Butterworth & Son Suffolk Special Blend
Who: Butterworth & Son
What: Suffolk Special Blend
Where: Tea
How much: Rsp £1.99 for 125g
Why: The tea category is at risk of going off the boil, with value sales cooling by 3.5% to £579.8m [Nielsen 52 w/e 10 October 2015] while body-conscious consumers expand their repertoire of cuppas from everyday bags and leaves to ‘healthier’ green, herbal and fruit infusions. Suffolk’s Butterworth & Son produces a range of teas that covers both the traditional and fashionable. This product is the ‘strong and full flavoured’ black blend best suited for hard water.
Consumer verdict: Pre-trial engagement was restricted by the “confusing” pack design and the fact the brand was not well known. But the brew, once sampled, impressed the majority of our panellists, prompting comments about the “nice, strong flavour” and “good colour”, with the “refreshing” beverage also described as tasting “like Yorkshire Tea”. Some testers said the product was “bitter” and “too strong”, but overall it was well received and scored way above the category norm of 36 out of 50.
Pre-trial purchase: 45%
Post-trial purchase: 63%
Better than what’s out there: 53%
New and different: 53%
Overall score: 42/50
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