Your ViewsKeep your e-mails pouring in, it's good to know that there are lots of you out there with views and opinions. To help you work out what is what, are now little icons to help you see biscuit related themes. And now you can see at a glance which are the most contested subjects via this graph (requires Flash 6.0 plugin). Please keep your mails coming in to nicey@nicecupofteaandasitdown.com | If you like, you can use this search thingy to find stuff that matches with any of the icons you pick, or use the fantastic free text search, Yay! | Your e-Mails |
Sam Heely |
Dear Nicey,
I am writing to you out of concern about the price of Twinings tea bags, which has jumped up a whopping 30% seemingly overnight! This is an outrageous leap in price and leaves us true tea lovers who enjoy a finer tea on a mature pallet, exasberated as to what to do. I don't support blatant money grabbing and that is what this is - no company needs to raise their prices by almost a third just like that. But how can one go without one's favourite tea? At present we have compromised here at number 47 - instead of going for Twinings Darjeeling tea, we are trying "Tesco Finest" brand Darjeeling. Initial results are promising, as the tea last night and today has been no different to how it always is - hot, wet and most certainly delicious. My double sized mug has been filled for a second turn as always. However, Tesco Finest isn't exactly a cheap brand either and while one doesn't wish to put a price on what is essentially a priceless delight in life, one is certainly troubled by the financial strain this could put on a family that...well, just loves to drink tea and goes through it like termites feeding on a master crafted piece of mohogony furniture.
Have you any advice for us? We have already written to Tescos to find out if they increased the price or if this is something that came from Twinings themselves. If it is just the supermarket we can of course buy it at it's regular price elsewhere...otherwise I fear that our tea drinking may change forever - though not really, seeing as the new brand we tried tastes exactly the same as the original (and by golly when you throw a cheeky Earl Grey bag into the mix for that outstanding blend only truly appreciated by the veteran tea drinker, the flavour is disguised somewhat anyway by the shock addition of another tea!)
Warm Regards
Mr Heeley (number 47) |
Nicey replies: Sam,
As our tap water seems to have a more pronounced taste than Darjeeling tea we don't drink much of the stuff (this is a comment on both our water and Darjeeling tea). However, Darjeeling isn't called the Champagne of teas for nothing. By enjoying tea such a small region with its specialised high altitude tea gardens you are going to have to deal with such vagaries. Such fluctuations in prices are ironed out in the commodity tea market, with blends being produced from tea from several countries.
Perhaps a bit of a tea bag odyssey is called for at number 47. |
| |
Greg Shailes
Custard Cream Review |
Hello Nicey,
Greetings to TheWife and the Younger Members of Staff. I was listening to Radio Two the other day and there was a short item about the number of youngsters drinking tea. Apparently a recenty survey shows that its on the up, but unfortunately I didn't really catch all the details though as I wasn't really paying attention. I wondered if NCOTAASD-HQ had heard anything?
I must say it's jolly good news if it's true. I'm certainly doing my bit by espousing the benefits tea-drinkership whenever my son will listen. Additionally I've been bribing him with Custard Creams. (Not a biscuit I'd normally give away as I'm rather partial to a packet or two dunked in a nice hot cuppa, but I recently left work and it thanks to my reputation as a high-volume biscuiteer my leaving gift was a catering pack of Custard Creams from the cash and carry. Bliss)
Anyway keep up the good work, some days your website is the only thing that keeps me going (except tea of course). |
Nicey replies: Hello Greg,
They may have been talking about this story
Apparently tea drinking is up in the 20-34 year old bracket for the first time in 3 years. Seems that tea is giving those fizzy drinks with all of their various dissolved bits and bobs in a run for their money. Never mind the health benefits its less plastic bottles to bulldoze into landfill.
Good work on the Custard Cream eating too. |
| |
Ron and Gina |
Dear Nicey
How wonderful it was to sit down on a sunny Monday afternoon and find your website. 2 years ago, I moved from southern England to the Rocky Mountains of Canada and still find it a little distressing that I can neither buy Hobnobs nor PG Tips here. However, I do have a link that may (or may not) prove to be of interest to you regarding the history of Peek Freans
You may rest assured that your website has brought joy to this small corner of Canada and that it caused my (Canadian) husband to shake his head in disbelief at your biscuit survey results. I only wish I had found your website sooner so that I could have voted!
