Why Loose Leaf Tea?
Since the ancient times, the highest quality tea has always been sold in loose-leaf form. The purveyors of fine tea in Hong Kong, Darjeeling, London, Paris and New York would not dare to sell premium teas in tea bags. The tea bag is a modern innovation which made its commercial debut around 1904. Its invention was a curious accident. Thomas Sullivan, a coffee and tea merchant from New York, shipped his teas around the world in small sample bags. Though the tea was intended to be removed from the bags before use, customers found it more convenient to simply steep the tea in the bags. Soon customers from around the globe were requesting tea from him in tea bag. From this simple mistake and from the public’s growing desire for convenience, the ubiquitous tea bag was born. However, what is convenient is not necessarily best.
Modern tea bags are mass-produced for quick and easy tea brewing without regard for flavor or health. To enable quick steeping, the herbs in tea bags must be cut or pounded into very fine particles. This is not best for preserving the flavor of fresh herbs. Larger pieces of herbs require space to expand as they infuse in order to let out their fragrance. This is simply not possible with a tea bag, so herbs are cut into fine particles. Though small pieces of herb will infuse their essence quite rapidly into water due to the greater surface area of smaller particles, they dissipate their oils and aromas more quickly into the air as they are stored for the same reason. A coarse powder of herbs (like that used in tea bags) is said to retain its freshness for several months when packed away from humidity, air, and light. Large pieces of herbs are said to maintain their freshness for up to three years stored in the same conditions. Tea and herbs do not tend to spoil in time, but their potency diminishes. The subtle aromas and flavors slowly dissipate until the unique characteristics of the tea are lost and retains only a hint of flavor indistinguishable from that of other teas. Though the standards for processing and storing herbs has improved greatly in the last decades, the unique flavors of different varieties of tea cannot be experienced or appreciated from the low-quality tea sold in tea bags.
Many companies that boast pure, natural, and organic herbs market their teas in tea bags. Few people realize the potential health concerns of using tea bags. As tea becomes rapidly more popular, companies compete to produce and sell more tea. They use the cheapest and most efficient substances for teabags. Many teabags contain plastic, nylon, rayon, or polypropylene and pose many potential health risks associated with leaching of toxic chemicals from plastic. People are aware of chemicals leaching into bottled water. The risks are even greater with teabags, because the high temperature of the water used for steeping. The common paper tea bags may be even worse, since they are usually processed with epichlorohydrin, a chemical used in the production of epoxy resin, which has been linked to stomach problems and increased risk for cancer. Even those companies which avoid such noxious chemicals use bleached and highly processed paper. Such tea bags possess potential health risks and they can taint the flavor of natural herbs. Such unnatural processing is simply not necessary to prepare a cup of herbal tea. Our philosophy about this is that simpler is better.
For the freshest, best tasting tea, the difference of whole herbs is clear. The proof is in the cup of tea. A whole realm of flavors previously unknown is revealed when a person relishes a cup of fine loose-leaf tea.
Modern tea bags are mass-produced for quick and easy tea brewing without regard for flavor or health. To enable quick steeping, the herbs in tea bags must be cut or pounded into very fine particles. This is not best for preserving the flavor of fresh herbs. Larger pieces of herbs require space to expand as they infuse in order to let out their fragrance. This is simply not possible with a tea bag, so herbs are cut into fine particles. Though small pieces of herb will infuse their essence quite rapidly into water due to the greater surface area of smaller particles, they dissipate their oils and aromas more quickly into the air as they are stored for the same reason. A coarse powder of herbs (like that used in tea bags) is said to retain its freshness for several months when packed away from humidity, air, and light. Large pieces of herbs are said to maintain their freshness for up to three years stored in the same conditions. Tea and herbs do not tend to spoil in time, but their potency diminishes. The subtle aromas and flavors slowly dissipate until the unique characteristics of the tea are lost and retains only a hint of flavor indistinguishable from that of other teas. Though the standards for processing and storing herbs has improved greatly in the last decades, the unique flavors of different varieties of tea cannot be experienced or appreciated from the low-quality tea sold in tea bags.
Many companies that boast pure, natural, and organic herbs market their teas in tea bags. Few people realize the potential health concerns of using tea bags. As tea becomes rapidly more popular, companies compete to produce and sell more tea. They use the cheapest and most efficient substances for teabags. Many teabags contain plastic, nylon, rayon, or polypropylene and pose many potential health risks associated with leaching of toxic chemicals from plastic. People are aware of chemicals leaching into bottled water. The risks are even greater with teabags, because the high temperature of the water used for steeping. The common paper tea bags may be even worse, since they are usually processed with epichlorohydrin, a chemical used in the production of epoxy resin, which has been linked to stomach problems and increased risk for cancer. Even those companies which avoid such noxious chemicals use bleached and highly processed paper. Such tea bags possess potential health risks and they can taint the flavor of natural herbs. Such unnatural processing is simply not necessary to prepare a cup of herbal tea. Our philosophy about this is that simpler is better.
For the freshest, best tasting tea, the difference of whole herbs is clear. The proof is in the cup of tea. A whole realm of flavors previously unknown is revealed when a person relishes a cup of fine loose-leaf tea.