Canadian tea drinkers- Red Rose tea - what happened to quality? (2026 Update) FAQ

In general true, but Red Rose tasted to me like it was mostly African teas. Although I like India teas a lot, I think a Kenyan or Malawaian tea is likely to be closer to that blend.

And yes, Lipton's yellow label is s**te.

--scott

Probably, on the whole African tea would be cheaper to source.

Indian teas are most definitely the nicest. The top grade Assam's, TGFOP/SFTGFOP, are as good as it gets.

African tea has its qualities but I find it's better when blended with other teas.

There are very fine Indian teas out there (and the second flush Darjeelings should be coming out soon now), but if you're looking for something that tastes like Red Rose you're more likely looking for an African tea. Maybe something like Upton's Tea Imports "Rukeri Estate Rwanda BOP" TK12, which is a higher end version of the same sort of thing with that same kind of malty taste that Red Rose had before they wrecked it.

--scott

'Bought myself a nice, 1L glass teapot and have been experimenting with loose leaf teas. Previously, I always brewed 1 bag black (Red Rose) with 1 bag green tea in a 16 oz mug. This morning, I am having 1 heaping teaspoon of Queen Anne blend + 1 heaping teaspoon of green tea with elderflower. I like my tea brewed strong so I heat the teapot by boiling water in it in the microwave while the RO water for my tea heats to boiling in an electric teapot. When both are boiling, I dump half of the boiling water from the teapot down each drain in the kitchen sink (keeps those itsy bitsy flies from camping out in the drains) and then place the teapot in a 6-quart cooler with towels nestled around it to insulate. Put in the tea basket, fill with boiling RO water, install the pot lid, and cover the tea pot with more towels. I let it steep at least 10 minutes before pouring the first mug. The best part is that you can buy as many types of tea as you wish, and brew what strikes your fancy at the moment. I've found many I truly enjoy more than any tea I ever made from a bag. On my several trips down the Yellowstone each year, I can't force myself to take the time for the teapot brew from my treasure hunting time so I revert to the expediency of teabags. It's now such a disappointment that I usually don't even bother with a second mug.

All you are getting in tea bags these days is dust.

Buy a tea cosy man! Do it properly! If the local hardware shop doesn't stock them, Amazon is your friend. Teapots deserve to be cosy!!!

Once you've used proper loose leaf tea for any amount of time - going back to tea bags IS a disappointment.

I thought it was only myself that noticed the very same thing Roseanne thanks for confirming that I was not imagining it. Bev

I grew up on Lipton many decades ago. My mother was a fan of Arthur Godfrey and that was one of his sponsors. Then I discovered loose tea and never went back.

My favorite supplier, before tariffs, was