Tea – Loose Leaf vs Tea Bags

Loose leaf tea or tea bags? You don't have time to perform a Japanese tea ceremony, carefully preparing each component, then drinking the result in a leisurely way. But you do enjoy a truly fine cup. What to do?

According to MyNutritionStore.com the dilemma of loose leaf tea vs tea bags may never be fully resolved, but the choice starts with exploring loose leaf versus tea in tea bags. Thomas Sullivan is reputed to have first introduced tea bags in the mid-19th century. He made samples of different teas carefully enclosed in a cloth bag for his customers, to help them select a tea. He intended them to open the bag and prepare the tea from its contents.

He soon discovered they were using the samples unopened in order to make their brew. The fine cloth mesh kept the tea leaf bits from making their way into the cup. That created the possibility of drinking it down to the last drop without having to ingest the leaves. The method was a hit.

More than a century has passed and bags and their contents have gone through much evolution, sometimes not for the better. Bags today are finer, stronger, and lighter weight. They're manufactured and inspected to the highest health standards. But the contents are not always the best that can be had in the world of tea.

In the 1970s, 'natural' became the watchword of all food and beverage products, especially those made from plants. Tea certainly qualifies. As a result, loose leaf tea was looked on as a superior alternative. And, in many cases it is. There are hundreds of truly fine loose leaf teas imported from many parts of the globe.

Loose leaf teas from China, India, Japan, and elsewhere can be as pleasing to the connoisseur as a fine wine. The gentle jasmine from China stacks up well against a sweet orange tea from Turkey. Or, one may enjoy an outstanding mint tea from Africa.

By contrast, many bag teas are made essentially from left-overs, called fannings. Scraps of tea leaf that remain from processing are fed into a machine that fills thousands of bags per hour. The result is lined up into a box that contains a hundred or more which is shipped off to a grocery store. There it sits until someone takes it home. By the time it is actually consumed, a tea that was never very high quality to begin with may be stale.

But simply being in a bag isn't an inevitable sign of low quality. Many vendors have evolved from the granola days to combine the high quality of a loose leaf tea with the convenience and other benefits of a bag. Though they often go by the more elegant name of "sachet," it's still tea in a bag. But the difference is that the tea is of the utmost quality and is sold fresh. That difference is important.

So, retain your busy lifestyle when you must. But take a few minutes on occasion to celebrate your efforts. Treat yourself to a truly fine cup of tea, and enjoy it without a dozen distractions. You've earned it.

For more information:
http://www.johnspencerellis.com/
http://www.mynutritionstore.com/diet