British Blend - Premium Black Tea

This page is for the caffeinated version. See also British Blend - Premium Black Tea - Decaffeinated.

23
Percentile
11 ratings
Picture of British Blend - Premium Black Tea
Brand:Tetley Tea
Style:Black Tea
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Region:Blend
Loose/teabag:Teabag
Product page:British Blend - Premium Black Tea - Buy on Amazon*

This tea's info last updated: Nov. 20, 2022

Commercial Description

One of our best selling teas, British Blend combines premium Kenyan and Assam teas to deliver a richer, full-bodied blend with superior tea flavor, body and color.

* Amazon links are sponsored and help support RateTea financially.

Ratings & Reviews

Page 1 2 of 2 pages with 11 reviews

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Reviewer pic80 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
(3 reviews) on

My favorite British Blend black tea (sorry PG Tips). A perfect tea to give you a small caffeine boost that won't keep you up all night. A strong black tea full of flavor that brews in seconds.

I'll give you my own recipe for making this tea great: Brew kettle water to 190. As water is brewing, add tea bag to the bottom of your favorite cup and sprinkle a spoonful of organic cane sugar (I love Wholesome's brand) over the top of the tea bag. Pour hot water over tea bag and sugar, steep for 3 minutes. Take out tea bag and add a splash of milk.
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Reviewer pic24 Aroma: 2/10 Flavor: 2/5 Value: 1/5
(1448 reviews) on

I was not impressed with this. I think I prefer Lipton even, and that says a lot because I am not exactly a fan of Lipton or any of these mass-produced, low-quality tea bags.

Thank you to my friend Sarah for letting me try this!

Weak aroma, only slightly malty, but there's a hint of a sort of unpleasant, fishy aroma. Flavor is very muted, a bit sour. Just about the only pleasant thing about the tea was its body and mouthfeel, which was smooth yet full-bodied. There is an unpleasant astrigency though as I continue drinking the cup. Overall, the experience of drinking this is that it's both too bland and too harsh.

I would not drink again. If I were going to buy simple black teas in a tea bag I'd go with Ahmad or Foojoy, or for something more British, PG Tips or Yorkshire tea...all, even if they pale relative to loose tea, are quite drinkable!
1 Comment

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Reviewer pic60 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 4/5
(170 reviews) on

Cutting open a dry teabag, the tea is small pieces of CTC pellets. It smells nice, but generic; the aroma is oak leaves and malt without much complexity.

Adding the water brings out the Assam in the blend. The sour, malty aroma is quite rich. The first taste of the tea is a surprise in that teas that smell like the Tetley does are usually much more bitter. This tea is far more mellow than I was expecting. The astringency and maltiness more than balance out the bitterness. While the flavor isn't any more complex than the aroma, it's pleasant and easy to drink.

This tea is best while hot. Many teas have more subtle and complex flavors that only come out after the tea has cooled a little, but the Tetley really doesn't. The bitterness fades a little and the maltiness intensifies a bit. Most teas are beginning to open in flavor at this point, but the Tetley is still sort of one-dimensional.

I can understand why reviewers that like popular grocery store British-style teas consider this one to be weak. It's inoffensive, but misses both the bright bitterness and heavy maltiness of most Assam CTC teas. Trying to blend a CTC tea that isn't bitter seems to result in losing too many other flavors as well. It isn't as bitter as PG Tips, but lots of teas aren't as bitter as PG Tips.
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Reviewer pic50 Aroma: 4/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 4/5
(7 reviews) on

If you are accustomed to PG Tips, Twinings, or Barry's, then, to you, this tea should not taste bad. If you are used to anything better than the aforementioned, then Tetley British Blend will probably still work in a pinch. You may want to let it steep longer than what you are used to with stronger teas. I let it steep for at least five minutes and have it with a splash of half-percent milk. Its main drawback is not that it is cheap tasting, but that it seems not to be a Rainforest Alliance or Fair Trade member.
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Reviewer pic53 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5
(333 reviews) on

I'm surprised that a number of people thought this tea tasted weak, though the strength of cup I got might be due to a mistake I made: I tore the drawstring teabag. The tea fell out, so I just brewed it loose and floating in the cup. This made it diffuse very quickly. The tiny bits were too small to effectively scoop out and I didn't have a strainer, so I just left them in. I sipped it while it steeped to see when/how much it went bitter. Though it definitely did go bitter, it wasn't as much as I was worried about. Also, the smell had a subdued raisin-like scent. I can really feel the caffeine, so it wouldn't be bad as a coffee substitute.

Not going to be a favorite for me, but it really wasn't bad compared to other straight black teas I've tried. I may have to try a few others in the British style. Also, I think creamer would have helped, but didn't want to mix it with the loose bits of tea. I put 3 for the value because I don't see a price on their website.
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Reviewer pic30 Aroma: 3/10 Flavor: 1/5 Value: 3/5
(6 reviews) on

I find Tetley completely lacking when comparing it to the other British blends for daily tea drinking found in the supermarket. I prefer Yorkshire, PG Tips, Twining's Everyday blend to name a few diverse alternative. Nonetheless, these are blends, the tea that I go to when I want something warm to drink and when I'm not looking for impressive flavor.

I think that Tetley's taste's weird and somehow artificial, which may be because I was aware that they have human right's claims against them before I tried it (was forced to drink it on a cold rainy day at a B&B with no alternative).

I understand Tetley as an everyday, nothing special tea. However, I would recommend that everyone investigate for themselves the company's ethical, or not so ethical, operations before buying this tea. There are many better tasting, stronger, everyday alternatives available.
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Reviewer pic13 Aroma: 1/10 Flavor: 1/5 Value: 1/5
(1 reviews) on

I've been drinking tetley British blend for several years and as of today I'm changing to a different tea. It tastes like water and is very weak tasting. It's obvious that the company has cut back on it's product because at one time it was enjoyable.
3 Comments

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Reviewer pic33 Aroma: 3/10 Flavor: 1/5 Value: 2/5
(8 reviews) on

Basicly, This Tea is very poor and Overpriced, Hardly any Aroma or Taste, If you like extremely watery weak tea, This tea is for you. As for my taste, I love very strong tea, I don't really recommend this tea because it is overpriced and in my opinion this Tea is poor and is not worked on at all. Just tricking poor people and it is overpriced, Too Overpriced. Do not buy this Tea. Not worth the money at all!
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Reviewer pic70 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 4/5
(9 reviews) on

When it comes to basic black tea, Tetley British Blend is the base of most of my blending. It's also the one tea that I drink every single night before bedtime (decaff without milk). Lovely aroma, moderately bitter. I spice it with a touch of honey sometimes. Great value as well.
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Reviewer pic53 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 4/5
(11 reviews) on

I was disapointed in this after having such great things to say about their English Breakfast Tea. It does have a nice full body, but its still on the bitter side. On the other hand, it would probably make a good base for iced tea mixed with fruit.
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Page 1 2 of 2 pages with 11 reviews

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