 |
| Source: ArborTeas.com |
The difference between loose leaf and tea bags are the tea leaves themselves. Tea bags do not usually have whole leaves in them – they are usually “dust” of tea leaves. These pieces of leaves, unlike loose leaf, do not expand much, if at all. High quality loose teas are made from the Camellia sinensis plant’s finest hand-picked buds, whole tea leaves, large pieces of leaves or a combination of these parts. Tea bags’ taste will differ from loose leaves because when leaves are allowed to expand they usually deliver a smoother flavor. Unfortunately, for tea bags, they is not much room for them to expand flavour. Tea bags can also release more tannins than loose teas giving a harsher flavor to the tea.
For those that seem to like the convenience of tea bags, try to find pyramid tea bags that are larger enough to have whole leaves in them and expand the proper way during the steeping process.
Come back soon for another “How to Tea” tip. If you have any tea
related questions that you would like covered, please leave it in the
comment below so I can get to it on a future post!