was PG Tips what she used as it was almost 30 years ago and back in Transylvania where this brand is not known at all. Actually people there don’t drink as much black tea as here in the UK. So when I see the logo on the tea saying “PG Tips, it’s the taste” for me it is really THE TASTE.

What’s unique about this tea? Well, nothing and everything at the same time. It comes in a huge cardboard box and the pyramid shaped teabags are just poured into the box. The tetrahedral shaped teabags are registered trade marks of Unilever. They contain about the same quantity of black tea as Twinings. The manufacturer says that the new shape provides more room for the tea so the delicious taste of the tea leaves can come out more easily. Well, I don’t really believe it but the tea is delicious indeed. I think they wanted to differentiate their product from the other 1234567 tea brands on the market and they actually succeed.

The PG Tips tea has the Rainforest Alliance logo on its box and the manufacturer says that at least 50% of the tea comes from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms and they work to reach the fully certified company status this year (2010).

How to free the taste from the pyramids? Well, first book a flight to Egypt… then boil as much water as big as your cuppa. Drop a teabag in your cuppa and pour the hot water into it. I stir it with a spoon and when my tea is lovely golden I drop out the teabag. You can leave it in your cup if you prefer stronger taste. Relax, your tea is too hot to drink it anyway. *sniggers* Think of your trip to the pyramids!

Stop daydreaming because your tea is ready to drink it! When I am ill I drink it with a teaspoon of honey and some lemon juice, other times only with lemon juice as I don’t want to put on the hardly lost weight so quickly by drinking sweet tea all day. How do you drink yours? Do you drink it with sugar or sweetener or with some milk? I tolerate milk in tea as long as you don’t want to make me drink it. I rather drink it plain than with milk. PG Tips has a very pleasant taste which I can’t describe but it clearly recalls the memories from my childhood. It has no special aftertaste and it is not flavoured. It is a simple and excellent tea.

If you don’t sweeten your tea it hardly contains any energy. I love having a cup of hot tea in my hands warming them up after writing all day. I have just started working and my days pass mostly in training so I write all day. A cup of tea warms up my hands and my soul and due to its caffeine content helps staying awake… 

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