Tea lovers urged to take essential item on holiday with them for perfect brew

If you love tea, the weather is never too hot for a good brew. Many holidaymakers even like to pack their favourite teabags when going abroad so they can enjoy a cuppa while away.

But sometimes, even with your favourite teabags from home, the cup of tea never quite hits the spot. This is usually due to the water hardness in certain countries, and it has been such a regular complaint from travellers from the UK to Spain that one tea company has decided to try and solve it. After months of research, testing and more than a thousand of cups of tea, two brands believe they have made a breakthrough that will change brews abroad forever.

Online travel agent, On the Beach and brew experts, Lancashire Tea, have joined forces to create a new teabag that will tackle the age-old gripe of why a holiday cuppa never quite tastes like one at home.

After pouring over the data and sipping through thousands of test brews, the experts say they have created a tea blend carefully crafted to work perfectly with Spain's water so Brits can enjoy a rich, smooth, and familiar brew just like back home.

Spanish water is harder than Britain's and so UK tea bags don't quite brew the same with it. In fact, two thirds of Brits (67%) say the water and teabags are to blame for tea tasting different abroad.

Tony Warr, Master Tea Blender at Lancashire Tea, said: "We've been brewing up brilliant tea for years, but this was a whole new blend game. We set about matching the Spanish water with teas from every corner of the world, all while keeping that distinctive Lancashire flavour we know and love right at the heart of everything we do.

"After blending the finest teas from Kenya, Malawi and India, we reckon we've crafted something really special, a proper brew that'll give you a lovely taste of home while you're soaking up the Spanish sunshine."

I tried the teabags for myself in sunny Merseyside, so I can't speak to how well they brew in Spain.

I drink my tea black, so I made a cup as I would normally and this was a decent cuppa. There was a slight bitterness in the backnotes, which I think nods to the strength of the blend, but might be something not everyone likes.

However, if you are a milk and sugar person, you may not even notice.

Because I drink a lot of black tea and live in a soft water area, I tend to opt for a Tetley's (or sometimes a Yorkshire - sorry Lancashire) as I find they are not as strong or bitter as other brands and occasionally a Twinings English breakfast tea in the mornings.

But I can see the appeal of the new Spanish blend, and I think you could easily enjoy it at home in the UK as well as Spain.

As a master tea blender, Tony has given his advice on how to make the perfect Spanish brew with the new blend:

Use freshly boiled Spanish water,

Let the teabag brew for at least three minutes to get the full flavour.

Add your milk and sugar just how you like it.

Sit back and enjoy a proper British brew.

The new, Lancashire Tea and On the Beach blend of which 100% is Rainforest Alliance Certified, comes in boxes of 40 of 100% biodegradable tea bags and are available on the Lancashire Tea website for £1.50.