Tea bags and tea sachets are a very Western phenomenon. They are very easy to use and save you a lot of time. While loose tea requires additional tools like a tea strainer or a tea egg, for example, you can easily make tea in no time with tea bags. Time constraints are familiar to all of us, yet we still want to be able to enjoy a nice cup of tea. Moreover, as Westerners, we are often on the go, and tea bags come in handy there too. A few tea bags in your bag, and all you need to find is hot water before you can enjoy a delicious cup of tea.

In the East, with China as the birthplace of tea, tea bags are rarely or never used. Tea is served there in a very ceremonial manner, always with loose tea leaves. Tea bags are a Western invention that happened almost by accident. Before the time of tea bags, tea was mainly delivered in tin cans. However, in 1904, tin prices soared, and it was Thomas Sullivan who first sent tea to his customers in small silk bags. The intention was for people to take the tea out of the bags and put it in their teapot, but there was a communication mix-up, and people simply dipped the silk bags in hot water. This accidental discovery would change the entire Western tea culture because later, in 1929, Adolf Rambold further developed it into the standard tea bag we know today: a double-folded permeable paper bag with a staple at the top.

In tea bags, you can find both ‘real tea,’ which comes from the Camellia Sinensis or ‘Chinese tea plant,’ as well as fruit blends, herbal infusions, and blends. In commercial tea bags, like the famous Lipton black tea bags, there are usually tea leaves that have been ground into dust. This production method is called the CTC method, which stands for ‘Crush Tear and Curl.’ Because the leaves are ground so finely, the tea imparts color immediately, and the bag can be removed after just a few dips. CTC production has become the most widely used method worldwide for making tea.

But the tea culture within tea bags is also gradually changing. Especially with the rise and increasing popularity of a variety of green and white teas, we see that tea leaves are less finely ground into powder, and larger pieces of tea leaves end up in the bags. Often, the leaves are still somewhat finely chopped to fit in the tea bag. Even more exclusive teas are finding their way into tea bags. You can now even find exclusive jasmine pearls in tea bags. Not only paper but also various other materials such as silk are used for the bags, and different shapes are emerging.

Now that people are turning more to loose tea, opting for whole tea leaves, and consuming more consciously, it has become trendy to fill your own tea bags. In this way, you can add dried flowers or herbs to create your own unique blends. At Thee.be, we offer various bags for making your own tea bags.
Tea in tea bags
For those who use tea bags and want to achieve the perfect taste, the same rules apply as for loose tea:

Start by choosing good-quality tea bags or sachets because what is not in them cannot be extracted. Some bags, especially the paper ones, may slightly impart flavor, so keep this in mind.
Preferably use bottled water or filtered water for optimal quality.
Heat the water to the correct temperature. For ‘real tea,’ it’s between 70 and 80 degrees Celsius for green tea bags, between 80 and 85 degrees Celsius for white tea bags, around 90 degrees Celsius for oolong tea bags, and around 95 degrees Celsius for black tea bags. For herbal tea and fruit infusions in tea bags, you can heat the water to just below boiling point. It’s best to use a temperature-controlled kettle or a thermometer.
Keep in mind that in most tea bags, the tea leaves are slightly broken to fit in the bag. As a result, they release their flavors and aromas more quickly, so the steeping time is often shorter than for loose tea.

At Thee.be, we strive to offer a beautiful and diverse range of tea bags and sachets so that every tea lover can easily make a quick cup of tea. Of course, we aim for that extra touch and something a bit more special. When selecting our tea bags and sachets, we always look for high-quality products and ethical brands.”