Tea Showdown

A few days ago I wrote about my experience with Yorkshire Gold tea, and wondered how it would compare to my favorite standby, PG Tips. This morning it was time for the showdown. The bags are similar in size (YG may be slightly bigger), but PGT is a pyramid shape, and YG is square-ish. I brewed a cup of both, using hot water from the same kettle, and used the same steep time. The YG had a delicate, almost floral scent, and produced a slightly lighter brew (the left cup in the picture). The PGT was a darker with a stronger, malty aroma.

Upon tasting, the YG had a nice smoothness, with a taste similar to English Breakfast. It was actually difficult to discern many flavors in this tea. There was a hint of fruit in the background. This tea is more delicate than its competitor, both in aroma and flavor. The PGT hit with a strong malty scent. It had a bold, and slightly bitter taste. Like YG, it is simlar to English Breakfast, and there wasn't much to detect on the palate except for a distant fruitiness. I was curious to see how the teas would do if over- steeped. I left a bag of YG in hot water for about 15 minutes to see how the result would taste. It is definitely bitter, but much lighter and smoother than expected. When done with a bag of PGT, it produced almost undrinkable results.

I prefer a stronger tea (especially in the morning), so the PGT was my overall choice. We use PG Tips frequently for iced tea, because the bold flavor holds up well to the ice. But there's nothing wrong with the YG tea. It would hold up well throughout the day, because it is lighter and easier to drink.

PG Tips, you are the winner of my showdown for taste and strength, but Yorkshire Gold gets an honorable mention for versatility.