People are only just realising what PG Tips stands for, and it’s blowing their minds
PG TIPS is a staple in the UK with thousands of people drinking bags of the leaves on a daily basis.
But have you ever stopped to wonder what the ‘PG’ part of the brand’s name actually stands for?
One TikTok user, @elijahexsploresbusiness, decided to share the story behind it all on his channel after seeing how many viewers were curious.
“You guys asked for PG Tips and you will PG Tips,” he said as the clip started, before explaining how integral the tea is in British culture.
“In fact, it should be on the food pyramid. So you might be thinking, how did PG Tips get started? Let me answer that question…”
Elijah said a company called Brooke Bond first launched it back in 1930 under the name Pre-Gestee.
While it sounds a little odd, it’s actually a variation of saying Digestive Tea.
“Now you might be thinking, the name doesn’t really ring a bell but implies that it can be drunk before eating food as a digestive aid,” he continued.
“Salesmen, being savvy, shortened it to PG… PG Tips. After the Second World War, labelling regulations came in and you could no longer describe tea as aiding digestion.”
He went on: “They added ‘Tips’ because only the top two leaves and the bud of the tea plant was actually used in the blend.”
People were blown away by the revelation and commented on it across social media, including TikTok, Twitter and Facebook.
One person said it was “interesting,” while another shared on Twitter: “Did you know the PG is PG Tips stands for Pre-Gestee? How’s that for a random Wednesday morning fact….”
A third wrote: “first nugget of trivia for the week: I just learnt that PG Tips used to be “Pre-Gestee” tea – future #pubquiz domination.”
“”ah yes, a lovely cup of pre-gestee”,” [sic] another joked.
A fifth said: “Tea drinkers, why not give yourself that pretentious coffee drinker feeling by going into cafes and asking if they have Pre-Gestee* tea.”
While a sixth added: “@FuntCaseUK PG. Apparantly it stands for PRE-GESTEE, no word of a lie (*I’ve pulled down my 1982 dictionary of brand names as part of the week’s homeed project).” [sic]