Loose-leaf or bagged, that is the question?
Loose-leaf tea is a tea that is not brewed in a teabag. It has the full tea leaf, is generally fresher, and full of vitamins, minerals, amazing flavors, and aromas. When steeping loose-leaf tea, there is more room for the tea leaves to absorb water and expand as they infuse. This allows the water to flow through the leaves and extract all this lovely goodness from the leaves. Some find this cumbersome as you need special steeping cups or baskets, which then need to be emptied and cleaned. When steeping tea in a teabag, you are getting smaller pieces of leaves and dust called fanning. Tea in bags is not as fresh and flavorful as loose-leaf tea, however, it is much more convenient, with less mess. Teabags are also cheaper and are generally good enough for your average tea drinker.
More recently, some tea merchants have gone to higher grades of tea with more sophisticated flavor profiles and aromas. Better brews are seen from these leaves than with traditional teabags by putting them into larger teabags, which allows the leaves to expand more than traditional tea bags, thus creating a better brew. I personally love the flavor and aromas you get with loose-leaf tea, and will still buy the ones that I find have exceptional flavor. One of my favorites is called Tuscan Pear, which I get from a little shop in Leavenworth, Washington called “The Cup & Kettle”. For everyday use however, there are higher grade teas in a bag that have flavor and aromas that will rival some of your loose-leaf teas. Call me lazy but for everyday use, the easier the better. I have found a great on-line tea shop called “Buddha Teas” with tea that is amazingly tasty and aromatic.
This company uses fresh, high quality ingredients, with organic herbs and tea leaves allowing their teas to stay pure and natural, free from chemicals, preservatives and added flavoring. They use unbleached tea bags, are 100% Kosher, use No Genetically Modified Organisms, 100% Recycled and Recyclable Cartons, have No Artificial Flavors, Colors, or Preservatives.
