For most of us in the UK a cup of tea is very much part of our daily routine, part of English culture. Good old builders tea, or also known as ‘english breakfast tea’ – made in a mug from tea bags and milk. Tea is the second most popular drunk beverage in the world, behind water. In the UK alone it is estimated that 165 million cups of tea are drunk daily (2009).
Tea bags were first discovered in 1907 by American tea merchant Thomas Sullivan, when he began distributing samples of his tea in small bags Chinese silk with a drawstring. Consumers noticed that they could simply leave the tea in the bag and re-use it with fresh tea. However, the potential of this distribution/packaging method would not be fully realized until later on. In the 1950’s Tetley’s on England launched the tea bag to the UK and the rest is history.
However following food trends in wine, coffee and chocolate, consumers are caring more about what they eat and drink. They want products that have character and reflect where they’re grown and produced. Even in this difficult economic climate, we are witnessing a sea change. There’s a certain type of consumer who is moving away from mass produced, consistently uniform and ultimately boring offerings – back to interesting, quality products from small producers, where every mouthful tells a story of how, when and where they were grown.
Now, with the growing popularity and interest in loose leaf and organic teas, most tea drinkers have been asking what the real benefits are of enjoying loose leaf tea versus that of drinking tea in tea bags.
The main difference between the teas used in tea bags compared to that of loose leaf tea, is in the size of the tea leaf. The tea commonly used in tea bags is called fanning’s or “dust” and is the waste product produced from the sorting of higher quality loose leaf tea, although this certainly is not true for all brands of tea, fanning’s are often blended in with other smaller cut tea leaves.
In addition tea bags are often considered to have less flavour by tea aficionados as dried tea loses its flavour quickly on exposure to air. Most bag teas (although not all) contain leaves broken into small pieces; the great surface area to volume ratio of the leaves in tea bags exposes them to more air, and therefore causes them to go stale faster. Loose tea leaves are likely to be in larger pieces, or to be entirely intact and thus retain their flavour longer.
Also to consider is, that breaking up the leaves into smaller pieces for bags releases the natural flavoured oils of the tea leaf, with the result that the smaller pieces in the tea bags have less flavour.
The small size of the bag does not allow leaves to diffuse and steep properly, and fact that most tea bags are squeezed against the side of the cup – often brews a bitterer cup. Not to mention, the paper used for the bag can also be tasted by many, which can detract from the tea’s flavour.
Lastly, some tea bags are made using a wet paper strength-reinforcing coating using epichlorohydrin a known carcinogen.
To the everyday tea drinker, loose leaf tea may be perceived as less convenient to prepare than tea bags but the benefits of truly appreciating a fine tea to its fullest can only really be appreciated when enjoying one of the many loose leaf tea varieties from around the world. Be it white, yellow, green, oolong, black, pu-erh teas, South African Rooibos or tisane. Whether enjoying teas from India, China, Africa, England, Russia or any other tea growing region or tea loving nation – like a fine wine, to enjoy a quality leaf tea is to experience a product that has character and reflects where it is grown and produced, as well as the skill that has gone into its selection and specific production.
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