What this review covers
- Constant Comment and the orange-spice black style
- Bigelow Earl Grey, English Breakfast and green lines
- Herbal, fruit and bedtime Bigelow bags
- Bigelow iced tea and cold brew bags
- How Bigelow foil-wrapped bags affect freshness
Verdict
Buy Bigelow when a flavoured American black tea is the goal, with Constant Comment as the signature first box for orange-and-spice lovers. The trade is plain-tea depth: Bigelow's strength is flavour variety in foil bags, not single-origin leaf, and the range can overwhelm buyers who only want a plain breakfast tea. Buy one foil box, brew it daily for a week, and only then explore the herbal and green shelves.
Pros
- Constant Comment gives the brand a distinctive signature
- Foil-wrapped bags protect flavour in storage
- Wide flavoured, herbal and green range at grocery prices
Cons
- Flavoured range dominates over plain tea depth
- Bags are standard size, not large-leaf sachets
- Some blends taste similar across fruit flavours
What Bigelow actually sells
Bigelow Tea, founded in Connecticut in 1945 by Ruth Campbell Bigelow, is an American family company whose flagship is Constant Comment, a black tea blended with orange rind and sweet spices. The range extends to Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Darjeeling, green teas including plain and flavoured greens, and herbal infusions such as chamomile, peppermint, lemon and fruit blends. Bags are individually foil-wrapped, a packaging choice that protects aroma during storage and makes the brand easy to carry for travel and offices.
Bigelow also sells iced tea bags designed for pitchers, decaffeinated versions of main blends, and seasonal lines. The company's family ownership and American manufacturing are part of its marketing, but the practical buying point is foil freshness: an opened box of foil bags stays fresher longer than an opened box of unwrapped bags, which matters for slow drinkers who finish a box over months.
Constant Comment, flavoured bags and iced tea
Constant Comment suits drinkers who like orange and spice in a black tea base, with or without milk, and it divides plain-tea lovers who find the flavouring dominant. It brews like a standard black tea, with boiling water and a three-to-five-minute steep, and it suits winter drinking and afternoon cups. Earl Grey Bigelow suits bergamot fans, though its bergamot is gentler than some British Earl Greys, and English Breakfast Bigelow suits morning milk tea, though it is less malty than some British breakfast blends.
Herbal Bigelow bags suit evening drinking, with chamomile and mint lines leading, while fruit blends suit iced drinking when brewed strong and chilled. Green Bigelow bags need cooler water and shorter steeps, or they turn bitter, and iced tea bags are sized for pitchers, so using a standard bag for a pitcher gives a weak result. Foil wrapping helps, but it does not rescue an over-steeped or stale-tasting blend.
Who Bigelow suits best
Bigelow suits flavoured-tea lovers, Constant Comment fans, American grocery shoppers who want variety without specialist prices, and offices that need foil bags for hygiene and freshness. It suits travellers who carry foil bags, gift buyers who want an American tea box, and households where different members drink black, green and herbal tea from one brand. For drinkers who enjoy sampling flavours, Bigelow's catalogue offers a low-cost way to try many blends.
It also suits iced-tea makers who use pitcher bags in summer, and evening drinkers who want a herbal shelf without a specialist order.
Who should look at other tea brands
Loose-leaf and single-origin drinkers should buy from specialist merchants, because Bigelow bags prioritise flavour variety over leaf grade. Plain black tea purists may prefer Twinings or Tetley for breakfast blends, and green-tea specialists may prefer a dedicated green merchant. Drinkers who dislike orange or spice should avoid Constant Comment entirely, since its flavour dominates the cup. This is general information, not medical advice.
Choosing Bigelow tea
Start with Constant Comment for flavoured black tea or English Breakfast for plain mornings, in a single foil box, and drink it the usual way for a week. Then branch by time of day: black in the morning, green in the afternoon, herbal in the evening, checking ingredient lists for caffeine. For iced tea, use pitcher bags or brew standard bags double-strength and chill, rather than serving a normal-strength hot brew over ice. Store foil boxes sealed and away from strong smells, and finish flavoured boxes within a few months for the best aroma.
Research-based guide using public brand and label information. Constant Comment, foil bags, flavoured and herbal lines. This is general information, not medical advice. No price is quoted here because retailer pricing moves; check the label before you buy.
Frequently asked questions
What is Bigelow Constant Comment?
Constant Comment is Bigelow's flagship black tea with orange rind and sweet spices, and it is the brand's best-known flavoured black tea.
Why are Bigelow bags foil-wrapped?
Bigelow foil-wraps individual bags to protect aroma during storage, which helps slow drinkers who finish a box over months.
Does Bigelow sell herbal tea?
Yes, Bigelow sells herbal infusions including chamomile, peppermint, lemon and fruit blends, which in most cases contain no tea leaf.
Does Bigelow sell iced tea bags?
Yes, Bigelow sells iced tea bags sized for pitchers, alongside standard hot tea bags that can be brewed strong and chilled.
Does Bigelow sell green tea?
Yes, Bigelow sells plain and flavoured green tea bags, which need cooler water and shorter steeps than black tea.