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 |
I tried Tetley’s Decaf a couple of years ago when my doctor thought that my funky heartbeat was from drinking too much tea (I probably have 5 or 6 cups a day.) It was awful & I even wrote to Tetley to tell them that I could taste the chlorine used to bleach the teabags!
I usually drink Tetley’s British Blend, but being South African & having just been home for a visit, I was really spoiled drinking Five Roses while staying at my folks’ house. (http://www.avi.co.za/brands/3/pages/6) There are several brands of black tea available in South Africa, but Five Roses is the BEST!
A couple of summers ago, my sister-in-law sent me some Earl Grey teabags in a decorative canister from Woolworths & I was amazed at the rich flavour & set about looking for something comparative in our US stores. Tazo Earl Grey has won my heart!
The first thing we do when we walk in the door is turn the kettle on! A good cup of tea can cure many a woe.
I am looking for tetley orange peach tea I just cannot find it
Tetley decaff tea is so repulsive it can put you off decaff permanently! Decaff generally lack flavour but this one gets the biscuit.
If you’ve got some and don’t wish to throw them away try it very strong. Makes it somewhat more palatable.