To brew or not to brew – how do you make yours?

Last week was National Tea Day, and as you know, we conducted our very own in-store tea tastings. We wanted to see if people could spot the Yorkshire Tea at first sip (surely any self respecting Yorkshire man or woman could??). We’re pleased to say the vast majority did, earning themselves a free box of tea and – perhaps more importantly – a Yorkshire sticker to proudly display!

We enjoyed it and had a good giggle with our customers in store, chatting about how we like our brews - which is why a survey caught our eye that came out on the same day.

Apparently, according to Clipper Teas, we will each suffer through 9,828 disappointing cups of tea in our lifetime. How upsetting! We each drink on average 28 cups a week (4 cups a day) but at least three each week will fail to hit the spot.

We all have our own way of enjoying a cuppa and it is often a case of personal preference, but there’s some cardinal rules which should never be broken.

Apparently at least half of us have had to complain to a partner, friend or work colleague about their brew making efforts – or lack of them (we’ve all known that one person who never makes a round…)

But some of us are just too nervous to tell our loved ones (or the ones we share an office with all week) that we feel that way, preferring to just turn down the offer, or gulp back the offending item.

So, what were the top 10 complaints of the 2,000 people surveyed?

1.            Too weak – 36%

2.            Luke-warm – 35%

3.            Too milky – 30%

4.            Teabag not in for long enough – 26%

5.            Mug not been washed properly – 25%

6.            Incorrect amount of milk – 21%

7.            Cup is half empty – 20%

8.            Made with poor quality tea – 19%

9.            The cup is half full – 18% (although think that’s the same as half empty – just from the optimists rather than the pessimists)

10.         Too strong – 18%

But with there being a further 10 reasons why your cuppa might not be good enough – including leaving the teabag in too long, the milk was put in first, tea stains down the cup, chipped mugs, wrong type of milk, not enough or too much sugar, or the wrong brand of tea – you can see why tea making is a minefield!

Maybe I’ll just have a coffee…

We’ve giving you the opportuni-tea to prove your Yorkshire-ness this National Tea Day!

Anyone who knows the team at Hunters knows we’re potty about a good cup of tea. (Geddit? Potty!) In fact, I’m pretty sure it’s part of the DNA of this country to want to put the kettle on in times of strife, or indeed joy. There’s never a bad time to put the kettle on, to be perfectly honest. Did you know, Brits are said to drink a teapot shattering 165 million cups of tea every single day? And, actually, with over 3,000 different varieties, tea is the second most widely consumed drink in the world, after water? Proof, if you need it, that’s it’s totally tea-rrific. So, we were overjoyed to hear National Tea Day was approaching! (It’s this Saturday – 21st April – just in case you hadn’t marked it in your diary. Sure you had though.) We didn’t want to let it pass without a little attention, so we’ve come up with our very own challenge, and we’re putting our customers to the test. Just how Yorkshire are you? (DUM DUM DUMMMMMM – that was dramatic TV gameshow style music, in case you were wondering) Throughout the day we’ll be asking customers in our store if they can spot the difference between a true Yorkshire brew and some imposters, in the form of a blind taste test. Don’t worry, you don’t need to wear a blindfold or anything. Unless you really want to. Yorkshire Tea will be up against two other popular teas – and we’re challenging you to pick out the genuine Yorkshire cuppa by taste and smell alone. Can you iden-tea-fy it? Just you wait – BBC One will have this as a tea-time quiz show before you know it. Those who succeed – as well as being able to walk around Helmsley with their head held high obviously – will also receive a gift box of Yorkshire Tea to take home and enjoy. Brew-tiful! And there’s also a Yorkshire sticker to proudly display on their lapel – telling everyone they’re a CHAMPION when it comes to tea. Of course, we know that everyone has their own personal favourite when it comes to a good cuppa, and there are literally hundreds of delicious teas available to suit everyone’s preferences. Whatever your favourite is – from chai or green to peppermint or good old English Breakfast, we’ve got the best of the best from around the world. We even sell 13 varieties as loose leaf tea from jars, by weight – shopping as it used to be! Must be time to put the kettle on?