PG Tips is a Distinctly English Tea

For many people, tea is distinctly English. PG Tips is perhaps the best known brand of tea in the world. According to PG Tips, it is England's number 1 tea.

Dating to 1869, PG Tips begins with Arthur Brooke, who opened a tea shop in Manchester, England. One of Brooke's early slogans was “Good tea unites good company, exhilarates the spirits, opens the heart, banishes restraint from conversation and promote happiest purposes of social intercourse.”

The name Brooke Bond & Company appeared over the doors of the building where the shop opened. Despite the fact Mr. Bond did not exist, Brooke used this name for the business.

Brooke Bond sold tea to grocery stores. In 1930, Brooke Bond decided to sell tea under a specific brand name. The tea was called Pre-Gest-Tee, since it was believed to aid digestion if taken before eating. Soon after introduction, it quickly became one of the UK's best selling teas. The name Pre-Gest-Tee was shortened to PG and tips added since the top two leaves and a bud make the best tea.

Until 1960, PG Tips was sold only as loose tea. Then, tea bags were introduced. Tea bags remained unchanged until 1996, when PG Tips introduced new pyramid-shaped tea bags. Resulting from 4 years of research, pyramid tea bags give tea leaves 50% more room to flow and infuse, which results in a better cup of tea.

PG Tips offers a complete range of teas, including loose tea, decaffeinated and even a special blend. Unilever, the corporate owners of PG Tips, introduced a version of the tea specifically blended for the Scotland's soft waters. In 2005, Scottish Blend was launched.

Distinctive television advertising is part of the reason for PG Tips popularity. PG Tips is in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the longest running television ad campaign in the United Kingdom. This campaign featured the PG Tips chimps, which started in 1956. The chimps dressed as humans and were known as the Tipps Family. These commercials can still be seen on YouTube and similar sites. The chimps were replaced in 2002 and now live in an English Zoo.

After the chimps, the next television advertising characters were claymation birds from the makers of Wallace & Gromit. Actually, Wallace & Gromit did some commercials for PG Tips. The claymation birds lasted until 2007. Today, monkey and Al are featured in PG Tips advertising.

PG Tips is still made in Manchester, England.