Consumer Reports: This Store Brand Tea Outshines Lipton and Éléphant!

You probably know this: the finest teas are usually not those found in bags, especially not from the supermarket. Ideally, one should opt for loose leaf tea purchased from a specialty store. However, for many consumers, this remains a luxury. When it comes to daily tea consumption, the small boxes from supermarkets are the most accessible and practical option. In the morning rush, not everyone has the time or inclination to set up a teapot and filter. The issue is that these innocuous-looking tea bags steeped in our mugs contain more than just tea leaves. Pesticide residues, heavy metals, alkaloids, and even foreign bodies (plastic fragments, stones, insects, or rodent hairs)… In its investigation, 60 Millions de Consommateurs found many items that shouldn’t be anywhere near a cup of tea. Out of the 48 products tested, more than half were contaminated. However, one brand clearly stands out as being spared from these issues.

The tea leaves come from a shrub known as Camellia sinensis, or the tea plant. To thrive, this plant needs a warm and humid climate, conditions that are also conducive to fungal diseases and insects. Consequently, the majority of producers resort to using pesticides and fungicides, the association explains. Since tea is hardly ever washed during its processing, residues are common.

Products from organic farming are therefore best positioned to minimize this risk. Indeed, it’s an organic brand that received the highest score in the test. The association’s experts found no pesticides, heavy metal residues, or foreign bodies in it. This is the organic Earl Grey tea with bergamot flavor from Bio Village, a Marque Repère product.

Other organic products also performed well, such as the English Breakfast black tea from Clipper, but the store brand remains the most economical: sold for 1.09 euros at E.Leclerc, it is nearly half the price of Clipper, which costs about 3 euros per box. And for a tea that one drinks daily, the savings are significant!