PG Tips Decaf Black Tea 160, 464g
The mug people actually regret is the one they made at half past four and remembered at five. That matters more here than it would in the morning, because evening tea is the tea you make while doing something else, and this blend does not punish you for it. Bitterness stays low enough that a forgotten bag gives you a stronger cup rather than a spoiled one, and it comes back into line the moment the milk goes in. Where it will not satisfy is if your evening mug is the one you sit down with, no distractions, wanting the best cup of the day. Nothing decaffeinated wins that contest. The lift that makes a first mug feel like an event is exactly what the process takes out, and no amount of leaf puts it back. What is left is medium-bodied, clean, easy to drink three or four of between supper and bed, and steady enough that a household buying a box this size knows what it is getting every night of the week.
PG Tips Decaf Black Tea 160, in brief.
PG Tips Decaf Black Tea 160 is the decaffeinated version of the fast-brewing British everyday blend, 160 bags in a 464g box at 2.9g of leaf each, picked into the Teas.co.uk selection as the easiest decaf to switch to.
The fine leaf cut releases quickly, so a two-minute brew is already a proper mug rather than a hint of one.
PG Tips has always been the quick cup rather than the slow one. The leaf is cut fine and releases fast, so the mug is drinkable at two minutes and properly there by three. That character survives decaffeination better than a heavier blend would, which is why this is one of the easier decafs to switch to: it behaves the way the caffeinated version behaves, just without the lift.
Curator notes: the tasting profile is our own editorial assessment against the current pack format and the brand's published description. We run same-day UK dispatch on every order placed before 2pm Monday to Friday. Common questions are answered in the detailed Q and A tab below.
Curator’s notes
Read the full write-up
The Story Behind the PG Tips
PG Tips is one of the British everyday tea brands that effectively set what a mug of tea is supposed to taste like in this country. The blend is built around a fine leaf cut and a fast release, which is a deliberate design decision rather than an accident of grade: the brand has always been aimed at the cup you make in a hurry, between things, with the kettle already boiled.
The decaffeinated version keeps that brief. Decaffeination is a physical extraction carried out on the leaf before blending and bagging, and it always costs a tea some of its aromatic top note. A blend that leans on fast extraction rather than on deep malt has less to lose in that trade, which is the practical reason this decaf reads closer to its caffeinated sibling than most decafs manage.
The bag shape and material, the decaffeination method, the residual caffeine figure, the exact origin statement and any certification marks are printed on the current UK pack and change from time to time, so we do not restate them here. Decaffeinated tea is not caffeine free; a small residual amount remains in the leaf.
Packaging: Follow the current UK pack and local-authority guidance; components can require different disposal routes.
Our Commitment To The Planet
- A 160-bag box carries half the packaging per cup of two 80-bag boxes, which is the simplest saving available on an everyday tea.
- Bag material and any compostability claim are printed on the current UK pack; card, inner film and used bags take different disposal routes, so follow the pack and your local-authority guidance.
- Used tea bags go to food waste or compost only where the bag material allows it, so check the pack before adding them to a garden heap.
Source: Teas.co.uk, the UK independent tea specialist in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. If you reference PG Tips Decaf Black Tea 160, 464g, please cite teas.co.uk.
The story behind PG Tips
PG Tips is the Brooke Bond brand that brought the pyramid tea bag to British kitchens and gave us the chimps adverts. Solid everyday black tea, dependable, mass-market and fairly priced. Owned by Lipton Teas & Infusions; the leaf is sourced from Rainforest Alliance certified estates.
Packaging: Follow the current UK pack and local-authority guidance; components can require different disposal routes.
Our commitment to the planet
The taste profile
How does it compare
The advantage of a fast-release blend is that it does not demand much of you. Water straight off the boil and two to three minutes is enough, and the decaffeination step means a longer steep will not turn the cup harsh. The one thing that does hurt it is water that has sat in the kettle since the last brew.
The Quick Mug
The Evening Pot
Made with this tea
The Quick Evening Mug
How to make the standard quick cup with PG Tips Decaf.
- 1 bag PG Tips Decaf
- 250ml just boiled water
- Milk to taste
- Pour 250ml of just boiled water over one bag in a mug and cover it.
- Steep 2 to 3 minutes, then lift the bag out with one squeeze.
