EVERYONE has their favourite brand of tea, but your loyalty could be costing you a small fortune.
Forgoing a morning cuppa is an absolute no no for most people, but swapping to a supermarket tea could save you cash.
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But will a cheaper supermarket version satisfy the tastebuds in the same way as the leading brands?
We tried supermarket own-brand teas to see if the knock-off versions taste just as good.
We rated each cuppa with a score out of 10 for taste and price – here are the results.
Tesco Original teabags
- £1.25 for 80 teabags
- 1p per bag
7
The delicious smell of these Tesco teabags gave me high hopes for this brew.
It looked promising when the tea turned a deep, brown colour, but sadly the taste was quite weak and bitter and the consistency was quite thin.
If you’re looking for a nice, comforting cuppa, then this isn’t the one for you.
- Taste: 4/10
- Price: 6/10
- Overall: 10/10
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M&S Luxury gold teabags
- £3.20 for 80 bags
- 4p per bag
7
I was really impressed with the taste, but they do come at a price.
These M&S teabags made a smooth and rich brew and I’d be happy to swap my usual morning Tetley for a cup of this instead.
It was rich tasting
But at £3.20, it’s the most expensive of the bunch – and despite the taste – it is pretty difficult to justify the price.
- Taste: 9/10
- Price: 5/10
- Overall: 14/20
Lidl Knightsbridge Red Label teabags
- £2.19 for 240 bags
- 0.9p per bag
7
Lidl’s box of teabags is huge and it’s one of the cheapest that you can buy.
They also made a great brew that was tasty and wholesome so I was pretty impressed.
These teagbags made a sweet brew that I imagine would be perfect for dunking a biscuit.
I thought it would be hard to convince me to ditch my reliable Tetley’s, but this strong and cheap brew may have convinced me otherwise.
I’m pretty sure even the toughest tea connoisseur would agree that that Lidl’s bargain brew is well worth the money.
- Taste: 9/10
- Price: 10/10
- Overall: 19/20
Asda gold tea bags pack
- £2 for 80 bags
- 2p per bag
7
These Asda teabags make quite a dull and plain cuppa.
It’s not that they taste bad, they’re just a bit boring and quite weak.
It was smooth to drink, but the taste was just a bit non-descriptive and was a bit more like tea-flavoured water.
The look of the tea is fine – quite a rich, brown colour – but the taste just wasn’t quite up to scratch.
- Taste: 6/10
- Price: 6/10
- Overall: 12/10
Sainsbury’s Red Label tea bags
- £2.30 for 160 bags
- 1p per bag
7
Sainsbury’s tea bags were packed full of flavour and made a nice, fresh cuppa.
It wasn’t bitter at all and left a lovely aftertaste.
They also smelt delightful and the tea flavour wasn’t drowned out by the milk.
- Taste: 8/10
- Price: 7/10
- Overall: 15/20
Aldi Red Label tea bags
- £1.59 for 160
- 0.9p
7
I was expecting big things from Aldi because their dupes often score highly in supermarket taste tests.
But this time, I was left a little disappointed.
It made lovely, dark down brew but the taste wasn’t quite up to scratch – it was a little tasteless if anything and it didn’t leave a lasting impression.
But at £1.59, there’s no denying it’s great value.
So if you’re willing to sacrifice a little on taste – they weren’t awful after all – then these tea bags are well worth it.
- Taste: 6/10
- Price: 9/10
- Overall: 15/20
Tetley Original
- £2.95 from Sainsbury’s
- 3p per bag
Tetley is one of the UK’s leading brands and my go-to brew.
It’s mild in taste but refreshing and easy to drink – you can rely on it to make a good cup of tea.
But it is quite pricey, and you can get supermarket tea bags that are just as good and cheaper.
- Taste: 8/10
- Price: 5/10
- Overall: 13/20
We also tested supermarkets’ own milk chocolate – and a 36p bar is better than Cadbury.
Plus, we tried the sell-out Prime sports drink from KSI and Logan Paul – but it turned out to be a bit of a flop.
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