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How can I be absolutely sure that my tea bags do not have plastic in them? That's so gross. I like buying a lot of tea from Asia and small companies. I'm not t

How can I be absolutely sure that my tea bags do not have plastic in them? That's so gross. I like buying a lot of tea from Asia and small companies. I'm not that big of a fan of loose leaf just because it's less convenient to brew.

lstodd 5y ago
The answer is, and while it might be taken as rude: just learn how to brew and enjoy tea. Tea bags have nothing to do with tea. It's that simple. Having said that, the plastic tea bags usually have better "tea" in them.
- chrisseaton 5y ago
  > Tea bags have nothing to do with tea Seems like a stretch to make this argument...
  - dvtrn 5y ago
    I’m baffled as to how
pvaldes 5y ago
Absolutely sure? Culturing your own tea at home. As long as your climate is correct and you have a temperate garden, is not a difficult plant to grow or harvest.
- doublepg23 5y ago
  do you have any articles on this?
  - pvaldes 5y ago
    Nope, just experience
  - DoingIsLearning 5y ago
    I don't have any articles. But I can give you my experience. Disclaimer: I am utterly useless with plants and green fingers and all that. I have in my garden Morocan Mint (Mentha spicata) and Lemongrass(Cymbopogon citratus). They are meant for much warmer climates but provided you have a wind barrier and above freezing temperatures these plants grow like weeds. You can also grow them indoors. They are generally forgiving and make for great decaffeinated fresh tea.
    - pvaldes 5y ago
      Mentha spicata benefits from lots of water and you can consider a root barrier to keep it in place (or use big pots). They tend to overcome other plants in moist soil You could enjoy also the infusion made from skins of wild rose hips. Really easy to found in the Northern hemisphere. Discard the seeds or cook the fruit entire and filter the liquid apart. Will obtain a sweet and clear infusion rich in vitamin C in a nice red tone. Good for the cold days of winter. And there is also the Australian bush tea made from Leptospermum leaves that a lot of people culture yet in their gardens for the long lasting flowering season. I remember it dark and bitter.
    - doublepg23 5y ago
      Thank you for the tips!
- dflock 5y ago
  True, but as with many things like this, if you want to grow enough for a few cups of tea a day, every day, you are going to need a fairly large garden - a somewhere to dry and store a few months supply of tea, if you want it year round. None of that is a good reason not to grow a few plants and try it, if you live somewhere warm enough.
malermeister 5y ago
I would highly recommend getting one of these [0] and buying loose tea. It does an excellent job filtering and gives you almost the same convenience as tea bags, with the added benefit of higher quality and cheaper tea if you buy it loose. [0] https://www.finum.com/portfolio/brewing-basket-m/ https://www.finum.com/portfolio/brewing-basket-m/
- labster 5y ago
  I’ve been using those myself for a couple years now. Never going back to drinking tea dust again; whole leaves yield a lot less tannin. And for a pot of iced tea, it takes less time to fill a filter paper than it does to open three or four teabag packages.
- Groxx 5y ago
  They're also great for making coffee - there will be a bit of powder left in the bottom of your mug but zero grit, they last for decades, and are super easy to clean. I've bought like 5, and converted a couple dozen people from other nasty plastic or perforated-metal filters. Super highly recommended.
- azinman2 5y ago
  Still contains plastic, and plastic exposed to hot water you drink. Why not just use paper tea bags? They’re not expensive, easy to use, and feel nice.
  - e_proxus 5y ago
    You can get them in stainless steel too, e.g. https://www.paperandtea.com/products/p-t-infuser https://www.paperandtea.com/products/p-t-infuser
  - petepete 5y ago
    They're not even difficult to buy. In the UK most supermarkets will stock at least one variety where the bag is fully biodegradable. Sainsbury's, Aldi, Waitrose own brands are too I believe.
  - 5y ago
piyh 5y ago
Cut the tea out of a bag and take a lighter to it. You'll know.

lstodd 5y ago

The answer is, and while it might be taken as rude: just learn how to brew and enjoy tea. Tea bags have nothing to do with tea. It's that simple. Having said that, the plastic tea bags usually have better "tea" in them.

chrisseaton 5y ago
> Tea bags have nothing to do with tea Seems like a stretch to make this argument...
- dvtrn 5y ago
  I’m baffled as to how

pvaldes 5y ago

Absolutely sure? Culturing your own tea at home. As long as your climate is correct and you have a temperate garden, is not a difficult plant to grow or harvest.

doublepg23 5y ago
do you have any articles on this?
- pvaldes 5y ago
  Nope, just experience
- DoingIsLearning 5y ago
  I don't have any articles. But I can give you my experience. Disclaimer: I am utterly useless with plants and green fingers and all that. I have in my garden Morocan Mint (Mentha spicata) and Lemongrass(Cymbopogon citratus). They are meant for much warmer climates but provided you have a wind barrier and above freezing temperatures these plants grow like weeds. You can also grow them indoors. They are generally forgiving and make for great decaffeinated fresh tea.
  - pvaldes 5y ago
    Mentha spicata benefits from lots of water and you can consider a root barrier to keep it in place (or use big pots). They tend to overcome other plants in moist soil You could enjoy also the infusion made from skins of wild rose hips. Really easy to found in the Northern hemisphere. Discard the seeds or cook the fruit entire and filter the liquid apart. Will obtain a sweet and clear infusion rich in vitamin C in a nice red tone. Good for the cold days of winter. And there is also the Australian bush tea made from Leptospermum leaves that a lot of people culture yet in their gardens for the long lasting flowering season. I remember it dark and bitter.
  - doublepg23 5y ago
    Thank you for the tips!
dflock 5y ago
True, but as with many things like this, if you want to grow enough for a few cups of tea a day, every day, you are going to need a fairly large garden - a somewhere to dry and store a few months supply of tea, if you want it year round. None of that is a good reason not to grow a few plants and try it, if you live somewhere warm enough.

malermeister 5y ago

I would highly recommend getting one of these [0] and buying loose tea. It does an excellent job filtering and gives you almost the same convenience as tea bags, with the added benefit of higher quality and cheaper tea if you buy it loose. [0] https://www.finum.com/portfolio/brewing-basket-m/ https://www.finum.com/portfolio/brewing-basket-m/

labster 5y ago
I’ve been using those myself for a couple years now. Never going back to drinking tea dust again; whole leaves yield a lot less tannin. And for a pot of iced tea, it takes less time to fill a filter paper than it does to open three or four teabag packages.
Groxx 5y ago
They're also great for making coffee - there will be a bit of powder left in the bottom of your mug but zero grit, they last for decades, and are super easy to clean. I've bought like 5, and converted a couple dozen people from other nasty plastic or perforated-metal filters. Super highly recommended.
azinman2 5y ago
Still contains plastic, and plastic exposed to hot water you drink. Why not just use paper tea bags? They’re not expensive, easy to use, and feel nice.
- e_proxus 5y ago
  You can get them in stainless steel too, e.g. https://www.paperandtea.com/products/p-t-infuser https://www.paperandtea.com/products/p-t-infuser
- petepete 5y ago
  They're not even difficult to buy. In the UK most supermarkets will stock at least one variety where the bag is fully biodegradable. Sainsbury's, Aldi, Waitrose own brands are too I believe.
- 5y ago

piyh 5y ago

Cut the tea out of a bag and take a lighter to it. You'll know.