Loose leaf tea vs tea bags, which one should go into your cup? We’ll start by saying, both are going to give you a different tea drinking experience. You are about to find out which one is worth it, and the results will surely leave you satisfied. All tea drinkers want to enjoy the best cup of tea possible. Knowing whether to choose loose leaf vs tea bag is an important step in the tea drinker journey. We have looked at the difference in the quality of the leaves, the taste, and overall bang for your buck to help you decide which one to select.
Loose Leaf Tea
Right off the bat, we have to say that without a doubt, loose leaf tea is the best option. As you’re going to soon see, using loose leaf for your tea will make your tea drinking experience much better. The leaves of loose leaf tea grow seasonally and in small amounts. Only the highest quality leaves are handpicked and sorted to be used in tea. Following that, airtight containers hold the loosely packed tea leaves to keep the rich flavour and fresh scents locked in. Straight away, the leaves in loose leaf tea are handled with great care so that once they’re ready to go into your cup of tea the freshness can be unmatched.
Loose Leaf Tea in Your Cup
Once the fresh leaves enter your cup, you can be sure that you are drinking a great flavoured tea. When you steep loose leaf tea, the leaves soak up the water like a sponge which causes the leaves to grow. This allows the hot water to flow through the leaves and take out more flavours, fragrances, vitamins, and minerals. The added flavour, taste, and aroma are only some of the reasons why loose leaf tea should be your preferred option. Loose leaf has more bioactives and antioxidants which have several health benefits. These benefits include helping with weight loss, lowering blood pressure and reducing the risk of cancer. Loose leaf tea is that heartwarming cup of joy that you’ll fall in love with after the first sip.
More Benefits of Loose Leaf Tea
Loose leaf tea has much bigger leaves than tea bags, trapping the flavour in the bigger pieces of tea leaves. The taste of loose leaf tea is very rich and strong as you can taste the quality of the leaves. The leaves of loose leaf tea can also be used more than once since one steeping cannot tap all that flavour in the leaves. Spending more on a higher quality product can actually save your dollar as the leaves can be reused a few times before having to buy some more. Watching those colourful and fragrant leaves dance on the surface of the water adds to the tea drinking experience. Loose leaf tea stays fresh for longer and has a greater variety with thousands of different unique blends. Click here to check out Grosche’s collection of the tastiest and highest quality loose leaf tea leaves.
Tea Bags
Tea bags have to compete with the quite the matchup, and in terms of quality, they don’t stand a chance. You’ve probably heard many times that the leaves in tea bags are the “dust and fannings” from broken tea leaves. The leaves are very tiny and have lost most of their fragrance and oils. The quality of tea bags drops greatly because their purpose is to be convenient. There’s no care taken in the leaves or the packaging because of the mass production of tea bags. Not to mention that tea bags lose their flavour after one use, go stale quicker, and have limited options.
Tea Bags in Your Cup
Tea bags release more tannins in your cup making bitter brews. The bag itself also releases unwanted chemicals into your tea which adds to the harsher flavour. The size and shape of the bag prevents the small leaf bits from reaching their aroma and flavour potential. The size of the teabag limits the space the leaves need to get their full flavour. The bags don’t allow the water to flow through the leaf bits that well, causing the drinker to swirl the bag around the cup. Teabags provide convenience and not high quality.
Loose leaf tea vs tea bags is a fight between quality and convenience. The best tea drinking experience may take a little longer to make but it is completely worth it. Tea bags have a huge drop in quality compared to loose leaf as it lacks the rich and natural flavour and scents. Loose leaf tea should be any tea drinkers go to. GROSCHE’s premium loose-leaf tea ranges from fruit teas, green teas, and white teas. Try out our tasty flavours here and check out what tea best suits you.
How to Properly Steep Your Loose Leaf Tea
In order to get the most from your loose leaf tea, you’ll want to use a steeper that’s big enough to allow the tea to expand. When you use a small mesh ball or any accessory alike, the tea leaves get condensed and are unable to expand. Ensuring the tea leaves to can expand creates for full flavour extraction, giving you the best-tasting cup of tea. One of our favourite steepers is our ABERDEEN Smart Tea Maker.