It’s a battle of two tea bags — a little workplace frivolity instigated by my co-worker, who recently purchased a pack of Twinings English Breakfast from Walmart. So, which delivers a better brew — the traditional stringed tea bag from Twinings (very common in America), or the state-of-the-art meshed floater from PG Tips?
Comparing these two teas is a bit like comparing Budweiser and Bud Light beer. But which one is which?
I’ve depended on PG Tips for years. What it lacks in complexity, it makes up for it in body, strength, and malty goodness. Twinings English Breakfast is something I’ve had maybe once and never considered again. I believe both brands contain blends of Assam, Kenyan, and Ceylon teas, but I don’t know for sure.
PG Tips wins this contest hands down. When I drink a “breakfast tea”, I want a full body that will stand up well to milk and a little bitterness, which I like to temper with honey. It brews perfectly in about 2 minutes.
Twinings English Breakfast was better than expected. If you want a moderately strong tea that can be drunk without milk and/or sweetener, it’s a decent option; however, there are more flavorful loose leaf teas out there that better serve this purpose (including English Tea Store’s Scottish Breakfast, reviewed recently at Second Cuppa). Approximately 4–5 minutes will yield the desired result.
I’ve read (but not yet verifed) that the UK and US versions of Twinings are not the same. I don’t believe the same is true regarding PG Tips.
In summary, PG Tips is the Budweiser and Twinings English Breakfast is the Bud Light. Good night.
I suggest Twinings Irish Breakfast tea, PG Tips is good but the Irish Breakfast packs an even bigger punch.
… Just now found your site while searching on “Swee-Touch-Nee Tea” … btw, I have been consuming it regularly for decades in the iced-tea form. I was introduced to PG Tips in the 1990’s by an Englishman here in America. My recollection from that time, is that it was a rich tasting tea very pleasing to my pallet … it also held milk very well.
In recent years, however, either my pallet has changed, or the quality/blend of PG Tips has … it seems PG Tips, along with other Black Teas (particularly bulk Ceylon Pekoe) no longer hold to steeping at the higher temperatures. I find that I must heat the water slowly and never to a boiling point for effective steeping … the end result is OK, but not great. If i use the recommended water temperature for black tea, inevitably, the result is bitter and from my taste – not enjoyable.
Any insight that you can provide would be appreciated.
Many thanks for your efforts here … ~
Hi Phil,
I would suggest a lower brewing temperature, and experiment w/ the steeping time. Maybe 175 or 185 F at most.
Steeping too long (i.e. drinking w/ the teabag in the cup) results in bitterness towards the end of the cup so I recommend taking it out after steeping is done. This is a common technique for both coffee and green tea.
I find twinings is very drinkable plain in this manner.
If you want a nice milk tea, I would go with something stronger — maybe yorkshire gold — so the tea doesn’t get dominated by the milk.