Cheap Tea Bags or Brand Name?

Discussion in Food & Drink started by MrsR • May 7, 2013.

  1. MrsR

    MrsRMember

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    I love to drink iced tea and my husband and I drink about a pitcher every day. I used to only buy the expensive brand tea bags, like Lipton or Luzianne, then for some reason one day I bought the cheaper store brand. I actually like the cheaper brand better. Now that's all I buy. Do you have a preference of the brand of tea bags you buy and do you find that the cheaper brands are just as good?
     
  2. GavinMcresty

    GavinMcrestyMember

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    I have no real preference. I just buy whatever is reasonably cheap and that normally is the store's generic brand. I am not very fussy about tea though. To be honest, I have never had ice tea but if I wanted to I would probably make it myself. That would probably be the cheapest possible option.
     
  3. dissn_it

    dissn_itActive Member

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    It depends on the type of tea. Now that the weather is getting warmer and summer is just around the corner, I do buy a large amount of tea to make sun tea with so the cheaper brand is perfect. I can make a lot of sun tea for a lot less money just by getting the cheaper brand. To make sun/ice tea, the cheaper brands are just as good as the more expensive brands. I have found that for some herbal teas, this is not always the case and it is worth spending a bit more to get a better cup of tea.
     
  4. BlackSolaris

    BlackSolarisActive Member

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    I usually buy the ones that are cheaper, but once i tasted the same flavor i get at my aunt's house from a different, more expensive, brand, and i could really taste the difference. Maybe it was different because i don't drink anything beside that one, or maybe it really is better.
     
  5. Bloomatic

    BloomaticActive Member

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    Tea is a very delicate product and I think each of the brands out there on the market offers a different quality. I prefer alter between brands with some renown and others that are popular prices. Black tea, for example, don't need to have a high quality and most of the products you find in supermarkets, are respectable. Of course in a product as delicate as tea we can experiment with different varieties and at that point, the quality of the leaves is essential. There are special stores where costs are higher. In my case, I use tea in a midrange.
     
  6. LindaKay

    LindaKayActive Member

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    We drink sweet tea by the gallon around here. I used to be loyal to Lipton tea bags, but once I tried the generic brand on a whim. They're just as good to me!
     
  7. rachel1970

    rachel1970Active Member

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    I think you have to judge it on what tastes good to you. Just because a product is branded and is expensive does not necessarily mean that it tastes superior to other, less expensive brands. You should taste test!
     
  8. vpresson

    vpressonWell-Known Member

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    I only like lipton tea that's the only one me and my husband drink
     
  9. pafjlh

    pafjlhActive Member

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    I usually buy the cheaper brand of tea bag. However, that is not to say that I don't think Lipton isn't a better brand. Because I do, it just that this can be a pretty expensive brand of tea bag. Also, in my house we don't brew tea to drink cold, we only use tea bags for hot tea drinking only. Since we seldom drink hot tea in my house, we are more coffee drinkers it doesn't really matter what brand of tea bags we are buying.
     
  10. Anna Blush

    Anna BlushActive Member

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    Tea is just one of those things that always go on sale so I normally wait for my favorite one to go on sale and I just purchase it. My favorite tea wold have to be the Lipton tea and other ones which have a lot of flavor built in them. Therefore I don't buy cheap tea just because its cheap since there are other great alternatives.
     
  11. DrRipley

    DrRipleyExpert

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    I've tried one of the cheaper brands before, and honestly I can't tell the difference. I assume it's even harder to tell once you've made iced tea out of it, what with all the sugar and ice and what not. Anyway, I'd just say that maybe they are pretty much the same, and probably the ones that will show much difference, if at all would be the really expensive ones and not just branded ones like Lipton.
     
  12. Parker

    ParkerWell-Known Member

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    I have never tried an inexpensive tea brand. I usually buy Tazo brand teas. I stock up when they go on sales. If I run out, I'll buy them at the regular price. I just can't bring myself to buying generic tea bags.
     
  13. sidney

    sidneyWell-Known Member

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    I have tried several brands of tea bags, and I liked the taste of Lipton the most. The other brands were just "ok" for me. My favorite would be Lipton Green Tea.
     
  14. maddie

    maddieActive Member

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    I have discovered something more cheaper and better. I buy tea leaves directly from the tea gardens. While on a holiday we stated as house guests with a tea garden owner.. a kind of bed and breakfast place. The tea I had there was so awesome.. I have a pact with the owner to send me a huge amount of tea once in six months.. both green tea and the processed one. I enjoy fresh hand picked tea everyday.
     
  15. classicnyer

    classicnyerActive Member

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    It depends. If I'm getting regular black or green tea, then I'll just get whatever brand is cheapest or on sale. Especially if I'm just going to make a pitcherful and drown it in lemon juice and sugar anyway, it doesn't make a difference. If I'm getting herbal tea though, I'll get the brand that I like the best. I don't know why I make that distinction, but it's possibly because I never add lemon juice to herbal tea, nor do I brew it by the pitcher, and I add minimal sugar.
     
  16. ChanellG

    ChanellGActive Member

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    I only buy/drink herbal teas. Sometimes I will take a chance on tea with a cheaper price in a store like Big Lots, but it is usually something like mint, chamomile or green tea.

    You are so lucky, Maddie! I need to get a few galvanized tubs so I can start a tea garden so I can grow and blend my own tea, even though technically it isn't tea unless the leaves come from the tea plant. I have four lavender plants now in six inch terra cotta pots. They spent the winter indoors and barely grew, though I am just happy they survived since I had several more that didn't.
     
  17. ohiotom76

    ohiotom76Well-Known Member

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    In my area, the Luzianne tea bags cost about the same as the discount brand ones - there's only a difference of like 10 cents. I like them both and buy either depending on where I happen to be at at the time. I wouldn't go out of my way though to go to the discount store to save the 10 cents. One thing that did concern me recently though was that several prominent brands of tea were identified as containing lead, including Lipton. According to the study though, the lead doesn't make it through into the drink due to the paper filters, but that doesn't necessarily make me feel much safer.
     
  18. ozadin

    ozadinActive Member

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    Everyday, I would make tea with the lipton tea bags. They taste great when I add a little sugar, but I know, it's not real tea if you add sugar. I would recommend the Lipton tea though, they're great.
     
  19. ReishiSpore

    ReishiSporeMember

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    I am a bit of a tea fanatic and like really special teas. I usually would buy organic tea of various flavours and there are a few brands that I prefer over others. I think since I am a tea fanatic, I'd rather go for quality over price but I am very particular about tea!
     
  20. daniel.d

    daniel.dBanned

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    Tea is the third most highly preferred drink in the world. I am a fanatic of tea and I need to have tea early in the morning to stay active throughout the day.