Why are most of your teas available only in loose tea?
Loose leaf teas simply offer the best variety, quality, and freshness. While the tea bag is convenient and some good tea can be found in tea bags in Europe, it is most often blended highly and goes stale much more quickly than loose tea, because it is “cut and sifted” to make it ready for the bag. The smallest leaf particles, grades such as “fannings” and “dust” are used in tea bags allowing the tea to brew quickly and strongly, but also making it difficult to keep fresh. Herbal teas in bags have different properties, but still are subject to going stale faster than loose leaf teas.
Making great loose leaf tea is no more difficult than coffee. Brew the recommended time and separate the leaves from the infusion by pouring off into your cup, another pot, or carafe.
If you do use tea bags, we recommend their use within a three month time period of opening the package to assure the highest degree of flavor possible.
Comments
Comment from Jana Jopson
Date: September 5, 2008, 2:23 pm
I brew my loose tea in an infuser basket inserted in the top of my teapot (some teapots are designed so that an infuser basket is not feasible, in which case I use a large paper tea bag). The infuser allows the tea leaves to move and float freely. When the steeping time is up, I lift out the basket and the pot of freshly brewed tea is good to go. This is not as ‘proper’ as brewing with loose leaves in the pot itself, but it does save decanting into a second pot or thermal carafe. In the past I’ve been served tea at tea shops where the owners, in an attempt to be authentic, brew loose leaves in the pot and then let them continue to steep past the proper time, resulting in bitter second cups. Oh - and don’t use the same infuser basket for black tea as for green or for spicy teas … the flavors are absorbed into the basket over time. I do use the same basket for green and herbal which is probably not condoned by afficionados. LOL.
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