Tea bag

For the sexual slang term, see teabagging.

Three different tea bags

A Turkish tea bag

A tea bag is a small bag that holds tea leaves or herbal tea infusions, either the amount needed to brew a single cup of tea; popular in countries such as the United States, or a larger one, of which one or two are used for a whole teapot; found in countries such as Canada and the United Kingdom. The tea is brewed still inside the bag, making it easier to dispose of without a tea strainer.

The tea bag was accidentally invented by American tea importer Thomas Sullivan in 1908. He had sent samples of his tea out to customers packaged in silk bags. His customers put the entire bags into the pot, thinking that was what Sullivan had intended.

Tea bags were commercially produced in America by the 1920s. The silk was replaced by gauze and later paper. Tea bags took off in the United Kingdom by the 1960s—today in the UK 85% of tea consumed is brewed using a tea bag.

A design of empty tea bag is available for consumers to fill with tea themselves. These are typically an open-ended pouch with a long flap. The pouch is filled with an appropriate quantity of leaf tea and the flap is closed into the pouch to contain the tea. The resulting tea bag combines the ease of use of a commercially-produced tea bag with the wider tea choice and better quality control of loose leaf tea.

A well-produced tea bag, with enough space for the tea to infuse properly, is a convenient alternative to loose leaves. However, tea bags are often let down by being filled with poor quality tea—small, dusty leaves from many different sources which tend to release tannin more quickly, making the tea taste harsh.

Traditionally, tea bags have been square or rectangular in shape. More recently circular and pyramidal bags have come on the market, and are often claimed by the manufacturers to improve the quality of the brew.

However, some tea drinkers claim that loose leaves brew a superior cup of tea, and believe that the ritual of leaves is part of the experience of your tea. Many blends of tea are not available in tea bags, and with loose leaves you are free to experiment with your own creations.

The concept of pre-measured portions to be infused in disposable bags has also been applied to coffee, although this has not achieved such wide market penetration (similar to the market penetration of instant tea as compared to instant coffee).

In non-English speaking countries the term tea bag is used more often for the paper or foil wrapper than for the mesh. They are usually square or rectangular envelopes with the brand name and flavour printed on them, as well as interesting decorative patterns. As a result of these decorate patterns teabags have become the basis for large collections, and also for the hobby of teabag folding. Begun in Holland, and often credited to Tiny van der Plas, teabag folding is a form of origami in which identical squares of patterned paper (cut from the front of teabag sachets) are folded, and then arranged in rosettes. These rosettes are usually used to decorate gift cards and it has become a popular craft in both the US and UK since 2000.

Tea bag

See also