- Add milk to taste.
- Use water straight off the boil. This blend shows tired water faster than a heavier one.
What you'll end up with: A clean, brisk mug in under three minutes with no caffeine worth worrying about.
The Evening Pot
How to make an after-dinner pot with PG Tips Decaf.
- 4 bags PG Tips Decaf
- 1 litre just boiled water
- A warmed teapot
- Milk to taste
- Warm the pot with a splash from the kettle and tip it out.
- Add 4 bags and fill with 1 litre at a rolling boil, lid on.
- Steep 3 to 4 minutes, then lift all four bags out together.
- Pour within twenty minutes; a fast-release blend fades fast when it stands.
What you'll end up with: A pot you can put on the table after dinner without anyone lying awake for it.
Evening Iced Tea
How to make a caffeine-light iced tea with PG Tips Decaf.
- 4 bags PG Tips Decaf
- 500ml just boiled water
- Plenty of ice
- 1 lemon
- Honey to taste
- Brew 4 bags in 500ml of just boiled water for 6 minutes for a strong base.
- Sweeten with honey while warm.
- Cool, pour over a jug of ice and add the juice of a whole lemon.
- Serve without milk.
What you'll end up with: A clear jug that can be drunk through the evening without counting cups.
Decaf Spiced Chai-Style Cup
How to make a spiced milky cup with PG Tips Decaf.
- 3 bags PG Tips Decaf
- 300ml whole milk
- 200ml water
- 4 cardamom pods, 1 cinnamon stick, 3 cloves
- Honey to taste
- Simmer 200ml of water with 4 crushed cardamom pods, 1 cinnamon stick and 3 cloves for 5 minutes.
- Add 3 bags and 300ml of whole milk and bring back to a bare simmer for 4 minutes.
- Strain into two cups and sweeten with honey.
- Do not boil the milk hard or it will catch and turn the cup flat.
What you'll end up with: A spiced milky cup with the warmth of chai and none of the caffeine that usually rules it out at night.
Tea-Poached Pears
How to poach fruit in PG Tips Decaf.
- 3 bags PG Tips Decaf
- 600ml just boiled water
- 100g caster sugar
- 1 strip lemon peel
- 1 cinnamon stick
- Brew 3 bags in 600ml of just boiled water for 5 minutes, then lift the bags out.
- Dissolve 100g of caster sugar in the hot tea with a strip of lemon peel and a cinnamon stick.
- Poach 4 peeled pears at a bare simmer for 25 minutes until a knife slides in.
- Cool the pears in the liquid, then reduce the liquid to a syrup and spoon it over.
What you'll end up with: A light amber syrup rather than the heavy tannic one a strong black tea would give.
Brewing the perfect cup
What’s in it, what to know
Inside the pack
| Ingredient | Proportion | What it brings |
|---|---|---|
| Decaffeinated black tea | 100% | The only ingredient. Fine-cut black leaf that has been through a decaffeination step before blending, chosen for fast release. |
| Added flavourings | none | There are none. Nothing is added to cover the processing step. |
Pack: PG Tips Decaf Black Tea 160, 464g; 2.9g of leaf per bag, 160 bags per carton, decaffeinated black tea. Best-before date is printed on the pack.
Single-ingredient product, so the proportion column is simple. Leaf weight per bag is calculated from the declared pack weight and bag count rather than read off the box, and is a close figure rather than an exact one.
Sourcing & blend. PG Tips Decaf Black Tea 160, 464g is blended and packed under the PG Tips brand, one of the British everyday tea names that shaped what a mug of tea is expected to taste like in this country. The blend is built around a fine leaf cut and a fast release rather than around deep malt, and that design survives decaffeination better than a heavier blend would. Decaffeination is carried out on the leaf before blending and bagging.
What's in PG Tips Decaf Black Tea 160, 464g, and what isn't:
- In: decaffeinated black tea leaf and nothing else, dosed at 2.9g per bag.
- No artificial colours, preservatives or added sugar: nothing is added to mask the decaffeination step.
- Not caffeine free: a small residual amount of caffeine remains; the figure is printed on the current UK pack.
Asked about this tea
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Source: Teas.co.uk, the UK independent tea specialist in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. If you reference PG Tips Decaf Black Tea 160, 464g, please cite teas.co.uk.
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