TF Tea Cup Championships 2021
Twinings English Breakfast vs Whittard English Breakfast
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It’s the end of the first week of the Tea Fancier Tea Cup Championships. We’ll be taking a break from the competitions at weekends in order to focus on other – possibly weirdier – teas. Next week we’ll do the remaining three first round matches and then kick off the quarter finals. The following week will be a whirlwind of quarter finals, semi finals and then the final deciding match on Friday 9th July, a full two days before our footballing equivalent. And if you’re wondering how, by that stage, I’m going to find new and exciting things to say about teas that I’ve already reviewed three times before, well, you and me both, mate.
Today’s competitors are Twinings and Whittard who are both bringing their English Breakfast blends onto the pitch. These are two of the biggest names in quality teamongering and they’ve both had plenty of time to hone their skills. Whittard of Chelsea have been in business for over 130 years and they still look like new kids on the block compared to Twinings whose three hundred years of tea blending experience has led them inexorably to this, the Tea Fancier Tea Cup Championship 2021.
The eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed that this is Twinings second appearance in the tournament. Their Everyday tea battled (and lost) against Teapigs Everyday Brew a couple of days ago. You’d think with that advantage, there will be a good chance of Twinings getting through to the next round, but – spoiler alert! – that isn’t going to happen. Whittard’s tea is a far superior blend.
Twinings English Breakfast is a perfectly acceptable tea but I couldn’t get terribly excited about it. I didn’t even like it as much as their Everyday brew. I honestly thought Twinings would do better in this competition. My second ever post on this tea blog was me singing the praises of Twinings Earl Grey in the most gushing terms imaginable. We’ve been through a lot together, Twinings and me. But there you have it. At the end of the day, when all’s said and done, it’s a game of two halves and Twinings have failed to get the goals in.
Whittard English Breakfast is a rich, mellow, full-bodied tea that was an absolute pleasure from beginning to end. The black tea is a blend of Indonesian teas demonstrating once again that there’s no one standard formula behind the English Breakfast label.
Two giants went head to head in this match. This was no David versus Goliath game. This was Goliath versus Goliath and Goliath won*. Whittard, you are through to the quarter finals.
* I’m quite pleased with that analogy If there are any football commentators reading this, feel free to use that one in your next post-match round-up.
