Good decaf tea doesn’t really exist. When the caffeine is removed from tea, so is the flavor, and Tetley Decaffeinated British Blend is no exception.
If you must have decaf tea, though, I can give you a couple of reasons to choose this product. Tetley uses ethyl acetate, a solvent with no harmful effects, to strip the tea of its caffeine, whereas other major use methylene chloride, a known carcinogen.
Tetley Decaffeinated British Blend smells like seaweed, unlike its caffeinated counterpart which has a mossy aroma typical of ‘English breakfast’ teas. It tastes like seaweed too if you let it linger too long on the tongue, but overall the taste is okay compared to other decafs I’ve tried.
I’ve discovered that two decaffeinated tea bags are required to get the same full-bodied characteristic of the caffeinated version. Though I haven’t tried it, I bet a little squirt of honey might counter some of the seaweed funkiness.
As far as decaf tea goes, Tetley Decaffeinated British Blend is all right. I’m just not comfortable calling it tea.
| Aroma: | Seaweed |
|---|---|
| Body: | Full (if brewed with two tea bags) |
| Flavor: | Nondescript |
| Color: | Dark |