Better taste & no hidden chemicals
Most of us are aware of some of the health benefits of drinking our cup of tea. But did you know that you could increase those benefits by drinking loose leaf tea instead of tea bags? Not to mention the chemicals that your teabags might contain.
Since tea is such a great source of polyphenols and other antioxidants. A cup of tea is a great way to boost your health. No matter if you prefer your tea black, green, or white, they’re all made from the same plant after all. Maybe you prefer to have caffeine-free tea, and you prefer to drink rooibos or herbal tea instead.
No matter what type of tea you drink, I would argue that you would be better of drinking it as a loose leaf tea instead of as tea bags. You can make your own reusable teabags or buy stainless steel tea infusers if you prefer. If you want to with something more vintage, you can brew your tea in an old-fashioned teapot. You can even make cute tea cosies for your teapot. Or use a teapot warmer with a tealight for that extra bit of cosiness.
Loose leaf tea is no waste
Loose leaf teas require less packaging, and if you can buy yours from a bulk store, you can use your own jars, which would be even better. Because loose leaves require so much less packaging than tea bags, it also greatly reduces the CO2 footprint. Because a big part of our food’s eco-footprint is due to shipping. By reducing the packaging, you can ship more products in fewer trucks and save on emissions.
And unlike a lot of tea bags, you can safely compost your tea leaves. That way, you can turn those old tea leaves into rich compost for your plants. By drinking loose leaf tea, you wouldn’t just be helping yourself but also your green friends (plants).
Higher quality and a better taste
Ever noticed that brown dust on the bottom of your tea box? If you have, you might have wondered why that always happens. Well, It’s because manufacturers fill the teabags with inferior tea leaves. And if your tea comes in a little bag, you won’t notice if there is some tea dust in there. Whereas if you buy the leaves loose, you won’t have that problem.
Loose tea tends to consist of bigger leaves and therefore contains more healthy polyphenols and antioxidants. And because tea is known for lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, drinking loose leaves will lower these even more. Besides, did you know that tea can even help prevent certain cancers and boost your immune system? If that ain’t a good reason to drink your cuppa, then I don’t know what is.
Mix and match your loose leaf tea
If you love experimenting with flavours, then loose leaf tea is perfect. Did that company stop producing your favourite tea blend? No problem. You mix your own leaves and dried fruits to create your own unique mix. Adjust the flavours to your own personal taste and adapt them to your mood. Experiment and find out what it is that you want in your tea, and you will gain a whole new appreciation for tea.
I often joke that my husband and I only ended up together because of a cup of tea. Because one day I had bought a new tea blend and wanted to taste it for the first time with a friend. So I asked a friend (my now husband) to come over and taste this new cool tea I found. The rest is history, as they say.
But a few years later, the company that produced this particular tea blend stopped producing this blend. So I started experimenting with dried fruit and tea leaves to recreate our beloved tea blend.
Now we can still enjoy the tea blend that brought us together.
No nasty chemicals
A tea bag looks harmless, but not all tea bags are created equally. Unfortunately, some companies started creating “silken” tea bags, which shed billions of microplastics into your cup. And I don’t know how you feel about plastic in your food and drink, but I’m not a fan. With all the studies out there, that state how plastics are messing with our hormones, I prefer to steer clear of plastic.
But are the traditional paper tea bags plastic free then? Unfortunately, we as consumers can’t be sure since it’s not stated on the packaging. In Ireland Lyons and Barry’s tea (the two biggest tea companies here) are phasing out the plastic in their teabags.
But until every tea company has found a plastic-free alternative. You won’t know for certain if your cup is also host to billions of microplastics. A problem you won’t have with loose leaf teas since they’re not packaged in plastic.
Forage for your own tea
You might not have thought about foraging for your own tea. But I do recommend trying it out sometime. If you’ve never foraged and you’re unsure how to go about it, then don’t worry. Pop over to British local food and read their post on foraging etiquette. Their first rule, which is also always my first rule. Is ALWAYS be 100% sure if it is the correct plant.
Foraging for your own tea is great fun and I forage for nettles quite often. Because I drink at least one cup of nettle tea a day, I need quite a lot of nettles. Personally, I really like the taste of nettle tea. But the main reason why I drink it so regularly is that nettle tea helps against my hay fever.
But you don’t just have to forage for nettles. You can also make delicious tea out of Dog rose petals, they make a lovely floral tea. Another delicious floral tea is made with elderflowers, this is one of my summer favourites. If you want something refreshing, you might be able to find some wild mint close to certain rivers. And if you want a good vitamin C boost this autumn, then why not pick some pine needles for your cuppa.
Go outside and explore and find new flavours you never knew before. And let me know in the comments what exciting new flavours you discovered.
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