Tea bags

[Mike981]

I'm glad I found this thread. I just purchased and received a mug infuser last week and I am now on the hunt for good lose leaf tea.

I am very picky, I like black and green. That is it. Does anyone have any other suggestions besides those mentioned here? I like good flavor, I'm not sure if that means 'strong'. I have used Lipton, Tetley and Bigelow bags in the past.

[Oak Smoke]

I have no idea what they put in tea bags but it’s not nearly as good as what I’m drinking now.

[Mike981]

I have Ahmad special blend premium black loose leaf tea on the shopping list, is this a good choice?

[Oak Smoke]

I think so.

[FireMan]

Take a look at Mei Leaf out of London. Some premium leaf and may open you to the world of a different brewing. I get 80% of my tea from there. Also Yezi's Tea Life and two others.

[FireMan]

Most important is to stay away from grocery store brands and then keeping track of what tastes and smells best. Yes, smell your tea before brewing, after brewing and then tasting it. If ya like it, bravo! Don't cheat yerself.
Not tellin ya how to my friend, but keep the junk out if ya can ala sugar n' cream.

[fzxdoc]

I love using loose leaf tea. Only on occasion do I use tea bags, mostly when dining out.

And yup, most tea bags contain plastic, from reading several reputable sources. We're doomed by plastic, no matter where we look. Toilet paper plastic, however, doesn't concern me much. Out of sight, out of mind. Don't look back.

My fave wake-up tea if full leaf Assam that I get from the Indian market.

I invested in this small serve teapot, one for home and one for our winter abode. I drink all 27 oz myself, BTW.



I like sassafras tea for iced tea.

Kathryn

[surfdog]

When making a single cuppa I generally use a basket type infuser. Thought, admittedly, I do have & use teabags on occasion.

When I’m making a bit more…this is the one I’ve been using lately.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09KV4WQY2?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_ti tle_13&th=1


I also use a 32oz Espro P7 for both coffee & tea…they make dedicated tea baskets for their presses.


But some people balk at the price, but it’s an excellent way to make coffee or tea…and being stainless, it’s much sturdier than the glass type French presses.

[Oak Smoke]

I have a stainless steel strainer somewhat like the none in the upper picture. I really like it.

[surfdog]

If you simply can’t give up the bags…check out Clipper teas. Their bags are unbleached, biodegradable, and plastic free.

[Henrik]

I’ve been an avid tea drinker all my life. I’ve tried most brands (and colors - red, green, black). Nowadays it’s 100% black tea. I agree with many others here, tea bags is low quality tea. Loose leaf is the way to go.

And to make it easy, all those strainers/sieves people recommend in this thread etc are perfect, you don’t have to fiddle with buying empty tea bags (usually seen at hotels) that you fill with a tea spoon, or some other thingamajing.

The one tea I buy in tea bags that hold top quality is Yorkshire tea. It’s British black tea, available both as loose leaf and bags. I buy a big bag from Amazon, either 600 or 1200 tea bags in one big bag. And I buy more than one of those a year. Yes. I drink a lot of tea 😄

Also, if you buy 600/1200 tea bags in one go the price goes down considerably per cup. Same with loose leaf. Keep loose leaf in a sealed glass jar in the pantry (dark) and it lasts a long time.

[jayjordan]

The metal tea balls I already had don’t work well for me, so I bought a couple of mug infusers.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000I68NCS?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1

These are the two types of loose leaf I bought.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GA0QVMA?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_2&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GA95AV4?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_2&th=1

[Henrik]

I agree, the metal tea balls are too fiddly for me, I much prefer the mug infusers, they are so much easier to use.

[fzxdoc]

Nice buy. I like mug infusers a lot. Especially with lids.

So easy peasy, but stopped using them a few years back because of the plastic in the construction. I wish I could find some with lids that are not made of plastic. Sounds like a good quest to go on.

Kathryn

[Uncle Bob]

A quick question; Is Irish Breakfast Tea beer flavored?

[fzxdoc]

It was a pretty short quest for a non-plastic component tea infuser with lid. I found this $10 SS mesh strainer on Amazon , which I'm hoping will work for me, especially when I want to brew tea right in my RTIC ceramic-lined 40 oz mug a bit before heading out the door to run errands.

Thanks for inspiring me to look for this design, jayjordan .



Kathryn

[jayjordan]

Great find! Wish I had seen those before I bought the other ones.

[Oak Smoke]

That’s almost identical to mine.