For my third post in this series, I thought of tackling a fairly big topic: tea bags vs loose leaf, and getting all the info ended up taking longer than I expected. I tried to find out more about the humble tea bag, the difference the tea bags and loose leaf teas, and if it matters which we use.
A quick history of the tea bag
According to Wikipedia, the tea bag makes an appearance as early as 8th century China, where tea was sewn into paper bags for storage. The modern tea bag, however, was a happy accident. A man named Thomas Sullivan sent his customers tea samples in tea bags and instead of taking the tea out of the bags, they just brewed the tea in the bags. Thus the modern tea bag was born.
Types of Tea Bags
This is where things get complicated. I thought there would be a page or two where I could find all the information but my google skills have failed me. From what I can find, however, tea bags can be broadly categorised into the following shapes:
1. Rectangular: This is perhaps the most commonly seen shape. I don’t have much to say, although I do think that the Lipton Flo-Thru bag is pretty interesting. That teabag is apparently designed for mugs and as someone that normally drinks tea out of mugs [1] this sounds right for me!
2. Round: I haven’t actually seen these around. Or if I have, I’ve forgotten. Apparently Tetley introduced these tea bags with the argument that since tea cups are round, tea bags should be round too. But according to a post on All About Tea, round tea bags are really just square ones with the edges cut off [2].
3. Pyramid: This is the fancy version of the tea bag because the pyramid shape is supposed to allow tea makers to use whole-leaf instead of leaf cuttings. Plus, it’s also supposed to give the tea leaves enough room to expand, creating more flavour. According to a post on The Guardian, the Advertising Standards Authority (of the UK, I’m guessing) really does allow the tea leaves to move around more freely [3].
4. Others: I consider tea infusers to be reusable tea bags (in essence) and they come in a variety of different shapes. I’ve got one in the shape of a kettle and one in the shape of a house, although I hear that infusers in the shape of circles are more common.
Tea Bag Materials
Until this post, I assumed that all tea bags were made out of paper but that is not the case. In fact, there are three types of materials used to make tea bags:
1. Paper (bleached and unbleached): According to Clipper Tea, paper tea bags came into existence because there was a demand for a robust tea bag. And to make the tea bags more attractive to customers, most tea makers started bleaching the tea bags. To quote the Clipper Tea Site:
“There are a number of bleaching processes in user today. One of the bleaching processes sees tea bag paper dipped into chemicals including chlorine. A variety of chemicals are used during this bleaching process and the tea bag paper is put through the process purely for aesthetic reasons. Other companies use a TCF (total chlorine free) bleaching process when it comes to making their tea bags. This process means the paper uses oxygen, ozone or hydrogen peroxide instead of chlorine. Oxygen is used to remove the colour from the wood and the bleaching process is completed by ozone or hydrogen peroxide – producing no chlorine byproducts. [4]”
To continue using Clipper Tea as a source, unbleached tea bags and bleached tea bags don’t affect the taste of the tea. So which you prefer comes down to a matter of colour and how natural you want your tea to be.
2. Plastic: Apparently some tea bags that look like they’re made of silk may be made of plastic. I found a really interesting article in the Atlantic (link below) about whether they’re safe and the conclusion seems to be: we don’t know yet. Drink at your own risk?
3. Silk: The original modern tea bags were made using silk. According to information on the internet, silk is easier for water to pass through and has a neutral taste, although I personally don’t really taste the paper in paper tea bags [5]. If I remember correctly, TWG tea bags are made of silk.
Tea bags or Loose Leaf?
This is the big question, isn’t it? From what I’ve read, making tea in a teapot is better than making it in a tea bag or tea infuser because the teas have room to unfurl in a teapot, which allows for better flavour. But, it can be pretty troublesome to make tea for one in a teapot, especially if you’re supposed to be restricting your tea intake like I am.
So I would say, go for whatever suits you. It seems like loose leaf brews the best tea and that if you use a tea bag, pyramidal teabags work the best, but really, it’s the quality of the tea that matters more than the type of the tea bags [6]. And of course, the convenience to you.
Links & Notes
Wikipedia Article on Tea Bags
Atlantic Article: Are Tea Bags Turning Us into Plastic?
Quora: Who invented the tea bag and how and why? – The answer by Matt Harbowy is excellent and has links if you’re interested in finding out more.
Steepster: Pyramid Tea Bags – useful or gimicky? – Discussion post on pyramid tea bags which is quite interesting.
Tea Leaf Journal: The Tea Infuser and Strainer … and why you need one – Not really a post about tea bags, but I thought it was a nice post on tea infusers and strainers.
[1] Like the uncivilised being I am.
[2] All About Tea: Round vs Square Tea Bags
[3] Link to the Guardian post, which is actually a discussion post.
[4] Clipper Tea: Unbleached vs Bleached Bags
[5] Let’s Talk Tea: Silk Sachets vs Paper Sachets
[6] Traditionally, tea bags contain the ‘dustings’ and ‘fannings’ of the tea leaves, which are lower in quality. But, there are tea makers that use whole leaves so it really depends on where you get the tea from. And if you’re health conscious, I’ve seen several posts that say that because tea bags contain lower quality teas that include the stems, they’re actually healthier because the stems have more L-theanine than the leaves. If you’re interested in reading more about that, this article is a good start.