Loose leaf tea or tea bags?

zenshaver · 10-03-2008, 02:16 PM

After having tried both I have to say that loose leaf tea infused in a small teapot has to be the best hands down. I like my japanese sencha and sencha in a teabag is real bad. Fresh sencha in a teapot is sooo much better.

littlesilverbladefromwale · 10-03-2008, 05:34 PM

I don't know about those foreign

teas. But here in England

I mean Wales we tend to favour tea bags now.
What we (my wife and I) do find makes the most difference is making the tea in a pot rather than making it in the cup.
My grandad did use loose Glengettie tea in a smallish pot and it was always nice.

zenshaver · 10-03-2008, 07:07 PM

Perhaps freshness is a factor too. The looseleaf I have been getting is most likely a lot fresher than tea that I can get in bags.I have also found that the looseleaf is a lot stronger. Maybe because I am using more? I am not sure.I do know that the sencha I am getting in bags tastes nothing like the looseleaf I can get.The loosleaf has a more grassy flavor and is stronger. Whereas, the bags have a very dull taste to them and don't taste grassy at all.It almost tastes like tetleys I can get in bags.

netsurfr · 10-03-2008, 07:30 PM

After drinking infused tea, I will only drink tea-bag tea as a very, very, very last resort!

zenshaver · 10-05-2008, 12:34 AM

Yes, I am hooked.

JMS · 10-05-2008, 12:36 AM

Loose leaf here!

bpave777 · 10-05-2008, 07:43 AM

I drink both. Most are in bags though. Some of my Chinese teas I just put straight into the cup. The leaves get soggy and sink to the bottom.

OLD_SCHOOL · 10-05-2008, 08:35 AM

Well only speaking of Japanese teas, I use loose leaf too. Mostly coz I make it a bit stronger so it is actually green. I seen those bags, with the floor sweepings in them, and they turned the water pale yellow, if the label says green tea, I expect green tea, not yellow.

Oh Mugicha comes in bags, not sure if there is a leaf form, so I use the bags for that.

Oh and for the sake of conversation, I like my tea strong. My wife dislikes when I make it and vice versa.

xman · 10-05-2008, 10:57 AM

Loose leaf is definitely preferred.

nickyspaghetti · 10-05-2008, 11:57 AM

I remember my grandmother talking about a tea factory in Sri Lanka and the loose tea was made normally, but the tea bags were floor sweepings(along with mouse droppings etc.)
I was converted to loose tea through green tea and I have never gone back to English tea bags. Interestingly enough the quality of tea bags in Poland is higher I think, as they do not take milk in tea which can hide a variety of bad qualities in the tea. They do however think that English tea is the best( all their brands seem to be marketed as being an english tea)
There is such a world of difference between loose and bag teas. Now I am trying some indiviually wrapped mini bricks of pu errh one of my students brought me from Hong Kong. The leaves just float to the bottom and continue stewing.

majurey · 10-05-2008, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OLD_SCHOOL

I seen those bags, with the floor sweepings in them, and they turned the water pale yellow, if the label says green tea, I expect green tea, not yellow.

Oh Mugicha comes in bags, not sure if there is a leaf form, so I use the bags for that.

Years ago I visited a tea estate in Sri Lanka. The tea was amazing, and I bought some loose leaf back to brew in the UK. At the estate, it was explained to me that teabags essentially had floor sweepings in them, hence the only way to guarantee quality was to buy loose leaf.

I think things have changed now. In the UK you can now buy specialist teas in bags. The're freshly picked and packed and also available mail order/online. This year I tried some tea from one of the few tea estates in the UK. Mind blowingly good. And guess what, they do them in bags too. Tregothnan - English Country Estate Products. Tea, Bouquets, Garlands, Gates, Botanic Garden

To me, there was no difference between their loose leaf and their teabags. It was the same tea, the same water, the same pot.

The secret to good tea is in the making. I'm pretty terrible at making tea -- I don't warm the pot, the water I use is hard, I never remember to steep it correctly (either too long or too short).

zenshaver · 10-06-2008, 04:07 PM

I am getting pretty good at brewing. I am finding that different sencha can be brewed differently which makes it hard to always get it right.Too long usually means too bitter.At first I didn't care too much for sencha but now I love it. Go figure.

jockeys · 10-06-2008, 04:32 PM

loose leaf FTW.
teabags=epic fail.

teabags are never fresh, and are never as good as loose leaf tea. I have no idea why anyone would make tea with teabags.

zenshaver · 10-06-2008, 04:34 PM

I use this without the mesh screen.Rishi-Tea :: Teaware :: Tokoname :: Seiyu Shiboridashi It works perfectly.

zenshaver · 10-06-2008, 04:39 PM

That is another thing I get into. Tokoname ware. Some of it is quite nice.

nickyspaghetti · 10-07-2008, 06:00 AM

When I make tea, I always brew it specifically how I want it. I really hate tea that has too much tannin and bitterness to it, but trying to explain to somebody how to make me a cup of tea just makes me look like a ****!
Apart from tea bags, what is the biggest tea making sin? For me it has to be squeezing the leaves or bag - it ruins the tea.

OLD_SCHOOL · 10-07-2008, 07:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nickyspaghetti

Apart from tea bags, what is the biggest tea making sin?

I'd say recycling the teabag and/or leaves after use.

zenshaver · 10-07-2008, 11:01 AM

I don't recycle my leaves but I do try to get three infusions out of them.

nickyspaghetti · 10-07-2008, 06:56 PM

Yeah - my mum does that. It's pretty disgusting.

zenshaver · 10-07-2008, 06:59 PM

You can't just use them once. Thats a waste. Tea costs too much to just throw it out after one use. I have paid $24 a 100g bag and that is a lot.I wouldn't reuse a teabag though.