Loose Leaf VS Tea Bag
Tea bags are known for being quick, simple and convenient. So why should you switch to Loose Leaf Tea?
FLAVOR
A cup of tea made from a tea bag doesn’t have nearly the same flavor as one made with loose-leaf tea.
One of the greatest factors that influence the taste of the tea is the size of the leaves. When tea leaves are processed, they are sorted into grades which range from high quality (whole leaf) to low quality (leftover dust/fannings).
When whole leaf leaves are steeped in water, they expand and provide an aromatic & flavorsome cup with a rich & complex flavor. During this process, the tea comes to life, & the nutritional benefits are extracted.
On the contrary, leaves used in tea bags are predominately dust & fannings from broken down tea leaves. They brew faster, but do not have the same full-flavor that whole leaves do, as they lose a lot of the essential oils when they are broken down. They do not have subtle & complex flavors of tea to permeate the drink, leaving a dull, stale, & one-dimensional taste.
So, while you may be saving yourself some time & money with tea bags, you’re not allowing tea to be everything that it could be.
MULTIPLE STEEPING
Though initially more expensive than tea bags, loose leaf tea can be brewed more than once. This means that you are not actually sacrificing money for quality.
Extra infusions not only allow you to get more value from your tea, but enable you to experience different facets of a tea's aroma, flavor, and overall qualities, because the essential oils diffuse at different rates.
This allows the tea to develop a different profile from one brew to another. In some cases, you may even get a better brew on the following steeps. These nuances from cup to cup greatly enrich the experience of drinking tea.
On the other hand, tea bags release all of their flavor in one cup because the tea dust contained in bags has more exposed surface area. For this reason, tea bags don’t re-steep well.
It must be noted that some teas re-steep better than other teas. Oolong and Pu-erh teas are the best re-steepers (high quality Pu-erh can be steeped as much as 10 times!), followed by green and white tea.
Teas that are flavored & some tisanes like Rooibos may impart their flavor more quickly into the first steep. To successfully re-steep tisanes, look for more powerful ingredients like ginger and hibiscus.
Handy tip: cold brew
If your leaves are still going strong after your last cup of tea for the day, transfer it to a glass of cold water and leave in the fridge overnight to "cold brew" a tea. The slow, cold infusion will draw out every last bit of flavor, making sure you’re getting the most from every tea leaf.
VARIETY
There is more to loose leaf tea than black tea or green tea. We offer endless options & varieties of whole leaf, high-quality teas, such as oolong, white tea, pu-erh fermented tea, & lots of herbal tisanes.
Aside from being able to choose different tea types, you are also able to choose the tea on different factors such as flavor or blend, leaf size, grade, locality or estate, or even the harvesting season (ex. 1st flush or 2nd flush), each being a reflection of its history, culture, climate, geography, and production practices.
READ NEXT: TISANES