Tea Bags
A tea bag is merely a porous paper, nylon or silk small bag that has tea inside. When the tea is brewed, the tea stays in the bag allowing the person drinking the tea to easily dispose of it without fuss or mess.
First Tea Bags on the Scene
Before the advent of tea bags, tea was brewed as loose leaf tea. The taste of loose leaf tea is far superior to that which is brewed in a bag, but the bag method is a simple and easy way to have a cup of tea when you are in a rush.
The first tea bags to show up on the scene were made circa 1903. They were made with silk muslin bags that were hand sewn. These bags were first commercially offered around the year 1904. Thomas Sullivan of New York was one of the first successful marketers of tea bags. He was a merchant of tea and coffee and he shipped the new invention world wide.
Tea Bad Info And Shapes
You can also find tea bags that are empty so you can fill them with your own tea blend. They are usually open ended and have a long flap to help keep the tea inside. You simply fill the empty bag with your favorite blend of tea and then brew. This allows those with a love of tea to have it in the more convenient packaging of tea bags while still being able to enjoy loose leaf tea.
Most tea bags are either rectangular or square in shape. In more recent times, tea bags have evolved into other shapes, and claimed by their manufacturers to improve the taste and quality of the tea. These claims are only true if the proper preparation methods for brewing tea are used.
The Convenience of Tea Bags
Tea bags have opened the world of tea drinking to many people since their invention. Before the use of tea bags, a large number of people had no idea how to brew and strain a proper cup of tea, and using bags of tea allows those who have no patience or time for the loose leaf method to drink a quick cup of tea.
Using a tea bag to drink tea is fine if that is what you are used to. Those who are real tea drinkers would generally never use a bag to brew a cup of tea. Tea was often served in the past, and the whole process of the preparation was as important as the tea cups you used to fill with the beverage. It is a genteel process that those of the upper classes learned at an early age in the past.
Written By The Tea Lady
The Tea Lady carefully tends to The Official Website for Tea and sends an occasional Tea Newsletter to ardent and casual tea lovers around the world.
