PG tips

A warm welcome home A good cuppa is at the heart of everyday British sociability. There’s something about the taste of a good cup of tea that brings Britons together with their friends and family like nothing else.

History of the brand

1930s:

PG tips was launched in the UK as a loose leaf tea. It was originally called Pre-Gest-Tee, as it was thought that tea aided digestion. This was soon abbreviated to PG by grocers and van salesmen. The company adopted this as the official name and added ‘tips’.

1960s:

The PG tips tea bag was introduced. A stunned nation grappled with the new-fangled way of making their favourite brew, but caught on quickly!

1996:

PG tips launched the revolutionary pyramid teabag. With more space inside it acts like a miniature teapot, giving the leaves more room to move.

2005:

PG tips celebrates its 75th anniversary. Seven and a half decades that have seen Britain change beyond recognition, but one thing remains the same – our love of a PG tips cuppa!

2007:

PG tips teams up with the Rainforest Alliance to ensure that, by 2010, the tea inside every bag of PG tips is sourced in a sustainable way.

2009:

2009 has seen the return of PG tips classic “It’s the taste” campaign. So why is it the taste? Well we created the ingeniously designed pyramid bag because the unique shape gives the tea more room to move, freeing the delicious taste of the tea leaves.

Did you know?

Not only does PG tips taste great but it is healthy and natural too!

  • PG tips is second only to water as being the best drink to hydrate with. Drinking up to 6 cups of PG tips tea can contribute towards your daily water requirement on 1.5-3 litres per day.
  • An average cup of PG tips is virtually fat free. Drunk black, one cup is calorie free, and even with semi-skimmed milk typically contains just 14 calories. And to make things even better, the same cup contains only half the caffeine of an average cup of brewed coffee.
  • PG tips tea is a natural source of flavonoid antioxidants. These are also found in fruit and vegetables.

Innovations

PG tips is always looking into ways of making your favourite cuppa taste even better!

  • In 2003 we introduced Freeflow pyramid bags. The bags were developed using unique 'webbed' fibres that allow the water to reach the leaves faster, resulting in a quicker brew. So now you don’t have to wait as long for your cup of PG tips!
  • In 2004, PG tips Decaf was launched for those who love the taste of PG tips but prefer less caffeine in their diet.
  • To celebrate PG tips’ 75 year anniversary, we created PG tips Special Blend. A carefully selected blend of the finest Kenyan and Ceylon tea for all our tea aficionados.
  • In 2008, PG tips launched a new green tea in Pure Green, Lemon and Mint flavours. PG tips Green tea is perfect to enjoy as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Key facts

  • Tea was first made in China over 5000 years ago.

  • Tea accounts for 32% of all drinks drunk (second only to water) and is purchased by 9 out of 10 households.

  • In the UK alone, we consume 150 million cups of tea per day and around 35 million of these are delicious PG tips!

  • Unilever is the largest tea buyer in the world, buying about 12% of the world’s tea supply of black tea.

  • The tea category is worth £559 million.