PunjanaThompsons Tea Bags 80 per Pack

The brew that is made from teas like Lipton’s tastes more like dish water than anything else. It certainly doesn’t taste like tea, which is why I have used brands like Tetley’s for several years now. Interestingly, although all of it is supposed to be Tetley, it makes a MUCH better brew if it is imported from England or even Canada. Apparently the company seems to be aware that most Americans are not really tea drinkers and they seem to be passing off a lesser qualityAnyway, all of that is of no consequence because after discovering Thompson’s Punjana I doubt I will ever drink anything else again. It is strong. It is flavorful, and an absolute delight and knock spots off any other tea I have ever although I’m sure there are other good ones out there. Darjeeling or Assam anyone?

I have been trying to find a blend of tea that I hoped would come even close to the body and flavor of my Uncle's tea. I was born a rural section of Ireland and my family had a 'general' store and pub a few miles from Northern Ireland (the pub is still there). My grandfather and a few of my uncles bought the store and pub using the money they had made 'smuggling' tea, coffee and nylon stockings (during WWII) from the Free State (Ireland) to Northern Ireland, which was, and still is, part of Great Britain. Ireland was not a participant in WWII so there were many commodities, due to Germany blockading Great Britain, that were scarce in Northern Ireland, that were easy obtain in the 'Free State'. My family, being hunters and fisherman, knew how to get across the border and back undetected. In the 50's I would watch my Uncle Kevin blending his own tea from great crates that came from exotic places like Ceylon. These crates were fully lined with 'tin foil' to insure the teas' freshness. Uncle Kevin became well known for the quality of his blend, which he sold in thick brown paper bags that I would help him fill by hand. You might say my 'family' has been in the tea business for a good few years.I wound up immigrating to the "States' where I have been, like many an Irishman, an ardent tea drinker for over 70 odd years. Though, truth be told, an occasional cup of coffee has passed these ancient lips. Tried them all with a mixed bag of mostly disappointment and some slight success. Then, on Amazon I found Thompson's Punjana. Bingo. There it was the real thing; robust, deep, dark full bodied, rich and so, so satisfying. Real tea; just like my Uncle used to blend. It was as if I had been drinking grape juice all those years and had suddenly come a upon great Gran Reserva Rioja. Happy days!!!! Thanks, Thompsons.

Punjana is apparently the most popular tea in Northern Ireland and has a dedicated fan base throughout Ireland and Great Britain. I’ve seen it called Thompson’s “hero brand”, “flagship” and “bread and butter tea.” It most assuredly lives up to all those titles.All of the Thompson blacks teas are good, and noticeably different from each other, but Punjana original really stands out due to its maltiness and overall depth of flavor. All of their teas are blends of Assam and Kenyan, but in my opinion it is this tea in particular where the Assam is most noticeable and really shines. The tea is strong, with a wonderful upfront maltiness that blends harmoniously with a bold, rich flavor. It’s not as brisk as the Irish Breakfast and lacks its citrusy notes, but it is still very refreshing.This is almost the ideal breakfast tea. It takes milk and sugar very well (takes sugar much better than the Irish breakfast does IMO) and is wonderful with just a splash of milk. I almost always add milk, but if brewed for less time Punjana makes a pleasant cup of straight black tea.The biggest issue, as always, is price in the US, though Punjana Original is noticeably more readily available now and at a lower price then it was even a year ago. Hopefully that trend continues. I don’t see it becoming as affordable as Yorkshire, but I think this is a noticeably better tea.

Best tea. Drank it in Ireland 20 years ago and is still good today.

It took a long time to add Punjana Tea to my cabinet. I love Thompson's Irish Family Tea, so much, that I couldn't believe that Punjana was as good or better. I was right.This, "Punjana" tea, has a flat, one note flavor. I wanted not to finish up the box.After 3 weeks of morning tea with Punjana, I gave up and ordered the Best: Thompson's Irish Family Tea tp sooth my soul.Same company, but a tasty different!

I'm a fan of strong, malty black teas. I've tried a lot of them. I prefer loose leaf teas, but teabags still have their place, especially at 8-10 cents per cup. And this is the best bagged black tea I've found for anywhere close to this price point, and better than many of the more expensive teas. Very comparable to Barry's Classic blend, which is also very good, but I think I prefer this one over the Barry's. But this is significantly better tea than Stash, Lipton's, Red Rose, PG Tips, Typhoo, Yorkshire, Twinnings, you name it. The only teabags I've had that surpass this brand are the ridiculously pricey ones that come in the fancy pyramid-shaped sachets, which tend to contain a higher grade of leaf.With these (and teabags in general) I use a 2 minute steep time and precisely 8oz of water. These bags contain 3g of tea, which is perfectly suited to that volume of water for a strong but not bitter cup.

I love this tea - however if you do not like strong black teas this is not the tea for you

I am a lifelong coffee drinker, or was, until I became unable to drink it anymore. So I switched to tea… settled on Irish breakfast as my basic go-to morning tea, until a friend recommended Punjana. I love the flavor of this tea so much that despite having a couple dozen teas around, I default to this one most of the time. It’s just that good.Another thing I like (though at first thought it was odd) is that the tea bags have no tag or string. They are not individually wrapped, either, but come in a foil bag to preserve the freshness. Now I think I need to go brew a cup for myself!