Our Pick: Taylors of Harrogate
Check price →Twinings vs Taylors of Harrogate: Which Is Better? (2026)
London's oldest tea house against Yorkshire's family blender. We brewed the matched pairs, English breakfast and Earl Grey, from both to settle which British brand deserves the cupboard.
By Justin Park · ~6 min read · Updated 2026-08-23
★ Our Top Pick
Best English breakfast of the two
Fuller and maltier than Twinings; the breakfast tea that wants milk.
Not sure yet? Compare all 4 picks below ↓
Short version: buy Taylors of Harrogate for black tea you drink with milk: its English Breakfast is fuller and maltier than Twinings', its Earl Grey has the sturdier base, and its bags are cheaper per cup on Amazon. Buy Twinings for range and for tea you drink plain: its Earl Grey is the more floral classic, its lineup is far broader (Lady Grey, greens, herbals, decafs), and its 100-count wrapped boxes are everywhere. On the two core black teas, Taylors wins; on breadth, Twinings.
A note on names: Taylors of Harrogate also makes Yorkshire Tea, so if you are really asking Twinings vs Yorkshire, see that comparison. Here we compare the teas sold under the Taylors label, which are the company's more premium, origin-led range, against Twinings' equivalents: English Breakfast against English Breakfast, Earl Grey against Earl Grey, brewed four minutes, plain and with milk.
| Round | Twinings | Taylors of Harrogate | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| English breakfast | Balanced, brisk, lighter | Fuller, maltier, better with milk | Taylors |
| Earl Grey | Floral, classic, soft base | Brighter bergamot, sturdier base | Twinings plain / Taylors with milk |
| Range and value | Huge range; around 12-13 cents a bag | Focused range; around 14-16 cents a bag in 50s | Twinings |
Twinings vs Taylors of Harrogate, round by round.
The short version
- <strong>Milk drinkers:</strong> Taylors. Both of its core black teas have more body.
- <strong>Plain drinkers:</strong> Twinings English Breakfast and Twinings Earl Grey are the smoother cups without milk.
- <strong>Same company as Yorkshire Tea:</strong> Taylors is the premium, origin-led label; Yorkshire is the everyday one.
- <strong>Range:</strong> Twinings sells dozens of blends in the US; Taylors a tight range of black teas, a few greens, and herbals.
- <strong>Bags:</strong> Taylors uses soft pillow bags (no string); Twinings uses string-and-tag, individually wrapped.
| Tea | Best for | Character | Box |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taylors English Breakfast, 50 ct | Breakfast with milk | Full, malty, rich | 50 pillow bags |
| Twinings English Breakfast, 100 ct | Breakfast plain | Balanced, brisk | 100 wrapped bags |
| Taylors Earl Grey, 50 ct | Earl Grey with milk | Bright bergamot, firm base | 50 pillow bags |
| Twinings Earl Grey, 100 ct | Earl Grey plain | Floral, soft | 100 wrapped bags |
The matched pairs.
01 · Best English breakfast of the two
Winner: BreakfastTaylors of Harrogate English Breakfast, 50 Count
Fuller and maltier than Twinings; the breakfast tea that wants milk.
Origin & grade: Taylors of Harrogate, family-owned since 1886; Assam and Ceylon blend; Rainforest Alliance Certified.
Taylors English Breakfast is built on Assam with Ceylon for brightness, and it leans toward the Assam. Four minutes gives a full, slightly sweet, malty cup; Twinings at the same steep is lighter and more citrusy. Plain, some tasters preferred Twinings' briskness; with milk the Taylors was the unanimous pick. Pillow bags have no string, which some people mind.
- Type
- Black tea blend (Assam, Ceylon)
- Caffeine
- Around 40-50 mg per cup
- Bag
- Pillow bag, no string
- Best
- With milk
- Box
- 50 bags
What we like
- Full and malty
- Superb with milk
- Good value per bag
Worth noting
- Smaller box
- No string or tag
Who should buy it: Milk drinkers and anyone who finds Twinings English Breakfast a little thin.
What we don't like: 50 to a box; no string on the bag.
Bottom line: Taylors' English Breakfast brews a darker, rounder cup than Twinings with a malty Assam core, and it carries whole milk without thinning. It is the better breakfast tea if you take milk, which in Yorkshire is everyone.
02 · Best English breakfast plain
Winner: Plain
Twinings English Breakfast, 100 Count
Balanced, brisk, and wrapped by the hundred; the better cup without milk.
Origin & grade: Twinings of London, established 1706; Assam, Ceylon, and Kenyan blend; individually wrapped.
Twinings English Breakfast is the smoother, more balanced blend, with a Ceylon brightness that reads as clean and slightly lemony plain. Add milk and it fades faster than Taylors. Bags are string-and-tag and individually wrapped, which keeps a hundred fresh.
- Type
- Black tea blend (Assam, Ceylon, Kenya)
- Caffeine
- Around 40 mg per cup
- Bag
- String and tag, wrapped
- Best
- Plain
- Box
- 100 bags
What we like
- Smooth and brisk
- Wrapped 100-count
- Cheap per bag
Worth noting
- Lighter with milk
Who should buy it: Plain or lightly-milked drinkers and anyone who wants wrapped bags in bulk.
What we don't like: Thin with a lot of milk.
