How to Select the Best English Tea For Your Taste: Typhoo Tea

Are you looking for an authentic English Tea but not sure which you might like best? One place to start is Typhoo Tea, one of the world's most recognizable brands. Now, learn all about Typhoo, including tasting, brewing times, loose or tea bag availability and find out how to make the perfect cup.

Many teas are labeled English but few are authentic. Almost every tea company in every country produces a type labeled English. But authentic English Tea is made in England and have large worldwide followings. Typhoo is still made near Birmingham, England, and available in almost every country.

Typhoo blends different leaves to produce its signature taste. Companies blend different types of tea from various regions to produce a specific taste. It is a plain black tea, which means it is unflavored. Although many brands from England offer plain black varieties, they are remarkably different in taste.

Packaged in the distinctive red box, Typhoo offers tea bags and loose tea in various sizes. Typhoo bags are packaged in boxes of 40, 80, 160 and 240. If you want Typhoo for your office or cafe, bags come individually wrapped in boxes of 250. Typhoo Loose typically comes in an 8.8 ounce box. Typhoo Decaffeinated is a full-bodied caffeine-free variety that many consider to be the premier English Decaffeinated variety and it comes in boxes of 80.

Before you buy Typhoo, check for freshness. Although available in a lot of stores, some places don't sell it very often. Every box of Typhoo comes with a "Best By" date stamped on the bottom. Try to get a "Best By" date that is some time in the future, ideally a few months. If you buy it on the Internet, make sure the date is listed.

Now that you decided to try Typhoo and purchased a fresh box, take time to make the perfect cup. First, use fresh water every time you boil it. Put your bag or loose in your mug and pour over freshly boiled water. Doing this will allow it to infuse better. English Teas like Typhoo should steep for about 3 minutes. With a tea pot, use 1 bag for every 2 cups or 2 teaspoons for every 2 cups and then 1 extra for the pot. Traditionally, most English Tea are taken with sugar and milk. But this is a personal preference.

Typhoo has a long and rich history. It was started in 1903 by grocer John Sumner from Birmingham, England. He started the company to aid his sister, who had indigestion. Sumner decided to market a tea under a brand name rather than selling it loose over the counter in grocery stores. He called the brand Typhoo Tipps. Typhoo was chosen, in part, because it was believed to be the Chinese word for doctor. Tipps described the top leaves of the tea plant. Actually, the word was misspelled due to a printing mistake but remained for years.

With high customer loyalty the brand quickly grew, even though it was more expensive. Customers believed it lasted longer and aided digestion. Sumner used many methods to promote the brand, including, in 1906, selling branded teapots. He also inserted picture cards into each package. Even today, these cards are collectibles.