Loose Leaf Tea
Loose leaf tea, when brewed at the ideal temperature and given room in hot water to flourish, maximizes its flavor profile. Loose Leaf Teas are large leaves and are not crushed into smaller pieces. When tea is broken into smaller pieces the oil extracts and is lost. This dries out the tea faster and it has a tendency to go stale faster, losing its intense flavors.
Loose Leaf Tea can be brewed in a variety of ways. Infusers, teapots, tea presses, and strainers can all be used to brew loose leaf tea. All of these brewing methods do not require disposable filters or tea bags. Although tea bags are known to be used for convenience, the tea filled in the bags are known to be of a less grade of tea, not as flavorful and can usually only be used for one infusion. Loose leaf teas are known to be used for many infusions, at least 2-3.
Several traditional teapots used are Gaiwans, Yixings, and Clay tea pots used in the Chinese and Japanese cultures. Turkish tea brewing is usually used in a pot similar to a double boiler; some know it as a samovar.
If you are looking for quality and flavor, organic loose leaf tea is the way to go.
Tea Bags
Some teas offered in commercial tea bags are known as fannings or “dust.” They come from the waste produced when sorting high quality loose leaf tea. Many tea bags are made with a paper coated with epichlorohydrin, a known carcinogen. People have also been known to be able to taste the paper tea bag in their cup of tea.
If you are looking for convenience, most people will choose tea bags for a fast and cleaner brewing method.
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