Paper teabags – the end is nigh!

Recent reports have announced the introduction of nylon tea bags in supermarkets across the country. Sainsbury’s now sells St James fruit teas which use the nylon teabag and Asda uses them for its Extra Special range. Despite their high price, Asda has reported that they have proven popular with consumers.

Previously only available in specialist shops, nylon tea bags are about four times more expensive than the paper version so why the change and why are consumers happy to spend more on a disposable product that can’t even be composted on the garden any more?

Bedford based tea connoiseur and founder of tea importer, Nothing But Tea, Nigel Melican provides his thoughts...

“Undoubtedly loose tea is best – when you have the time to relax and prepare it – but today we all need to multi task and a teabag brewed in the mug saves valuable seconds. Better to have the health benefits of good tea in a teabag than the negatives of coffee or fizzy drinks.”

Q. How do nylon teabags affect flavour and why is this so?
A. There are good teabags and bad teabags – cheap ones filled with dust will never give a good cup of tea. Silky pyramid bags are expensive but because of this extra price they generally contain better teas. The extra size of the nylon bag gives more brewing room so that packers can use tea leaves of larger size – more like loose tea. The taste of a paper tea bag can sometimes be detected in the cup but I have tasted many hundreds of teas in nylon teabags and have never once identified any taste or aroma other than the tea itself.

Q. Considering the amount of tea our nation drinks every day [165 million cups] aren’t nylon teabags a bit of a hazzard to the environment?
A. It’s a common misconception that the common paper teabag is entirely innocent. It actually contains non-biodegradable plastic within the paper to enable it to be heat sealed.

Q. Perhaps we should dump the teabag altogether and return to loose leaf teas, what are the benefits?
A. This solution would certainly offer the consumer the best quality ‘cuppa’:
• You can see the leaf and check the quality
• Room for the leaves to swirl and expand when brewing
• Teabags are restricted to small broken leaf
• You can add exactly the right amount for your taste
• No squishy bag in your saucer
• Far more Elegant and stylish – would you expect to a teabag when taking tea at the Ritz?

But, making a pot of tea simply isn’t feasible in today’s fast-paced world. A great alternative is the personal teabag. Few people are aware of these teabags which are usually only found in specialist shops. Fill individual bags with your choice of loose tea at the weight you want and brew as you would a normal cup of tea. Many of our customers use these for traveling or at work and simply fill a supply the previous day. Great loose tea with the convenience of teabag brewing – what a wonderful British compromise!

Find out more about Nothing But Tea at Nbtea.co.uk.