Was looking forward to a nice, strong cuppa just now, and opened my new box of Twining tea bags.
There was a minty smell and, in fact, the brew has a minty flavour, but very little ‘tea’ flavour. Very disappointing.
I usually buy Twining Afternoon Tea, so I don’t know how long this has been happening. Wonder if anyone else has had the same experience?
I’m going to try to get my money back, it’s a 100 tea bags box, and I don’t like to waste my money.
We drink English breakfast regularly, but not Twinings. These never had a minty smell, but more a fresh earthy tea smell - yes, we smell our teabags when opening a new packet. English breakfast isn’t a strong tea, but should have a distinctive soft tea flavour.
I wonder if the tea has been contaminated (e.g. stored with mint tea for a period) or packed wrongly.
It appears you aren’t the only one with the same observations…
Just opened a box of 100. There is another unopened in the pantry. Both purchased on half price sales at Woolies. The open box aroma is of tea and not mint. It tastes fine.
Pack details:
The unopened box is a newer batch, and has a faint tea aroma from the outside. I have wondered at the logic of the change in packaging which has dispensed with the outer cellophane like wrapper.
Not doubting the observation, it might be a contamination related issue.
P.S.
Just made a cuppa to check the result. All as per usual.
The best before date on my box
(no cellophane) is 03/03/2024
Twinings has been my tea of choice for years, always happy with it, until now.
My last box was a decaff one, disappointing because of the extremely light tea taste, couldn’t wait for it to finish!
The box I got today says: rich and invigorating! So disappointing! Taste like toothpaste 
I’ve opened the box we purchased this week at Woolies, 24/02/24 use by date. Just to be sure!
Taste test passed. Compared to the other box which was opened only a week prior it has a slightly stronger/fresher tea flavour. No hint of toothpaste. I have a definite aversion to mint flavouring.
P.S.
When it comes to tea I really prefer the grassy tones of high altitude first flush leaf. A rare treat when I can justify the premium. The cheap fall back is to fight for the first pour from the pot when there is a quorum.
Thank you Mark, much appreciated.
Probably something went wrong with the packaging of the tea bags, or something similar.
I’ll go back to the shop tomorrow, in the meantime I envy your cuppa 
Just enjoying a lovely strong cuppa from Nerada tea bags.
Got a refund for the ‘minty’ tea this morning. Went inside to shop for some other brand and there was Nerada on the bottom shelf, but it’s 100% Aus grown in beautiful FNQ,
pesticide free, freshly packed.
Love the taste, and, yes, the fresh earthy tea smell
For the record, I am a consumer of leaf tea and have no connection with the food industry. I wrote to this forum a few weeks ago about the fact that I think Twinings have lived off their reputation for too long, and produce very ordinary tea for the Australian market. Some of their tea is from various sources and packed in Poland.
I recently purchased for the first time, Nerada leaf tea from my local supermarket. It’s Australian grown, packed and owned I believe, and is a lovely, strong breakfast style. Many small Indian shops also have a range of Indian teas which are of excellent quality at a fraction of the cost of the well known ‘prestigious’ brands.
Ray
I have always been a tea drinker and usually buy English Breakfast of various brands. As I like a strong flavoursome tea I use two teabags.
Twinings was on special recently ($5) and I brought a 100 tea bags box. It was a ‘grit your teeth’ struggle to get through them. I did not detect a minty taste but there seemed to be a bergamot tang which I dislike Intensely. I note the tea is packed in Poland so maybe there was some cross contamination from Earl Grey.
I won’t be buying it again.
I like Nerada (Australian grown) and also Typhoo which is a popular tea from the UK, although not seen in shops much.
We also regularly by Nerada loose leaf. I have avoided their tea bags as they contained synthetic fibres (plastic polymers). I prefer loose leaf to teabags so no an issue from our end.
We also do the same for a change. We are currently drinking Tata AGNI tea which we have enjoyed immensely. A strong, full flavoured tea. It was just under $10/kg (one kilo bag) at one of the local Indian supermarkets. One to recommend if one likes a strong brew.
I really like the Yorkshire brand of tea. It is extremely popular, cheap compared to Twinings and available in standard and strong. I would recommend this above Twinings.
TeaBags - nope, I use leaf tea only, generally NERADA brand. We lived in Nth Qld for 10 years in the '70s/'80s, and bought it first to support the local industry. Loved it.
But never TeaBags.
This is starting to sound like a ban imported tea and teabags movement?
For the foreseeable future Australia will continue to import most of it’s tea. Compared to the local product which comes as a single blend black tea, variety only comes with the imported products.
Whether Twinings deserves a spot on a podium, teas come in a multitude of varieties and flavours. Nerada black tea which I’ve purchased a number of times as loose leaf product just does not do it for me. Given a choice personal preference is for lighter and sweeter blends over heavy tannins and the blends that taste like the aftermath of a bush fire. I’m a first pour from the pot, don’t let it brew too long person. The more brewed the tea the more milk I add.
I’ll offer some feedback on the next box of Twinings English Breakfast Tea once purchased. Hopefully it will not taste if peppermint which I dislike, or bergamot which I prefer as a late afternoon tea.
To each there own. Life is too short to suffer tea One does not enjoy. 
I watched Adam Liaw’s program “Destination Flavour China” on SBS TV yesterday aftrenoon where he was in Shanghai.
He had a cup of the most expensive tea in China which is aged for some 37 years and sells for around $10,000/kg.
I will stick with my Moccona coffee.
Far from being a Twining Tea ‘bashing’,
some of us have been disappointed to find flavours like mint and bergamot in our English Breakfast Tea.
Even ProductReview has got adverse comments.
Surely it comes down to Twining’s
quality control?
Appreciate the feedback.
Choice has done a number of taste tests including coffee. Tea is more like wine than coffee is like wine. Tea comes in an endless variety of types and flavourings. Coffee is playing catch up. If Choice ever does a tea taste and value test, it is going to be complex and interesting.
I don’t doubt Twinings has a quality issue. I’m yet to fall victim, and hope they sort it out promptly. I’m not convinced Nerada is an equal replacement. T2 has some great alternatives, but at a premium. For some of the family a large pot of loose leaf black tea is the heart of breakfast, 3-4 cups depending, the blacker the better.
Twinings over-rated in my view. I stick to Dilmah teapot bags for a strong cuppa.
Often marketing creates hype which means overrating. Some Twinings is okay for a (rare) change (e,g, Russian Caravan), but we usually pick others.
I buy Twinings only for its pure mint tea. Can anyone recommend an Australian Mint tea in bags?? I also have Nerada loose leaf and teabags (depending on whether I want more than one cup.) as well as their Chai.
Fresh mint chopped finely and placed in the old fashioned loose leaf tea teacup holders (you can still buy them) or you can use the dried mint found in grocery stores but you will need to steep it a bit longer than the fresh. We do this when we want a mint tea. Flavour can also be varied by using different flavoured mints eg spearmint.
I use a muslin bag filled with mint when making our non alcoholic Punch as we don’t drink Tea tea. It imparts a great flavour as well as a great tannin/dry note to the flavour.
