I stopped by an Indian grocery today - a different one than I've been
frequenting. I was passing by and thought I'd pop in and see if they
had any Tetley tea bags (real Tetley imported from Britain). The place
where I usually go has been out of them for a while. This store
didn't have them either. Their selection wasn't as good as the place I
usually shop, but after a few moments I decided to take a chance and
bought a just-shy-of-two-pounds box of loose Lipton Yellow Label for
$5.99.

I absolutely detest the Lipton that is sold in American supermarkets,
and I admit to having some prejudice against the Lipton name, which has
prevented me from trying the "foreign" version up to now. When I got
home, I put the kettle on and brewed up a nice big pot of LYL while I
ate my lunch. I'm now into the second cup, and I must say that this is
as fine a cup of tea as I have ever tasted. It's a bit milder than the
Brooke Bond Taj Mahal I've been drinking, but I've only tried the
bagged version of Taj Mahal, so perhaps it's not a fair comparison.
Twinings English Breakfast - who needs it? This stuff is better and
the price sure is right! I don't think I'll ever buy tea anywhere
except in these Indian grocery stores, unless I'm looking for an Earl
Grey blend.

I will never understand why Lipton doesn't sell this blend to their US
customers. I know taste is a subjective thing, but I just can't
imagine anyone preferring the harsh, astringent US Lipton to this fine,
fine blend of Lipton Yellow Label.

I was tempted to try the Lipton Green Label, which I've heard good
things about, but I am really not a Darjeeling person. I prefer a
strong, dark cuppa that these CTC Assams make. Still, perhaps next
time I'll give it a try.

"Pat" wrote in message
oups.com...
I was tempted to try the Lipton Green Label, which I've heard good
things about, but I am really not a Darjeeling person. I prefer a
strong, dark cuppa that these CTC Assams make. Still, perhaps next
time I'll give it a try.

Next time try Lipton Red Label loose tea. That is the standard Assam tea
used by lots of Indians.

My family buys Lipton Red and Green labels and mixes them up at home wile
brewing (toss in one tsp each into the pot). I buy single plantation
Darjeelings (usually Makaibari), but use Green Label in a pinch if I run out
of my expensive stuff.
--
Aloke
----
to reply by e-mail remove 123 and change invalid to com

Aloke Prasad wrote:
Next time try Lipton Red Label loose tea. That is the standard Assam tea
used by lots of Indians.

My family buys Lipton Red and Green labels and mixes them up at home wile
brewing (toss in one tsp each into the pot). I buy single plantation
Darjeelings (usually Makaibari), but use Green Label in a pinch if I run out
of my expensive stuff.
--


I have never seen Lipton Red Label. Do you mean Brooke Bond Red Label,
perhaps? I tried that once in tea bags but did not like it as well as
Taj Mahal.

I had thought of mixing Lipton Green Label with something else and may
try that sometime, but right now I have a lot of tea onhand to get
through first. You just blend the Red and Green Labels 50/50?

Thanks for the tip.




Aloke
----
to reply by e-mail remove 123 and change invalid to com

"Pat" wrote in message
oups.com...

Aloke Prasad wrote:
Next time try Lipton Red Label loose tea. That is the standard Assam tea
used by lots of Indians.

My family buys Lipton Red and Green labels and mixes them up at home wile
brewing (toss in one tsp each into the pot). I buy single plantation
Darjeelings (usually Makaibari), but use Green Label in a pinch if I run
out
of my expensive stuff.
--


I have never seen Lipton Red Label. Do you mean Brooke Bond Red Label,
perhaps? I tried that once in tea bags but did not like it as well as
Taj Mahal.

I'm sorry. Yes I meant Brooke Bond Red Label.

I think the mix of teas is very different for tea bags (with their limited
expansion space). Try the lose tea package versions of these teas.
--
Aloke
----
to reply by e-mail remove 123 and change invalid to com

"Pat" wrote in message
oups.com...
I stopped by an Indian grocery today - a different one than I've been
frequenting. I was passing by and thought I'd pop in and see if they
had any Tetley tea bags (real Tetley imported from Britain). The place
where I usually go has been out of them for a while. This store
didn't have them either. Their selection wasn't as good as the place I
usually shop, but after a few moments I decided to take a chance and
bought a just-shy-of-two-pounds box of loose Lipton Yellow Label for
$5.99.

