Tea Packaging

Tea Bags

Once the heart of elaborate tea ceremonies in China and Japan, tea has come a long way. After it has grown in scenic estates and been processed, tea packaging is done in several different ways.

Tea packaging is a booming business and the packages themselves come in various forms, not to mention quality. For the most part, the product is packed in cardboard boxes, although ceramic, brass and micro-engineered tins are also used for tea packing.

At first, tea packing was done in expensive tins. And then, by sheer accident, convenience arrived in another form of tea packing - tea bags! Thomas Sullivan was a tea and coffee merchant in New York. He hit upon the idea of marketing his tea leaves in small silk bags, and sent it to his customers. Completely confused by the new way of tea packaging, his customers chose to drop the entire tea bag into a cup of hot water. Sullivan knew he had struck gold when he received hundreds of requests for the bags, albeit with the suggestion of making it with finer pores!

There have been considerable changes in the modern tea bag. Usually made of paper fibre (a combination of wood and vegetable fibres), tea bags come in various shapes – square, rectangular, even circular and pyramidal. The tea bag is filled with a certain amount of tea leaves, sealed shut and a string is attached. Usually, a well designed tag is also seen.

This new way of tea packaging did away with straining devices and filters. Tea pouches, varying in size, allowed a tea drinker to insert them in cups and tea pots – a hassle free experience. Not only were tea bags approved for their easy use, they were also said to enhance the flavor and taste of tea.

On the contrary, tea connoiseurs are not too fond of this form of tea packing when compared to loose tea. Ardent tea drinkers believe that the leaves are a vital part of the tea-making ritual. The essence of tea, they say, can be tasted only when the tea leaf is allowed to open out while boiling in water. If stuffed in tea pouches, the purpose of tea itself is defeated and the beverage loses out on taste.

A major difference between loose tea and tea pouches is the size of the leaves that are used. Hidden in the tea packaging, the leaves used are much smaller. Most often, fannings – the smallest pieces of tea leaves, or tea dust is used within tea pouches. So be sure to buy tea pouches that are of superior quality.

Tea comes in another package – tea oil. The edible oil with a pleasant, herbal aroma is obtained from the seeds of Camellia sinensis, the tea plant. Due to its low content of saturated fat, tea oil is used in sauces and dressings .

In spite of a few drawbacks, the tea bag continues to grow in popularity and has saturated the market. Tea lovers obviously want their tea – in any form!