Best tea 2019
Which is the best tea in the UK?
View the best offeriReview of the 10 best teas to buy in the UK
The top 10 list of the best teas compares various manufacturers and prices
Review10Best compares the best teas in the UK and nominates the one from Taylors of Harrogate as the best tea. In our teas review, you can read more about our experiences we made with the different teas and follow our recommendation on which tea to buy in the UK in 2019. With the tea comparison, you can be sure to buy the best tea on the market and save a lot of money if you buy it online.
Table of contents
- Read the ultimate tea buying guide
- View our tea picks and see how they rank in the top list
- See other reviews related to teas
- Watch recommended videos about teas
Go to the ranking
(skip buying guide)
teas: A complete buying guide
All you need to know before buying a great tea
Tea is one of the most popular drinks in the entire world, being the second most consumed beverage after water. Given its long-lasting popularity, it’s safe to say that tea is very enjoyable, with a variety of flavours available to suit every palate.
Choosing the best tea is very subjective. Originating from many countries and available in countless flavours, deciding which tea you like best is usually a case of trial and error. However, buying a great tea is much easier if you know what to look for in the product!
What are teas?
Tea is beverage produced by pouring boiling water over cured tea leaves. All tea comes from a single plant (Camellia sinensis) native to Asia, although the plant is now widely grown throughout the entire world, and the leaves can be treated and processed in many ways to achieve unique types of tea. There are many varieties of tea available, all of which provide their own distinct aromas and flavours. Herbal teas are infused with herbs and fruits, resulting in very flavourful beverages.
Why should you buy a good tea?
The best tea beverages are not just delicious and refreshing, they also offer some health benefits. For instance, green tea is rich in antioxidants that help keep the body healthy, while studies suggest a range of other health benefits gained from drinking tea, such as protection against cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and possibly even Parkinson’s disease.
To gain these benefits, the tea much be actual tea, meaning it shouldn’t be infused with other plants (e.g. herbal mint tea.)
How to choose the right tea?
Choosing a good tea is all about personal preferences, so it can be difficult to know what to look for without trying it first. Here are some things to consider that make choosing a good tea that bit easier:
- Health Benefits: If you are seeking health benefits from tea, then the best tea to go for is those that are produced using only Camellia sinensis leaves. This includes, black, white, green, and oolong tea, with green and black teas usually being the most popular for health benefits. Avoid herbal teas and any other tea infused with other ingredients if you are seeking mainly health benefits.
- Flavour: A great tea flavour for one person isn’t always enjoyed by everyone, so it’s important to consider the overall flavours when buying tea. For example, black teas usually have the strongest flavours, while white and green teas tend to be milder. Herbal teas offer distinct flavours that are often quite pleasant, with fruit and herb infusions offering a delicious tasting beverage. Remember, teas can be mixed with milk and other ingredients to create more unique flavours. Black tea often pairs great with milk, although you may prefer the more pronounced flavour of straight tea.
- Preparation: A common misconception is that all tea requires boiling water and cup to make. While true with some types of tea, there is a lot of different ways to prepare tea, with factors such as tea type, water temperature, and the duration of infusion all impacting how you make it. Make sure you have the necessary items to make the tea, as not all tea comes in a bag ready for infusion, and be sure to check the preparation instructions before you buy.
What is the best kind of tea in the UK?
All tea comes from a single plant, but the there are many varieties to this plant and different ways to process (namely oxidization) the leaves, resulting in many types of tea. However, pure tea can be categorised into four main types:
- Black Tea: The best tea for anyone starting out, this is the most widely consumed type of tea. It’s dark in appearance and comes with the strongest flavours, while caffeine content is typically higher too. Black tea is great on its own or can be combined with milk, sugar, or lemon.
- Green Tea: Green tea has not been oxidized, resulting in high levels of antioxidants and other minerals and vitamins, making it one of the healthiest teas out there. It comes in a pale green or yellow colour, and comes with a light flavour and body. Green tea tastes best when drunk without any additives like milk or sugar, although lemon and honey can make a pleasant addition.
- Oolong Tea: This partially oxidized tea can vary in flavour and colour based the duration of oxidization. For instance, darker oolong that tastes similar to black tea has been oxidized for longer, while shorter oxidization leads to a milder tasting beverage similar to green tea. It can be steeped to produce a very unique tea as well, so there is plenty of choice when it comes to oolong tea.
- White Tea: Having been processed the least, white tea offers the mildest flavour and lightest colour of all teas. It tends to have a very low caffeine content but is high in antioxidants, and should be drunk without adding anything to preserve the flavour.
Top 10 list of teas in the UK (August 2019)
Our top 10 list shows how manufacturers and their teas rank and which tea is the best.
- We are a member of Ethical Tea Partnership & Rainforest Alliance Certified
- We've built relationships with some of the top tea estates in Africa and India to…
- Seriously refreshing & kind to the people who grow it-we go to great lengths…
- We are a member of Ethical Tea Partnership & Rainforest Alliance CertifiedTM
- Seriously refreshing and kind to the people who grow it
- We've built relationships with some of the top tea estates in Africa and India to…
- Perfect for catering services
- Carry bag
- One of the nation's favourite tea brands
- Wholly organic tea
- 100% natural ingredients
- Hand picked luxury tea
- This is a catering pack containing bags requiring a longer brew time than the standard…
- Pyramid shaped teabag acts like a miniature teapot giving the leaves more room to…
- Made from the highest quality and most flavourful top two leaves and bud of the tea…
- An assorted collection gift set of individually wrapped speciality Pukka teabags,…
- We are proud to be 1% for the planet. The packaging comes from renewable sources…
- 100% organically grown and ethically sourced ingredients. Vegetarian, kosher and…
- Each variety can be enjoyed as a standalone beverage, but many pair up nicely with…
- From black and green teas to Earl Grey and fusion teas, there's something in the…
- Variety packs include six tea bags of each variety - total 48 tea bags included
- 12 boxes with 12 Tea bags in each
- An attractive selection pack containing a variety of teas
- Black tea, green tea, flavoured Teas.
- SATISFACTION GUARANTEED - 100% MONEYBACK GUARANTEE - If you don't like the tea, we…
- ETHICAL, DIRECT & FAIR-TRADE- TRULY - Our innovative supply chain model ensures…
- GARDEN FRESH TEAS SOURCED DIRECTLY - Tea leaves are vacuum sealed & packed within…
- We are a member of Ethical Tea Partnership & Rainforest Alliance CertifiedTM
- Seriously refreshing and kind to the people who grow it
- We've built relationships with some of the top tea estates in Africa and India to…
i,ii Price incl. VAT., exkl. shipping. Price may vary. Last Update. 2019/08/21 10:48 o'clock. Affiliate link. We participate in the Amazon Associates Program (case i) and Kelkoo Associates Program (case ii), a affiliate advertising programs that enables us to earn commissions by linking to Amazon and other merchants. There are no additional costs for you. For the top 10 list we consider only products that are available on Amazon while the ranking is based on factors such as customer reviews, number of sales and keyword.
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