Brew Off: We Blind-Tested Supermarket Basics Against the Big Brands So You Don't Have To
Photo: John Green (vlogbrothers), CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
We've all stood in the aisle, own-brand teabags in one hand and the posh box in the other, doing that mental arithmetic that every UK shopper knows by heart. Is the branded stuff actually better, or am I just paying for the packaging?
There was only one way to find out. We bought the basics — tea bags, biscuits and washing up liquid — from four of the big players (Aldi, Tesco, Asda and Lidl), recruited a panel of decidedly unscientific friends and family, and ran a blind test in a kitchen in Manchester. No labels, no brands visible, just numbered samples and honest opinions.
Here's how it went.
The Ground Rules
Each product category was tested blind: panelists rated taste or performance out of 10, with no idea which item was which. We also worked out the price per unit — per teabag, per biscuit, per 100ml of washing up liquid — so we could judge value properly, not just headline price.
Prices were collected in-store in February and will wobble a bit depending on where you shop and whether there's a Clubcard deal running. Treat them as a guide, not gospel.
Round One: The Tea Test
We brewed eight cups — four own-brand (Aldi Specially Selected, Tesco Finest, Asda's mid-tier, Lidl's premium line) against four big names including the usual red boxes and a premium blend.
The panel couldn't reliably tell the difference. Two of the top three scores went to own-brand teabags, with Lidl's premium option genuinely outranking one of the big-name blends. The branded versions scored slightly better on strength, but several panelists noted the own-brand cups were "perfectly decent" and one admitted they'd happily switch permanently.
Verdict: Buy own-brand. At roughly 2p per bag versus 5-7p for the big names, a household drinking four cups a day saves around £40-£70 a year. That's a proper saving for a change nobody could reliably detect.
Round Two: Biscuits, Dunked and Judged
Biscuits were the most divisive round. We tested chocolate digestives and a plain biscuit variant, own-brand versus the brand leader.
The branded chocolate digestives won on chocolate thickness — panelists noticed the difference immediately. But the own-brand versions from Aldi and Lidl scored within a point, and at nearly half the price per biscuit, the maths got awkward for the big names. The plain biscuits were even closer; one panelist scored the Aldi version higher and refused to believe it wasn't the brand.
Verdict: Split decision. If you're a serious dunker who cares about the chocolate-to-biscuit ratio, the brand leader earns its premium. For lunchboxes and everyday cuppa-dunking, own-brand wins comfortably. We'd suggest keeping the branded box for guests and the own-brand pack for everyone else — including those guests, who won't notice.
Round Three: Washing Up Liquid
Here's where branding matters most, because performance isn't about taste — it's about how much you need per sink. We tested each liquid on a deliberately filthy roasting tray, using a standard capful.
The brand leader genuinely performed better: less product needed per wash, longer-lasting suds. But the gap was smaller than the price gap. The own-brand options needed roughly 1.5 times as much liquid to match the cleaning power, yet still worked out 30-40% cheaper per wash.
Verdict: Own-brand, with a caveat. If you wash up constantly and hate re-bottling, the branded stuff is more pleasant to use. For value per wash, own-brand wins and it isn't close.
The Shopping List Verdict
Cutting to the chase, here's our definitive guide:
| Product | Our Call | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Tea bags | Own-brand | Panel couldn't tell; huge annual saving |
| Everyday biscuits | Own-brand | Near-identical scores, half the price |
| Chocolate biscuits | Branded | Noticeable difference in the chocolate |
| Washing up liquid | Own-brand | Cheaper per wash even using more |
The Bigger Picture
What struck us most wasn't any single result — it was how consistently the panel's assumptions got flipped. Products people swore were the branded option were frequently the budget version. The premium we pay for familiar packaging is largely a tax on habit.
Our advice for the savvy shopper: pick one own-brand swap per week and see if anyone in the house notices. Start with tea. Nobody noticed with us, and the savings quietly stack up from there.
