Tea bags are a product of convenience; they are easy, cheap, and clean. But if you’ve only ever drank tea that was a product of a tea-bag, you are missing out. Tea-bags used to only be filled with dust and fannings which are all the little pieces leftover from different processing methods. Through the years, tea companies have been putting higher and higher quality tea in bags. But no matter how nice the tea, or how innovative the bag is (see nylon bag below), they fail for one fundamental reason: tea leaves must be allowed to flow freely within the brewing vessel. Tea leaves expand while brewing, and being stuffed in a bag only allows them to expand a small amount.
 Tea bag before steeping |
 Same tea bag after steeping |
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The same rules apply for tea balls and fancy tea infusers: if the tea cannot flow freely in the steeping vessel, you are not enjoying the tea at its full potential. |
We’ve seen how much the high quality black tea expanded in the above tea bag image, now lets take a look at what happens to loose leaf oolong when it is allowed to flow freely in a glass tea-cup.
 Teaspoon of oolong before steeping |
 Same teaspoon after steeping |
If the leaves are able to flow freely, we allow for more of the leaves to be in contact with water-and the more contact the leaves have with the water – the better chance we have to extract the full flavor of the tea.
If the above oolong leaves were stuck in a bag or in an infuser, they would not have the chance to expand the way they do when allowed to flow freely. Steeping tea doesn’t have to be difficult, achieving great tea can be simple if you have the right equipment.
What the Twitterverse had to say about Tea Bags:
I didn’t realize the leaves had to expand so much! What about mesh strainers that you pop into the mug, such as http://www.teazonline.com/servlet/the-237/tea-basket-infuser-strainer/Detail
Are these OK?
This is off-topic, perhaps, but the pics don’t zoom properly in firefox when I increase the font.
Back on topic: I totally agree, and would not go back to teabags after using a pot and later on a coffee press to make loose leaf tea.
I agree with you, Tony.
What kind of Oolong tea you brew in this post? It looks like strange. Is it a good tea?
Besides, Tony I like your reviews.
It was one of the teas I picked up at a Chinese Tea shop in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, the label was in Mandarin but they wrote in english: Wong Chin Kooi — no idea what that means.
@Tony
‘Wong Chin Kooi’='Huang Jin Gui’ I think.
I’m wondering why so many people like Huang Jin Gui except Chinese. Maybe it’s because of its strong flavor. The most famous origin of Huang Jin Gui is Hu Qiu town of Anxi County, China.
I am not fond of stand-alone tea infusers or teabags myself. I certainly would never use one, even out of “convenience” with, say, an oolong or a nice Yunnan Gold, when I know that the leaves are going to really expand.
I do take the position, however, that tea drinking is important, and that sometimes convenience trumps tea-geekery. As such, I endorse the use of teabags with appropriate teas if circumstances require it.
While I personally don’t use teabags, I do however think they have their place. You can get many quality teas in bagged form. I say convenience sometimes trumps tradition. I went from drinking standard bagged teas to quality bagged teas to loose leaf teas.
http://www.chrispugh.com/
I think convenience does sometimes trump … I wouldn’t say tradition, but “better tea.” Even high quality bagged teas have limitations and fall short of loose leaf. But yeah, sometimes for convenience you just have to do it.
Hey Tony,
Do you know Richard w/ Two Leaves & a bud. Also a tea man. Do you know of the IHA Tradeshow in Chicago..was there 2 weeks ago.
Many tea related products & new ideas. Could be great for your products next year.
I used to exhibit @ this show as well.
Ron, I don’t know Richard, and unfortunately I was not a the show in Chicago. I have yet to enter the commercial world of tea, I ran a coffee/tea shop in Jersey for 4 years, but one day I want to open up a Chinese-styled tea house in Chicago. Are you in the industry?
Teabags can never work to extract the full flavour of tea.
The temperature in a cup is too low at around 85C – this reduces extraction by over 50%.
The lack of water flow reduces steeping and leaching which is better because the water cannot flow around the leaves.
There is more flavour left in the teabag than used.
You get a better cup of tea by taking the tea out of the bag and brewing it.
I am wondering if that is a refillable fabric tea bag or wherr you found suxh a big tea bag!
Nylon teabags are not biodegradable. Another reason to go with loose leaf tea!