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 |
Michael Oates |
In our office in Kazakhstan, we have a very nice couple of local ladies who run the tearoom, where tea (and coffee) is freely available at all hours, even with a choice of white/dark sugar. They have taken to selling tasty biscuits and small sweet snacks as well, but I fear that two of these products (photo attached) are not fit for publication...but I thought you might get a private smile from them anyway. Maybe one day you could write a section on "under the counter" biscuits, or even institute an "adult" section on the site for such products.
Regards
Michael
(PS, transliterated, it simply says BISKVIT)
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Nicey replies: A huge NCOTAASD Hoorah for your Kazakhstani tea ladies and their foul mouthed snacks. I feel somehow more worldly wise from this knowledge. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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.
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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. |
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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
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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.
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