Are you someone that loves a good brew? If you are, then you might have looked for something a little fancier than the good old tea bag. You've maybe even found a tea house to go to. If you have, then I am sure you will have heard about loose leaf tea. 

Maybe you have tried it, maybe you have looked into it and thought to yourself, what is the point? If you love tea and have never tried loose leaf, then you're missing out. Hopefully, this post will help change your mind and encourage you to give it a try. 

Loose leaf just tastes better

Your standard tea, that comes in a teabag from the supermarket, tastes fine if you have never had anything else. But trust me when I say, tea can taste so much better. 

With loose leaf tea you get the actual leaf of the plant, sometimes alone, sometimes mixed with another type of tea leaf, spices, or other natural ingredients. Because you are getting the actual leaf and not just dust, the flavour of the tea is greatly improved. Once you have had that first loose leaf brew there is no going back. It will become a part of your day and the old tea bag will never taste the same again.

There are also many wonderful blends, and you should always be able to find exactly what you're looking for, you can even be adventurous and try something different, and you will not regret it. 

You spend less drinking loose leaf tea

When you first look at loose leaf tea the price can make you wince, but do not be put off. Yes, you might be able to get tea bags at the supermarket for a few quid, but you can only use a tea bag once. A 250g pouch of loose leaf tea will do around 80 servings, if not a little more depending on the strength you want your tea. 

Each of those 80 servings can be brewed at least twice, sometimes even 3 to 4 times. This means that a 250g pouch of tea will give you between 160 - 320 brews, that taste so much better than any tea bag you might get. Our Breakfast Tea works out at between £0.04 - £0.08 per cup. 

If you could have a cup of tea for only 8 pence, that tasted far superior to a standard tea bag, would you? I know I would and do every day. 

The Environmental Impact

Without getting too deep, the manufacturing process, involved in making tea bags, is far more involved than that of packaging loose leaf tea. This results in a larger impact on the environment due to the need to power the equipment and dispose of all the waste materials. Along with the additional packaging materials used and the manufacturing process behind that.

Tea bags can also contain plastic, even plastic-free tea bags can contain small amounts of polypropylene, as this is what helps the bags stick during the sealing process and we should all be aware of the impact plastic has on the environment at this point.  

I don’t know about you, but I’d rather not be drinking plastic with my tea!

Did you know tea is also compostable so will degrade over time? It also makes a great fertilizer for your garden, just make sure to dry them out first though. Why would you want to hinder this by putting it in a bag that cannot degrade? 

The uses for used tea do not end there, it can be dried out and used to scent any area of the house, just drop it into a little muslin bag and leave it where needed. They can be used to pull strong odors out of a chopping board or used to refresh tired eyes. The list goes on and I will cover this in another post.  

The Brewing Process

The process of brewing up can be used in conjunction with something else you love, to add something special to your experience. 

Say you love to journal, but sometimes miss an entry. You can use the process of brewing up a pot of tea to let your mind know that it's time to sit down and relax, with your brew and your journal. Positive reinforcement of a positive habit, and best of all you get a wonderful cup of tea, to enjoy while you complete your journal entry for the day. 

This is just one example of the way you can use the process of brewing up to reinforce something positive in your daily routine. Another could be sitting down with a brew and whatever you're currently reading. Try it, you will not look back.

And I would be failing if I did not mention the habit that will never die, tea and cake, come on who doesn’t love a good brew with a slice of your favorite cake?

The Health Benefits of Loose Tea

Each type of tea will offer different benefits:

Black teas are great for the health of your heart, they help with digestion, boost energy and improve your immune functions. 

Green teas help with memory function, they have been linked to improvements in metabolism and can improve dental health. 

Herbal teas can help boost your immune system, reduce inflammation, and can support healthy sleep hygiene, improving your quality of sleep. 

White tea has been linked to supporting weight loss, Improving brain health, the reduction of cholesterol levels, and can benefit your reproductive health. 

On top of all this, it tastes unbelievable!

Conclusion 

If you love tea and you're someone that cares about the environment and how we as humans are impacting it, then loose leaf tea is for you. Not only will you be helping reduce the environmental impact of the mass production machines that churn out cheap tea bags filled with plastic, but you will also benefit from all the positive effects that the tea will have on your health.

I for one have ditched the standard tea bag and only drink loose leaf tea. I don’t miss the convenience of the tea bag, and the small effort needed to brew up has had no impact on how I consume my tea and I suggest you do too.  

Give it a try, introduce the process of making loose leaf tea into one of your daily self-care habits and reap the benefits all while enjoying something that tastes great. 

If you like the sound of this, head over to our shop and try out some of our loose leaf tea. We will deliver it to you as fast as we can and we will do it for free.