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Private Label

Supermarket Teas Come Out On Top

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Supermarket Teas Come Out On Top

In a recent Which? survey, UK supermarket private-label teas have come out on top, beating more expensive 'luxury' rivals.

According to UK newspaper The Guardian, the Which? survey sampled 19 English Breakfast and 17 Earl Grey teas. Private-label English Breakfast teas from Morrisons and Sainsbury's came top of the English Breakfast pile, while a private-label Earl Grey from Aldi topped its respective category.

The blind tasting was carried out by a panel of tasting experts, and all products were sampled without milk. The experts scored each tea on appearance, aroma, taste, body/strength and aftertaste.

Morrisons' M English Breakfast and Sainsbury's Taste the Difference (Fairtrade), which cost 2p and 3p a bag, respectively, were awarded the joint-highest score of 80 per cent. More expensive teas, such as Whittard English Breakfast Tag & Envelope and Fortnum & Mason's Breakfast Blend, which both cost 15p a bag, only scored 50 per cent and 58 per cent, respectively.

In the Earl Grey category, Aldi's Diplomat Earl Grey, which costs 2p a bag, came out on top, with 78 per cent. Again, more expensive teas scored much lower. For example, Waitrose's Duchy Originals Fairtrade Earl Grey, which costs 8p a bag, had the lowest score, at 38 per cent.

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The editor of Which?, Richard Headland, said, "With some of the best teas costing just a few pence per bag, and supermarket own-brands beating luxury brands, it shows you don't need to spend a lot to get a great cup of tea."

A spokesperson for Whittard said, "The breakfast tea has been one of our best-sellers for over five years, proving it's a popular choice amongst our customers."

© 2014 European Supermarket Magazine – Europe’s grocery retail magazine, for all your breaking supermarket, convenience-store and FMCG news. Article written by Nicole Gernon.

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