Each day, about 159 million people in the United States drink tea.
Out of all of these people, how many are opting for loose leaf? While the exact number isn’t known, we can be sure that there are plenty of people out there who love loose leaf tea.
Whether you drink loose leaf or are debating trying it out, you might be wondering why it’s so expensive? Is loose leaf tea better than tea in a teabag? Read on to find out everything you need to know on the subject!
Loose-Leaf Tea vs. Tea Bags
What exactly is the difference between loose-leaf tea and tea bags?
Loose leaf tea is often made with whole, unbroken leaves, whereas tea bags are made with smaller pieces of tea leaves that are broken up.
The essential oils in the leaves are what make the tea taste and smell so lovely, and these oils are often lost when the leaves are broken into such small pieces. Because of this, the tea in tea bags can be dull-looking and stale tasting.
Infusion and Flavor
When loose-leaf tea is steeped, there’s plenty of room for the leaves to expand and absorb water as they infuse. This leads to a more flavorful tea because more vitamins, minerals, aromas, and flavors are extracted from the leaves.
When you steep tea in a teabag, not only does it have the bag to get through, it also has limited space to expand. Teabags are often small, so there’s not much space for the leaves to grow larger.
While it’s possible to find tea bags that contain larger pieces of tea leaves and have oversized bags so that there’s more room for the tea to expand, most standard tea bags don’t have these features.
Therefore, loose leaf tea will provide you with a better-tasting tea with more vitamins and minerals available, which is why many people choose to drink tea in the first place.
Experimentation and Variety
One area where the loose leaf tea benefits outweigh the benefits of bagged tea is variety.
When you buy tea bags, you’re limited to the blends companies choose to sell. While you can combine multiple kinds of tea bags, it’s often hard to get the right balance and flavors this way.
On the other hand, Loose leaf tea provides plenty of room for experimentation.
Trying New Combinations
When you purchase loose leaf tea, you can buy it in pre-mixed blends or buy single types of tea leaves.
The single types of tea leaves allow you to create tea blends yourself to try new combinations and find new flavors that you enjoy.
For many tea connoisseurs, this is the best part of their hobby. Unfortunately, you miss out on this entirely with bagged tea.
Unique Ways to Steep
When it comes to steeping bagged tea, you essentially just drop it in the mug and let it sit for however long the package says to.
With loose leaf tea, there are many different products designed to help you steep your tea in different ways. Some of them can be seen at https://nmteaco.com/.
Whether you choose to steep it in a mug, mini teapot, specialty tumbler, or some other way, there are endless options.
Flavor Availability
As mentioned earlier, with tea bags, you’re limited to tea based on when a company has it available for sale.
For example, if you love a certain peppermint blend that’s only available during the winter months, you’re out of luck during the rest of the year unless you stock up.
When you create your own loose leaf tea blends, you should be able to order the individual teas that you need whenever you need them!
Environmental Impact
Teabags feature tea that’s packaged in a bag. The bag is often then wrapped in paper. The paper-wrapped tea bags are then packaged together in a box.
All of these extra materials are harmful to the environment because they just end up in landfills.
Is loose leaf tea better for the environment? It can be.
Depending on where you order from, loose leaf tea might be minimally packaged, packaged, and shipped in reusable or biodegradable containers, or you might even be able to pick it up from a local grocer in bulk.
All of these options are better for the environment, but it’s something that you need to keep an eye on because the packaging isn’t always better than bagged tea.
The Final Verdict
In the majority of ways, loose leaf tea is much better than teabags. Because of this, it is often more expensive.
Keep in mind, though, that the resulting tea will taste better and have more benefits from drinking it.
Teabags are a better option if you’re in a rush or on the go and don’t have time to scoop out tea, but otherwise, loose leaf tea is the way to go whenever possible.
Is Loose Leaf Tea Better? In Most Cases, Yes
This article walked you through the difference between loose leaf tea and teabags and explained the benefits of opting for loose leaf tea whenever possible.
Whether you’re choosing loose leaf to help the environment, create unique blends, enjoy new ways to steep, or in order to enjoy a more refined taste, it’s the best choice.
If you enjoyed this article and would like to read more interesting information about the foods and drinks we all enjoy, please take a look around the rest of our site for more.