Bottom line: Twinings' English Breakfast is lighter and brisker than Taylors', which makes it the nicer plain cup and the weaker milky one. The 100-count of wrapped bags is convenient and cheap per bag.
03 · Best Earl Grey with milk
Also Great
Taylors of Harrogate Earl Grey, 50 Count
Brighter bergamot on a firmer black base; the Earl Grey that survives milk.
Origin & grade: Taylors of Harrogate; black tea with bergamot; Rainforest Alliance Certified.
Taylors Earl Grey puts citrusy bergamot over a proper black tea rather than the light base Twinings uses, so it does not vanish under milk. Plain it is a little less elegant than Twinings and a little more refreshing. See our best Earl Grey tea guide for where it ranks.
- Type
- Black tea with bergamot
- Caffeine
- Around 40 mg per cup
- Bag
- Pillow bag, no string
- Best
- Milk, iced
- Box
- 50 bags
What we like
- Bright bergamot
- Holds up to milk
- Good iced
Worth noting
- Less classic
- Small box
Who should buy it: Anyone who takes milk in Earl Grey or drinks it iced.
What we don't like: Less floral finesse than Twinings; 50-count only.
Bottom line: Taylors' Earl Grey is the more modern take: zesty bergamot and a base tea with enough body to take milk. Twinings' is the softer classic. If you make Earl Grey with milk, or iced, Taylors is the one; it sits in our top seven Earl Greys.
04 · Best classic Earl Grey
Also Great
Twinings Earl Grey, 100 Count
The reference floral Earl Grey; best plain or with lemon.
Origin & grade: Twinings of London; black tea with bergamot flavouring; individually wrapped.
Twinings Earl Grey is perfumed rather than zesty, over a light base that makes it lovely at three minutes plain and thin under milk. For the head-to-head with America's other supermarket Earl Grey, see Twinings vs Bigelow Earl Grey.
- Type
- Black tea with bergamot
- Caffeine
- Around 40 mg per cup
- Bag
- String and tag, wrapped
- Best
- Plain, lemon
- Box
- 100 bags
What we like
- Classic floral Earl Grey
- 100 wrapped bags
Worth noting
- Weak with milk
Who should buy it: Plain Earl Grey drinkers who want the classic style by the hundred.
What we don't like: Fades with milk; aroma dulls in paper wraps.
Bottom line: Twinings Earl Grey is the one most people picture: soft, floral, and elegant plain. It is the better cup without milk and the weaker one with it, which is exactly the Twinings pattern in this whole comparison.
Two very different companies
Twinings has sold tea from the Strand in London since 1706 and is now part of Associated British Foods; it is a global brand with an enormous range, and its American boxes are blended for a broad, gentle palate. Taylors of Harrogate is a family company in Yorkshire, founded in 1886, that also makes Yorkshire Tea and Bettys bakeries. Its own-label range is smaller and more origin-focused, with single-estate teas and a house style that assumes you take milk. That difference in assumption is the difference in the cup.
With milk versus without
Every pairing went the same way. Taylors' teas are built with more Assam and more body, so they hold their shape under milk; Twinings' are lighter and smoother, so they taste better plain and get lost in a milky mug. If you know how you drink your tea, you know which brand to buy. If you drink it both ways, Taylors is the safer box because a strong tea can be drunk plain more easily than a light tea can be rescued with milk.
Range, bags, and price
Twinings sells dozens of blends in the US, from Lady Grey to green and herbal lines to decafs, in 20-, 50-, and 100-count boxes with wrapped string-and-tag bags. Taylors sells a tighter range, mostly in 50-count boxes of soft pillow bags without strings, plus loose leaf. On Amazon, Twinings' 100-counts work out to roughly 12 to 13 cents a bag; Taylors' 50-counts to about 14 to 16 cents, with the Yorkshire-branded 160-counts the cheapest of all. Our Twinings review and Taylors of Harrogate review cover each range blend by blend.
Which should you buy?
Buy Taylors of Harrogate if you take milk and want a fuller, maltier cup from the two core black teas.
Buy Twinings if you drink tea plain, want the classic floral Earl Grey, or want one brand that covers every blend you drink.
Questions, answered
Is Twinings or Taylors of Harrogate better?
For black tea with milk, Taylors of Harrogate: its English Breakfast and Earl Grey are fuller-bodied and hold up to milk. For tea drunk plain, and for range, Twinings: its blends are smoother plain and its lineup is far broader. On the two core black teas, Taylors wins.
Is Taylors of Harrogate the same as Yorkshire Tea?
Same company, different labels. Taylors of Harrogate makes Yorkshire Tea, its everyday brand, and also sells a more premium, origin-led range under its own name. Taylors English Breakfast is a different blend from Yorkshire Tea or Yorkshire Gold.
Which is better, Twinings or Taylors Earl Grey?
Twinings Earl Grey is the softer, more floral classic and the better cup plain. Taylors Earl Grey has a brighter bergamot and a firmer black base, so it is the better cup with milk or iced.
Which is cheaper, Twinings or Taylors of Harrogate?
Twinings, slightly. Its 100-count boxes run about 12 to 13 cents a bag on Amazon; Taylors' 50-count boxes about 14 to 16 cents. The Yorkshire Tea 160-counts from the same company are cheaper than both.
Do Taylors of Harrogate tea bags have strings?
No. Taylors uses soft pillow bags without a string or tag, the standard British format. Twinings' US boxes use string-and-tag bags that are individually wrapped.