#34 TAYLORS OF HARROGATE

Ever since I opened my first tin of Twinings Earl Grey tea to begin writing this blog last summer, I’ve been hooked on it. I begin every work day—every single one—with a glass of Twining’s iced tea. For variety I’ll mix it up and try English Breakfast or Irish Breakfast or Lady Grey, but I’m very brand loyal. That’s why I felt a twinge of guilt when I made room in my desk last week for a box of Yorkshire Gold tea. Taylors of Harrogate holds a royal warrant from HRH the Prince of Wales as “Suppliers of Beverages.”

Taylor’s and Twinings don’t have much in common, as brands go. Twinings dates back to 1706 and has always been London-based, while Taylor’s was founded in the late 19^th century—a youngster by comparison—and runs its business from Yorkshire, in the remote north country of England near Scotland. Taylor's is new to the royal warrant pool while Twinings has held a warrant since Queen Victoria first granted the company one in 1837. Surely this would be no competition.

It was in the Victorian era that CE Taylor’s sons opened tea tasting rooms in Yorkshire’s fashionable spa towns of Ilkley and Harrogate.  (In the 1960s Taylor’s closed its tea rooms and consolidated this business with Betty’s, which today runs a famous chain of Yorkshire tea rooms by the same name.)

 

I am probably in good company among Americans who have never heard of Taylor’s of Harrogate, but I have heard of Yorkshire Tea. I admit I'm totally unfamiliar with their great advertisements though. This was has to be my favorite.

Yorkshire Tea today proclaims itself “the official brew of English cricket.” I don’t know what I could tell you about cricket that Pippa Middleton hasn’t already explained to uninitiated Americans in her expertly-written Vanity Fair column (seriously, when are they going to pull the plug on this?), but I was excited to see Yorkshire Tea’s summer web series called “The Great Cricket Tea Challenge.”

As explained on the website, in the middle of a cricket match “everything stops for tea.” The cricket club hosting the match will put on a huge spread of sandwiches, salads, cakes, cookies, and of course teas for hungry players and fans to enjoy in the clubhouse. For the Challenge, these clubs competed in the categories “cakes,” “sandwiches,” and “signature recipes” in order to win an expensive kitchen remodel for their clubhouses. These entries are chalk full of yummy recipes. I’m super excited to try Great Habton’s chicken pesto sandwiches. Seriously, I bought bacon today and plan to take these in my lunch all week. You can read the blog and check out all of the recipes here.

Aside from being a brand used by the royal family for five consecutive years, Taylor’s won a royal warrant from Prince Charles for maintaining an ethical and sustainable business model. While the Queen and Prince Philip do not focus on such things in their selection of royal warrant products and services, Prince Charles has set the bar a bit higher. If his name is on the product—and so far we’ve seen it on Hunter Boots and Yardley bath soaps—you can rest assured you’re buying from a company that cares about the environment. According to the Prince's official website: "The Prince of Wales asks that companies meet a code of good environmental practice if they are to qualify for his warrant."

As I’ve researched this entry I’ve again been reminded that “tea” means something different in America than it does in England. When I use the word I’m talking about ground fragrant leaves used to make a beverage. In England they use the noun to talk not just about a beverage but about an event. Everything—from a busy workday to a heated cricket match—stops for tea. If only, you know? If only.

I’m sure I’m not getting the full Yorkshire Tea experience by simply brewing a cup, mixing in some sugar, and dumping it into a glass of ice each day before starting a busy workday. Despite that, I’ve fallen in love with this tea. The Yorkshire Gold blend is lovely, and I’ve grown to like that it runs a little bit stronger than the Twinings flavors I frequent.

If we're no longer debating which brand is better, perhaps it's time to move on to a new debate. Are you a miffie or a tiffie? Find out what I mean by watching this "How to Make a Proper Brew" video.

 

Where to buy: I found my box of Yorkshire Gold tea bags at Spencer’s Jolly Posh Foods. In the States you can also buy this brand at Whole Foods.