Lipton Yellow Label

Next time try Lipton Red Label loose tea. That is the standard Assam tea used by lots of Indians.

My family buys Lipton Red and Green labels and mixes them up at home wile brewing (toss in one tsp each into the pot). I buy single plantation Darjeelings (usually Makaibari), but use Green Label in a pinch if I run out of my expensive stuff.

I have never seen Lipton Red Label. Do you mean Brooke Bond Red Label, perhaps? I tried that once in tea bags but did not like it as well as Taj Mahal.

I had thought of mixing Lipton Green Label with something else and may try that sometime, but right now I have a lot of tea onhand to get through first. You just blend the Red and Green Labels 50/50?

Thanks for the tip.

I'm sorry. Yes I meant Brooke Bond Red Label.

I think the mix of teas is very different for tea bags (with their limited expansion space). Try the lose tea package versions of these teas.

Pat, is that the CTC assam? If so, that's incredibly cheap for it...my local Indian market sells something like 250 grams for $3.99. If it comes that inexpensively maybe I should start browsing online for a better price...It is pretty good though.

My local regular store is selling Lipton (regular US Lipton) loose tea. I have not had the gumption to try it yet....I'm guessing from the illustration on the outside that it's a BOP Ceylon mix.

Melinda

Speaking of mixing red and green...I came across this thread in another online group about masala chai and mixing the two labels, it has a few other interesting things about masalal chai. No affiliation etc., jsut doing some research into the difference between BB Red label and Lipton's Yellow label...are they both Assam? Both CTC assam?

Melinda

Yes, it is the CTC Assam. It seems to be more expensive online from what I've seen, plus you have shipping as well.

I tried the loose US Lipton many years ago. It is actually a larger-leaf tea than the Lipton Yellow Label. It is better than the Lipton tea bags, but nowhere near as good as the Lipton Yellow Label from India. I wouldn't bother trying it if I were you, it's really not worth it.

Lipton really ought to dump the blend it sells in American supermarkets and replace it with Yellow Label.

Yes, they are both CTC Assam. I don't know if that means pure Assam or a blend that is predominately Assam. The only tea that I've tried that I know for sure is pure Assam is Twinings Irish Breakfast, which I don't like. Brooke Bond and Lipton are much smoother, so I'm guessing that there are some other teas mixed in with them.

The difference between them is largely a matter of taste. It's like asking what the difference is between Red Rose and Salada. I did read on one website that Unilever markets Lipton to be a more upscale brand than Brooke Bond in India. However, I like the Brooke Bond Taj Mahal very much - better than Brooke Bond Red Label. I have only tried it in bagged form, and not loose. But I think I would probably choose Taj Mahal over Lipton Yellow Label. Not a huge difference, but Taj Mahal seems to have a little more "kick" to it. That doesn't mean that one is necessarily higher quality than the other, it's just my own preference.

One of the great things about these teas is that they are so cheap, you don't need to be afraid to try them. It's not a huge investment if you decide you don't like them.

Come on ... they've got to do *something* with their factory floor sweepings ;-)

stePH in cup: 2004 brick sheng puer "1366 anniversary of Thai calendar of Xishuangbanna" first infusion (thank you Mike Petro for recommendation)

-- np: Kenso, "Les Phases de la Lune II"