Keep up the good work.
|
Nicey replies: Yes its still not clear to me the point at which the Canadian Peek Freans formally parted from the UK business. I know Nabisco bought out Associated biscuits in the UK which was the union of Peek Frean and Huntley Palmer, followed by Jacobs. Perhaps they acquired the Canadian business at the same time. Then when their European interests were sold to Danone the two Peek Frean brands must have parted ownership. |
| |
Pete McWilliam
Bourbon Review |
Hello, whilst sitting at my desk today I was munching on a variety of biscuits when my colleague whipped out his copy of nice cup of tea and a sit down and proceeded to read the sections about the various biscuits. What I read was extremely accurate and showed a great insight into the world of biscuit eating. However, my Happy Shopper Bourbon biscuit didn't match the required stated dimensions. As opposed to the 61mm x 31mm, my biscuit measured 61mm x 29mm. it was the same throughout the pack. Just thought I should let you know!
Regards,
Pete McWilliam
|
Nicey replies: Well that's a better effort from Happy Shopper, the last lot we tried were completely out of spec and tasted that way too.
|
| |
Nicholas 'Kif' Stevenson |
Ayup Nicey,
I just bought Blackcurrant Jaffa Cakes and Lemon&Lime Jaffa Cakes, like 35 minutes ago.
(I also bought Milk Chocolate Orange Digestives, and untouched Hob Nob originals... no chocolatey monkey business, this however is informational, and in no way intended to deflect the Jaffa based issues.)
While the surprise was that the L&L Jaffa's beat the Blackcurrant ones solidly into the ground, I cannot spend the time to properly address this paradox because I was so very concerned at the packaging of these little gems.
Now I can't speak of Jaffa Original, because I didn't buy those, but these two pretentious packets had an "Open This End" instruction at one end. Remember, we are talking about a cardboard box that holds biscuits. Why on Earth do I have to open it at a particular end?!
I followed the instructions, to find myself staring at the underside of a Jaffa Cake, safely wrapped in a polythene inner seal. On removing this pack, I noticed that the Jaffa I saw first was oriented differently to it's 11 sisters. I put this down to randomness until I then opened the other pack a clear two minutes later. This too had a single, presumably misbehaved, Jaffa facing the opposite direction to all the others.
2 out of 2 Jaffa packets examined had exhibited this exact same phenomena, that's 100% to the statisticians out there. Which unequivocally proves that this arrangement is intentional.
Thus begging the question:-
"Why?"
Just when I thought I had reached peak levels of perplexion, I noticed a small warning on the box:-
"Warning: Inserts may form small parts."
Ok, I'm out. I have absolutely no clue what this means. I realise it is a warning, because it identifies itself with the word "warning" but as to the rest.... Now I am a bit worried, because as far as Jaffa's go, there is a warning that I do not understand, what is dangerous about these Jaffas? What is an insert? What will the small parts do in the event that the inserts choose to form them? How will I know when this has occurred?
I'm hoping that a leading authority such as yourselves can clear up these two rather pressing matters with haste, as I think the world needs an answer before we can move forward and beyond it.
Best Regards,
Nicholas "Kif" Stevenson |
Nicey replies: Thank you for raising these points.
I thought the reversed Jaffa Cake was the equivelent of the brace position you're told to adopt if you are in an aeroplane thats about to crash. The heroic last jaffa cake presents its cushioned underside to the outside world protecting its fragile chocolate shell. Of course this raises more questions than it answers, like 'How do they turn the last one over?' is it a special machine, or teams of little old ladies with gloves on? Is the last one a bit special, requiring grooming from before its a completed Jaffa cake, or is it selected at random, or is it actually every twelfth Jaffa Cake made.
There are any inserts on a standard Jaffa Cake box so I'll be confused as well. If they are talking about plastic tray inserts then you really need a pair of scissors to reduce them to small bits as they are a tough as old boots |
| |
|
|
|