Why is loose leaf tea better than teabags?

One of the biggest questions people as The Wonderland Tea Company is “why do you offer loose leaf tea and not tea bags?”

The answer for us is quality, it’s about having the best tea profile and flavor available when brewing a cup or pot of tea. Loose leaf or “whole leaf” allows for larger leaves with more surface area to give the essential oils and flavors a chance to become aromatic and fill your cup with that delicious flavoring we want.

When you use teabags typically these are made from lower grade tea pieces – almost dust like. Packed in paper sachets in a box also causes tea bags to loose flavor faster as air is more prone to seep into the box. Tea sealed in resealable food grade packaging pouches to block light and keep air out, gives a longer shelf life and more freshness.

Steeping loose leaf tea leaves allows the water to absorb and expand the flavors thus infusing begins. This is how the process of extracting the nutrients and aromas comes to be. We get a more flavor, vitamins and minerals from the steeping larger leaves.

What happens when you steep with a teabag?

The process although the same is not equal due to the size difference. For those who just want a cheap cup of tea and are not into the world of tea, a tea bag is the option the market has produced for years to meet this needs. These companies fill teabags with smaller pieces of tea or tea dust (a cost savings to them) and you can only yield a single cup from each bag, often if you want a fuller flavor you will need to use more than one teabag at a time. Unlike loose leaf where you can re-steep your leaves for a second cup and obtain more full flavor.

How do I start drinking tea better?

Not to worry, that is why we are here, some of our past blog articles discuss how to brew tea, steeping times and even how to make iced tea. One of the first things you will need is a steeper ball, infuser or tea pot. Each bag of Wonderland Tea includes time and temperature as well for optimal steeping times and our site is always packed with information to help you be the best you can. And please feel free to ask us any questions.

Ready to embrace the world of better tea drinking? Great! We are excited to take the journey with you.