wrote:
> The most recent box that I purchased (at Wal-Mart) was in the words of my SO
> "not very nice". I agree. It's the only tea I can buy in the supermarket in
> the U.S. that I think tastes decent. But this most recent box may as well be
> Lipton, it's just not good, does not have that nice aftertaste that I am used to
> with Tetley.
>
> Did I just get a bad box or has Tetley lowered their quality for the American
> Market??


Tetley British Blend in the round bags is their premium blend. It is
supposedly the same blend that is sold in the UK, but there is slightly
less tea per bag (2.5 grams vs 3.125 in the UK) to cater to American
tastes. It's just the right amount for brewing a single mug of tea, so
it's what I usually drink at work.

Nearly six years ago, Tetley stopped selling its Original Blend, which
they'd sold in the US since about 1837, They replaced it with Classic
Blend, which is supposed to be the same as the UK blend, after taste
tests showed that US consumers preferred it to the Original Blend. How
the Classic Blend differs from the British Blend, I do not know, other
than the fact that the Classic Blend is in string-and-tag teabags and
contains less tea than the British Blend (2 grams vs. 2.5 grams).


http://www.conntact.com/archive_inde...New_Haven.html

If the box you purchased at Wal-Mart is labelled Original Blend, then
it is very old and most likely stale. There are still some boxes of it
out there on store shelves. I stick with the British Blend and have
noticed no difference or decline in quality.

If you live near any Indian grocery stores, you can sometimes find
Tetley imported from the UK in the same strength bags (3.125 g) that is
sold overseas. You can also find other teas (Brooke Bond, Tea India)
that I actually prefer to Tetley, at quite reasonable prices.