Let’s talk for a minute about what is found in most tea bags on the market. With the convenience of bagged tea, most people don’t even think about what could possibly be in their beverage that they did NOT intend.
Take me for example... Let’s go on a journey back 18+ years ago in my life when I drank tea every single day and I needed it to be quick and convenient, so I grabbed the "healthy" bagged teas. Little did I know I was missing out on a world of flavor and besides that I was also getting bleach and glue. All day everyday I was drinking herbal teas to help heal my vocal nodes and along with that I was also having the residue of the paper that made up the bag! Did you know that most tea bags are bleached and coated with glue so the edges can be sealed? All that bleach and glue then goes into your cup of tea!!
Lets take a look at the process to get your tea into those convenient bags. First off, the machine is loaded with a giant roll of filter paper (yes, it looks like a giant roll of toilet paper).
Then the tea is shot through a small tube to get the correct portion into each tiny bag. For the machine to move at warp speed and have an even amount of tea in each bag, the tea leaves have to be fairly crushed and powdered so as to be shot evenly through the tube. Then the bags are sealed quickly on all sides and finalized. Since different bags are different sizes, they coat the entire roll with glue so they can be sealed in any location desired. So the glue isn’t just on the seam, the glue covers the entire bag! And the contents that makes up the actual tea bag paper doesn’t have to be listed on the ingredients list.
I have to admit, I absolutely love the engineering behind these machines!! It is very fascinating! But the health conscious side of me fights so much of this process! If you desire a premium tea with the best flavor, then a crushed powdered version is probably not the best for you! And if you desire to avoid glue and bleach in your tea, then the filter paper bags are probably not the best for you either!
“So whats the solution!?!?” I’m so glad you asked!!
Loose leaf tea from premium ingredients!! When the plant is harvested and dried in its whole form (leaf or flower), it is able to maintain maximum flavor and potency!
And really, brewing loose leaf tea isnt that hard!! (I talk about loose leaf tea brewing options in this post here)...