Does the brand of tea affect the taste?

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

The Hard Shoulder, with Ciara Kelly and Shane Colman. On Newstalk, with Ciara.

Édaein O'Connell (0:10)

Hello Talk, Big Talk, Fisherman's Tales. So, what talk are we putting in the tea today?

Shane Colman (0:20)

All talk.

Fin Walsh (0:21)

You know, people who are all talk.

Shane Colman (0:26)

I benched 100 in the gym last night.

Ciara Kelly (0:28)

100?

Shane Colman (0:29)

I said to my trainer, put on more weights.

Ciara Kelly (0:32)

He said, there are no more.

Shane Colman (0:36)

Lyon's puts the talk into tea.

Ciara Kelly (0:39)

Oh, what a great ad, but we're playing it because we want to know out there, right? Are you a Lyon's tea or a Barry's tea person? A tale as old as time. But can you actually tell the difference between the brands just by taste? Myself and Shane are going to put it to the test in just a few minutes. But first, before all of that, we are joined by Dairy Farmer and Tik Tokker Fin Walsh and journalist Édaein O'Connell to give us their opinions on a good cup of tea. Édaein, I will come to you first of all.

You have views on tea. I think that's fair to say.

Édaein O'Connell (1:08)

I do, and I didn't realise until I was doing the research call how many views I actually has and how passionate I am about tea.

Ciara Kelly (1:18)

I know people say Guinness but I kind of half think tea is our national drink really.

Édaein O'Connell (1:23)

100% like a cup of tea cures all ails. It never matters whatever happened to us growing up like we would have a cup of tea, you'll have a cup of tea, hungover you'll have a cup of tea, go on, go on, cup of tea, everything go on, go on.

Ciara Kelly (1:36)

How do you take your tea, are you specific?

Édaein O'Connell (1:39)

So I'm specific, yeah. So I prefer to have tea down in Kerry because the water is better. So we water out of a well at my warm house and there's like a turf fire. So we put it into like a stainless steel pot and then like leave it to three tea bags. Like it depends on if you're having like your own tea.

Ciara Kelly (1:58)

Could a mouse walk across the top of your tea? Am I along the right lines here?

If you forgive the pun. All right, so strong tea.

Édaein O'Connell (2:08)

Drawing tea, drop of milk. And then if I am having a cup on its own.

Ciara Kelly (2:11)

Drop of soy milk, I presume, is it?

Édaein O'Connell (2:13)

Oh, God knows. Full fat can't be. I want to do low fat or skimmed or any of that because it makes it watery.

And you might as well just be drinking water. I have to have the full fat, whole milk, least strand milk preferably.

Ciara Kelly (2:26)

Least strand milk. I'm again, I begin you on this one because I think you have to have low fat milk. I find milk with full fat milk. Tea with full fat milk is a bit greasy. What do you make of the oat milk, soy milk type of thing?

Édaein O'Connell (2:38)

No, I did that before. I actually will put my hands up now and admit it, but I think when I was on a diet at one time in my life, the thought was go on the almond and the oat milk. Oh my God, lads, when I think about that time in my life, like, it was hell, I'd say.

Ciara Kelly (2:54)

You're obviously a monster woman, but does that make you Barrys?

Édaein O'Connell (3:00)

Barrys, Barrys all the way. We were always Barrys and then my nana was Lyons. So if we went into La Stole, into the town, she'd always have Lyons tea, which my mother used to think was just like the devil's work. So I can really actually tell the difference between the two.

Ciara Kelly (3:16)

OK, well, I have, by the way, a cup on either side of me that I have not drunk out of. Shane Colman hasn't been able to contain himself. His tea is half gone. But I haven't tasted my Lyons or my Barrys and I'm going to have to make a guess as to which is which. But I'm going to bring in Finn. Finn, you too are a man with strong tea views.

Fin Walsh (3:34)

I suppose as a Dairy Farmer, I've drank thousands of cups of tea throughout my life and I love a cuppa.

Ciara Kelly (3:40)

And are you a Barrys or are you a Lyons?