This question frequently comes up during my talks or courses, and that is why I will now address this topic.
First, we must review the history of tea, since this plant (its leaves and stems) began to be drunk in China almost 5000 years ago (2737 BC) and over time it was processed and made in different ways: pressed with juices, pressed alone, with spices, garlic and onion, green, black, oolong, white, crushed, flavored with flowers, with butter, etc.
It was always loose leaf tea, not always the whole leaf, but very complete or at least not broken on purpose; moreover, the integrity of the leaf was always taken care of since a whole leaf would always sell for more than a broken one.
It wasn't until the beginning of the 20th century that a tea and coffee merchant named Thomas Sullivan had the idea of sending his customers samples of his best teas in a silk bag. To his surprise, the customers asked him to sell them the tea that way, in individual portions!
This is how what we know today as the tea bag came about. This format quickly gained popularity, and the materials and manufacturing methods were transformed, first to gauze bags and later to filter paper.
The shape of the tea bag has evolved very little; first it was like a pillow, and then the double-chamber bag was invented. Both are used mainly in the West (only 16% of the tea consumed worldwide is in tea bags).
The reasons that have influenced its popularity include, among others:
1) Time saving in preparation (the chopped leaf makes the infusion in seconds and there is no need to measure anything).
2) Ease of cleaning (no loose leaves to clean).
3) Savings on specific utensils such as the teapot or the strainer (infuser).
4) Decrease in the cost of production, since by using chopped or ground tea leaves (almost to powder) more leaves and stems of the plant are used (not just the first 2 or 3) and the care in harvesting and handling decreases drastically.
As the demand for this type of tea grew, the materials usually used to bag the broken leaves, which are called fannings or dust depending on their size, became insufficient. This led to the creation in the 1950s of a new production method and machinery for tea bags called CTC (whose name comes from the English words CRUSH, TEAR, CURL, which mean to crush, break, and twist).
This production method uses machinery to cut the tea bush and chop the leaves (including stems) for processing (as green, black, white tea, etc.).
This resulted in reduced manufacturing costs, although the quality of the tea is sacrificed. While it is true that we can currently find high-quality CTC teas, these will have a less complex flavor and aroma than orthodox (whole leaf) teas.
The irony is that many tea bags are more expensive than loose leaf tea. Remember that tea has a very high yield and we only use 2 grams to make an 8 oz cup. So, a loose leaf tea will cost us (depending on how much we buy) between $1.50 and $2.40 pesos, while for a tea bag we can pay up to $5 pesos.
Furthermore, due to the same process and very fine cut of tea bags, their optimal lifespan is very short (approximately 6 months), while loose leaf tea has a lifespan of 2 years, before it begins to lose freshness and aroma.
At EURO TE we have created our line of Tea bags, which is made with the same raw material as our loose leaf Teas, only in a fine cut, comes in a double chamber bag and the flavors are exotic and fun.
If you're truly interested in learning about tea, I recommend trying loose-leaf teas. Leave tea bags for when you're traveling or in a hurry. There's nothing like taking a little time to prepare your favorite tea: waiting for the water to heat up, getting out your favorite teapot, measuring the necessary amount of tea (and taking advantage of opening the tin to capture its rich aroma), pouring the water, and waiting for the infusion to complete so you can finally slowly enjoy your favorite beverage.
Olivia Medina
Tea Master, EURO TE
