Like many people, I enjoy both coffee and tea. Coffee in the morning to wake up the neurons, and tea at night to put them in the "rest" mode. But, I seldom think about the process of making and using either one. I have always been aware that brewing or steeping should be done at a particular temperature and specific time. But I really have not worried that I was "doing it wrong". I figured that the drip coffee maker was making the coffee under the correct conditions, and that steeping the tea was based on choice. Boy, was I wrong!
And, little did I know that there is such controversy about tea bags versus loose tea. According to some of the tea sites that I checked, I am a barbarian for using tea bags instead of loose tea. After reading the disparaging remarks about tea bags I was feeling like I was at a black tie event in a tee shirt. It seems as though making tea with a bag is analogous to drinking wine from a box rather than from a bottle!
It appears to "boil down" to the fact that loose tea is the whole leaf and that tea bags are made from smaller pieces called "fannings", and "dust". (That's tea dust, not real dust). And, the point is that the tea bag tea loses essential oils more rapidly than loose tea. Additionally, the loose tea can infuse more and expand so it provides better tea. But, I am so conditioned to tea bags that I will probably not experiment with loose tea in the near future. I have a friend in Hiroshima, Japan, so I will check with her to see how she makes tea. My guess is that she uses loose tea but, I have been wrong many time before. Here is a link if you want to read more about the subject.
By the way, the photo is not an advertisement for Lipton. I just buy whatever is on sale. Everything except the store brand which may really be fannings and dust...
UPDATE: 12 March 2012... Response from my friend in Japan:
I just checked your website. In fact if I am to buy tea at store I am likely to buy tea bags which are cheaper and easier, but often tea is given as a gift so I do have some loose tea in the fridge. When it comes to Japanese tea I buy loose tea except one kind which is suitable for cold drink during the summer. It is common in bags. I drink coffee and Japanese tea often but English tea less so. It is not that I don't like it but I don't have time for it in between coffee and Japanese tea. Yumi...
And, little did I know that there is such controversy about tea bags versus loose tea. According to some of the tea sites that I checked, I am a barbarian for using tea bags instead of loose tea. After reading the disparaging remarks about tea bags I was feeling like I was at a black tie event in a tee shirt. It seems as though making tea with a bag is analogous to drinking wine from a box rather than from a bottle!
It appears to "boil down" to the fact that loose tea is the whole leaf and that tea bags are made from smaller pieces called "fannings", and "dust". (That's tea dust, not real dust). And, the point is that the tea bag tea loses essential oils more rapidly than loose tea. Additionally, the loose tea can infuse more and expand so it provides better tea. But, I am so conditioned to tea bags that I will probably not experiment with loose tea in the near future. I have a friend in Hiroshima, Japan, so I will check with her to see how she makes tea. My guess is that she uses loose tea but, I have been wrong many time before. Here is a link if you want to read more about the subject.
By the way, the photo is not an advertisement for Lipton. I just buy whatever is on sale. Everything except the store brand which may really be fannings and dust...
UPDATE: 12 March 2012... Response from my friend in Japan:
I just checked your website. In fact if I am to buy tea at store I am likely to buy tea bags which are cheaper and easier, but often tea is given as a gift so I do have some loose tea in the fridge. When it comes to Japanese tea I buy loose tea except one kind which is suitable for cold drink during the summer. It is common in bags. I drink coffee and Japanese tea often but English tea less so. It is not that I don't like it but I don't have time for it in between coffee and Japanese tea. Yumi...
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