Is loose tea better than tea bags?
Is loose tea really better than tea bags? Some tea connoisseurs will answer a resounding yes; however, others swear by tea bags. The truth lies somewhere in the middle. The convenience of tea bags is a considerable factor, especially when brewing a cup at work or away from home. Using a tea bag you can enjoy a good cup of tea anywhere hot water or a microwave is to be found. Wrapped, they fit very nicely in the purse and are always handy. The tea used in tea bags is usually fannings and dust. These are simply smaller particles, but may be broken leaves of excellent quality tea. The smaller, broken particles brew more quickly, because of the greater surface area. Absorption of caffeine and tannins are usually a little greater from a tea bag as well, again due to the smaller particles. This can be an advantage, or not, depending on your tastes. One major disadvantage of tea bags is that the smaller broken particles used in tea bags tend to go stale more quickly. A whole leave will retain
