Sainsbury’s – Earl Grey Decaff
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I’m always eager to receive tips and recommendations from my readers, and today’s tea review is the result of one such recommendation. Fellow tea fancier, Karen asserted on my Facebook page that Sainsbury’s Earl Grey is the nicest decaff Earl Grey available. And that is the sort of bold statement that clearly warrants some investigation.
In order to carry out my assessment, I made a cup of Twinings decaffeinated Earl Grey (my usual blend) at the same time This served as a control and enabled me to make a side-by-side comparison.
Karen is quite right, you know, the Sainsbury’s version is a lot nicer. I described Twinings decaff Earl Grey previously as being “a bit wishy washy” and I stand by that. Sainsbury’s decaff Earl Grey, by comparison, is a lot more robust and flavourful. The tea itself is a totally different colour from the Twinings version, (although they’re both still brown, obviously), and it has a depth of flavour that makes for a much more satisfying brew. It’s still decaffeinated and therefore not a proper Earl Grey, but Sainsbury’s is a hell of a lot closer to it than the Twinings equivalent.
So how does one go about decaffeinating a tea? There are two main methods of caffeine removal: chemical solvents such as methylene chloride and ethyl acetate, and CO2 extraction using heated and pressurised carbon dioxide. Only the second one of these is certified as organic by The Soil Association so the tea companies who use it tend to be a bit smug about it.
And, yes, I do think organic methods are preferable but the pedant in me can’t help getting a bit eye-roll-y when reading the Clipper website which talks about “yucky chemicals” and then goes on to describe CO2 extraction as an alternative. Clipper, you do know that Carbon and Oxygen are chemicals, right? They’re like literally two of the most famous elements on the periodic table.
I wrote to both Twinings and Sainsbury’s asking them what process they use to make their decaffeinated teas.
Twinings wrote back almost immediately with a detailed and helpful response. They favour the (non-organic) Methylene Chloride solvent method, which they are at pains to point out is “permitted for use under European legislation”. They also say that after processing, “the remaining tea is then dried so that any left over solvent will evaporate.”
So Twinings might be all about the yucky chemicals but at least they bothered to reply to me properly which is certainly something in their favour. Sainsbury’s response, on the other hand, was this: “I’m afraid all the information we hold about our products is on the packaging and our website. If the information you’re looking for isn’t there, It’s because we don’t have it here. Sorry for any disappointment.”
Well, thanks a lot, Sainsbury’s. Obviously, the information isn’t on your fucking packaging or website. If it were, I wouldn’t have needed to write to you.
Given that Sainsbury’s were unforthcoming with the requested info, I am going to assume that their caffeine extraction processes are much worse than Methylene Chloride.
Maybe they use nuclear fusion to do it? Or perhaps they have imprisoned thousands of parentless children in a secret underground dungeon somewhere, forcing them to laboriously remove each caffeine molecule from Sainsbury’s teas by hand. I reckon it’s a combination of the two. Poor radioactive orphans.
So while Sainsbury’s decaffeinated Earl Grey might be the superior tea, I am currently feeling more well-disposed to Twinings based on their better customer service. Also, I am now going to have to add Clipper Decaff tea to my shopping list, in order to see how this whole CO2 extraction business checks out.
Today’s featured book is Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs, based on a rather tenuous Earl Grey / Earl of Greystoke connection.
Sainsbury use a Cacinogenic chemical to decar Earl Grey tea
Very Nasry
I have only drunk S.earl grey d-caf for a long long time and suddenly it’s disappeared from the shelves and not online either. S.S.B and D. I think you must have upset them with your talk of nuclear orphans!!!
You’re right! It’s not there any more. How strange. I couldn’t find the inferior Twinings version on Sainsburys website either. I got bored with decaff teas some point in the last year so I didn’t notice. Sainsbury’s do have Tick Tock’s Earl Grey Rooibos which I’ll be reviewing soon. It’s very nice but it totally tastes of rooibos and not earl grey so not really suitable for your purposes.
Delighted to read about process for Clipper’s Organic decaffeinated Earl Grey tea, but disappointed with product….. poor flavour, would not really know that it is meant to be Earl Grey.
Living in Guernsey, we are limited to Waitrose & Co-op.
I haven’t tried Clipper’s Earl Grey but I remember being underwhelmed by their English Breakfast. It’s weird that you don’t have Sainsbury’s in Guernsey. Thank goodness for the internet so you can still get your hands on Twinings and Whittard and the like.