Black Tea Bags

Food & Drink
1

Hi Everyone, it’s been a while. I hope you’re all well. Let’s talk black tea bags.

When drinking black tea, do you take the tea bag out before drinking?

  • Yes
  • No
0 voters

Also, do you dunk the bag?

5 Likes
2

I like a nice cuppa but can’t stand “overbrewed” tea with all the tannins. Erk. And yes sometimes I dunk.

6 Likes
3

Hi Shadia, nice to hear from you again :slightly_smiling_face:
Yes, I dunk the tea bag a few times and take it out before drinking.

5 Likes
4

Yes, I remove the bag - I don’t like strong tea, and I don’t want to be hit in the nose by a soggy teabag.
I don’t dunk the bag, I swirl it around like a teaspoon in the mug. This encourages the brewing process without slopping tea on the drip mat (not mentioning any names).
My husband likes to dunk his gingernut biscuits - a fish of a different colour.

4 Likes
5

LOL! Me too, in coffee as well.

4 Likes
6

You have to dunk the NSW/ACT version, as they’re too hard to bite into otherwise. That’s why we “import” the Victorian (the best!) or Queensland versions.

5 Likes
7

Black tea, spoonful of honey often required after removing teabag or infuser. I prefer the second as there is a greater choice of select teas often best enjoyed as is.

Dunking - definitely not.
I’m more a cake or pastry with cream person. TimTams with coffee though? :yum:

3 Likes
8

I don’t like tea bags, I drink leaf tea. My dad used to say the stuff they put in the bags is swept up off the floor lol.

6 Likes
9

Tea bags made from floor sweeping is an urban myth.

I have been to a couple of tea processing facilities when travelling overseas and one in Malaysia addressed this myth. Tea bags are made from fines through the screening of tea and from chopped tea leaves. They suspect the myth arose from the use of fines which are seen as a byproduct of tea processing. Some think by-products are waste (which they aren’t) and hence the myth of waste on the floor being swept up for teabags. Another comment they made was there are considerable number of teabags made and volumes far exceed any bits which may fall on the floor during processing. The last point I can recall was in the past, all tea was on the floor at some stage of its production - when tea was air dried by spreading on the floor and turned regularly - today most tea is dried in kilns/ovens. This is less likely to occur now in modern processing facilities. So in past the myth applied to all tea and not just teabags. The myth about teabags is debunked.

5 Likes
11

Possibly also how he thought it tasted compared to fresh leaf tea. One of life’s simply luxuries to make a careful selection of fresh loose leaf at one of the specialty tea suppliers.

7 Likes
12

Bag out and definitely no dunking, I’m far too lazy.

3 Likes
13

I love strong tea so specifically buy the ‘extra strong’ types. I dunk multiple times then squeeze the bag into the cup before discarding it. Strong tea. Nothing beats it.

9 Likes
14

I prefer leaf tea since hearing about the bags, are made from plastics

2 Likes
15

I share the same concerns, but there are many teabag manufacturers which bags are plastic free (made from cellulose fibres). Unfortunately almost all teabag product labels are silent on whether the bags contain plastic or are plastic free. It means one has to do homework before shopping to buy ones that aren’t - and to resist buying those on special when one doesn’t know their status.

Some bags are also fibre and plastic composites, while others (we have found some exotic or herbal based teas) are 100% synthetic bags.

Edit: there is also the option of using a tea ball infuser instead of a teabag. We often do.

5 Likes
16

Yes definitely - and squeeze it afterwards so I get all the good stuff :slight_smile:

6 Likes
17

I’ll drink Te that! :

4 Likes
18

I don’t drink black tea but do consume green tea ( which is sort of the same with a different flavour). Drop the teabag in the mug, leave for couple of minutes, dunk a couple of times and remove while squeezing the eluate out of the bag with purpose made tweezers.

5 Likes
19

Sort of, however Wikipedia clarifies.
‘Black tea - Wikipedia
Black tea describes the processed leaf. The true colour is best appreciated if brewed in a glass. The colour of the brew is anything but black. Wikipedia does point out that black tea can be enjoyed without or with milk added after brewing.

2 Likes
20

Extra strength tea bags, well dunked & stirred…will have to investigate if Dilmah use plastic bags now

5 Likes
21

Dilmah provide some general information on their website about their teabags and packaging.

So for Extra Strength Dilmah Teabags, they contain plastic/polyester either synthetised from corn or is a petroleum product. From their website, the 2% plastic in teabags from either sources isn’t biogradable.

While corn based polysters (PLAs) are classified as plastic and reported to be carbon neutral, there are still concerns with its use and impacts on the environment.

4 Likes