Learn the difference between brewing loose leaf tea, tea in sachets and tea bags and how they impact your tea-drinking experience.
How we choose our method of tea delivery, however, is completely a matter of personal preference. Knowing that there is no right or wrong choice—just like chocolate v. vanilla—having a little more knowledge about the difference between the three methods of preparing tea might come in handy.
Loose Tea
If you’re a tea connoisseur, there simply is no other way to make a cup of tea. Tea leaves need room to expand for full-bodied flavor; loose teas, when placed into a tea strainer or infuser, are free to bob up and down in the water, which surrounds every part of the leaves and creates a fuller flavor experience. Tea balls are not ideal for brewing loose leaf tea because they don’t allow enough room for the tea to expand to its full delicious potential.
In addition, loose tea is the most economical method because tea leaves can be steeped multiple times, which means you’re getting more bang for your buck, or more glee from your tea! Brewing loose leaf tea also allows you to make a cup that’s all you: use more or fewer leaves depending on how strong you like your tea. Another point in loose tea’s flavor is its sustainability--less packaging is always a good thing.
Ready to get started? Try one of our outstanding Darjeeling, Formosa oolong or green teas and follow the steeping instructions for a perfectly brewed cup.
Sachets
If the paraphernalia necessary to brew loose tea just seems like too much to you, sachets may literally be your cup of tea.
Most sachets, like Harney & Sons’, are pyramid-shaped bags that contain whole leaf teas. The pyramid shape again allows for better flow of water to surround the tea leaves which expand to release their full flavor spectrum, much like in the loose tea steeping process—similar result without the loose-tea hardware entourage. Also, the quantity is measured for you, ensuring an awesome cup every time.
If you’ve never tried tea in a sachet, give our Hot Cinnamon Spice a try.
Tea Bags
Your third option, and the one preferred by many for their convenience, are tea bags. They contain broken leaves or sometimes fannings (small particles of tea leaf). Whole tea leaves are not used in tea bags as their size, while perfect for travel or on-the-go, does not allow whole leaves to expand as they do in strainers, infusers, or sachets.
However, one benefit of tea bags, besides their convenient size, is that broken leaves infuse faster than loose tea. So when you’re in a hurry, tea bags are definitely your go-to for a cup of your favorite tea anywhere, anytime.
Unlike other tea bags, Harney’s are made of unbleached paper, so all you taste is the quality tea that’s inside. They’re also compostable, so better for the environment. Some of our most popular teas come in tea bags, like Organic Earl Grey, Paris, and Hot Cinnamon Spice. Perfect for those globetrotters who enjoy spicing life up while having breakfast in Ireland on their way to Paris. Or for those of us who just dream about it as we run out the door getting the kids to school and ourselves to work with tea in hand, made possible by the convenience of the small but migh-tea tea bag.