I absolutely detest the Lipton that is sold in American supermarkets,
and I admit to having some prejudice against the Lipton name, which has
prevented me from trying the "foreign" version up to now. When I got
home, I put the kettle on and brewed up a nice big pot of LYL while I
ate my lunch. I'm now into the second cup, and I must say that this is
as fine a cup of tea as I have ever tasted. It's a bit milder than the
Brooke Bond Taj Mahal I've been drinking, but I've only tried the
bagged version of Taj Mahal, so perhaps it's not a fair comparison.
Twinings English Breakfast - who needs it? This stuff is better and
the price sure is right! I don't think I'll ever buy tea anywhere
except in these Indian grocery stores, unless I'm looking for an Earl
Grey blend.


Pat, is that the CTC assam? If so, that's incredibly cheap for it...my local
Indian market sells something like 250 grams for $3.99. If it comes that
inexpensively maybe I should start browsing online for a better price...It
is pretty good though.

My local regular store is selling Lipton (regular US Lipton) loose tea. I
have not had the gumption to try it yet....I'm guessing from the
illustration on the outside that it's a BOP Ceylon mix.



Melinda

"Aloke Prasad" wrote in message
. ..



Next time try Lipton Red Label loose tea. That is the standard Assam tea
used by lots of Indians.

My family buys Lipton Red and Green labels and mixes them up at home wile
brewing (toss in one tsp each into the pot). I buy single plantation
Darjeelings (usually Makaibari), but use Green Label in a pinch if I run
out of my expensive stuff.
--
Aloke


Speaking of mixing red and green...I came across this thread in another
online group about masala chai and mixing the two labels, it has a few other
interesting things about masalal chai. No affiliation etc., jsut doing some
research into the difference between BB Red label and Lipton's Yellow
label...are they both Assam? Both CTC assam?

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=30368


Melinda

Melinda wrote:


Pat, is that the CTC assam? If so, that's incredibly cheap for it...my local
Indian market sells something like 250 grams for $3.99. If it comes that
inexpensively maybe I should start browsing online for a better price...It
is pretty good though.

Yes, it is the CTC Assam. It seems to be more expensive online from
what I've seen, plus you have shipping as well.


My local regular store is selling Lipton (regular US Lipton) loose tea. I
have not had the gumption to try it yet....I'm guessing from the
illustration on the outside that it's a BOP Ceylon mix.

I tried the loose US Lipton many years ago. It is actually a
larger-leaf tea than the Lipton Yellow Label. It is better than the
Lipton tea bags, but nowhere near as good as the Lipton Yellow Label
from India. I wouldn't bother trying it if I were you, it's really not
worth it.

Lipton really ought to dump the blend it sells in American supermarkets
and replace it with Yellow Label.






Melinda

Melinda wrote:


jsut doing some
research into the difference between BB Red label and Lipton's Yellow
label...are they both Assam? Both CTC assam?



Yes, they are both CTC Assam. I don't know if that means pure Assam or
a blend that is predominately Assam. The only tea that I've tried
that I know for sure is pure Assam is Twinings Irish Breakfast, which I
don't like. Brooke Bond and Lipton are much smoother, so I'm guessing
that there are some other teas mixed in with them.

The difference between them is largely a matter of taste. It's like
asking what the difference is between Red Rose and Salada. I did read
on one website that Unilever markets Lipton to be a more upscale brand
than Brooke Bond in India. However, I like the Brooke Bond Taj Mahal
very much - better than Brooke Bond Red Label. I have only tried it in
bagged form, and not loose. But I think I would probably choose Taj
Mahal over Lipton Yellow Label. Not a huge difference, but Taj Mahal
seems to have a little more "kick" to it. That doesn't mean that one
is necessarily higher quality than the other, it's just my own
preference.

One of the great things about these teas is that they are so cheap, you
don't need to be afraid to try them. It's not a huge investment if you
decide you don't like them.

Pat wrote:
Lipton really ought to dump the blend it sells in American supermarkets
and replace it with Yellow Label.

Come on ... they've got to do *something* with their factory floor
sweepings ;-)


stePH
in cup: 2004 brick sheng puer "1366 anniversary of Thai calendar of
Xishuangbanna"
first infusion (thank you Mike Petro for recommendation)
--
np: Kenso, "Les Phases de la Lune II"