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Tea Journey - Loose or Bags |
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Historically speaking, tea bags were invented by accident! In
1908, American tea merchant John Sullivan sent out his loose tea samples
in silk bags. Some of his customers thought the bags were provided to
brew the tea in. The bags actually did a good job, and the customers
enjoyed the ease of disposable bags containing pre-measured amounts of
tea. And, as they say, the rest is history.
Although some look down on tea bags with disdain, in North America and
Britain today, the tea bag reigns supreme. You may be surprised to
learn, however, that only 16% of tea worldwide is consumed in bags!
Why loose tea over tea bags? Commercially available tea in teabags is
generally made from the lowest quality teas. This tea does not consist
of leaves, and is referred to as "dust" or "fannings". Because of this,
tea bags produce an infusion far too quickly and with more caffeine than
loose leaf tea. Some say good tea can be made only from loose tea leaves
and fresh boiling water.
For me, I just want to let the tea leaves, herbal tisane or what ever I am steeping
get HAPPY HAPPY with the water! We are trying to change the way folks look at tea
one cuppa at a time. So we say set it loose for the best taste!
"Tea bags are a no-no, simply because you get a better brew with loose
leaf." Dorothy Stubley, UK
Guardian Unlimited.
In researching the various views on this subject, one article went into
a long dissertaion regarding when milk is to be added and left the
brewing subject almost completely behind. It is interesting to read
blogs on the subject, because everyone has an opinion and some are
rather strong. On loose tea, however, they all agree; tea first, then
water. One anonymous blogger said he would not stifle tea by putting it
in a bag.
We have to admit that we are biased on this particular subject. The
cheap tea dust used in many commercially available bagged teas is really
pretty nasty. On top of the dust idea, bagged teas do not allow the tea
to expand and mingle with the water. Another point is that the smaller
particles used in the bags may infuse too fast, resulting in a
completely different taste.
Back to the dust. One fellow says this tea that is bagged is basically
dust that is left after processing, gathered and put into bags. So this
would be like your bakery gathering the crumbs from under the bread
slicing machine and saying it is as good as the bread. Well we do not
have firsthand experience in the manufacturing process, but can
personally say the loose tea is consistently far better in taste than
the bags.
If you must have the conveniences of the bag go with a good brand or better
yet an go with an herbal. Above all, resist squeezing the bag when you are
finished steeping as a good portion of the bitterness comes from squeezing
the water out of the bags small leaves. Squeezing, however, is not a problem
with herbals.
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