Something that is quite common among the many new faces that we see in our shop each day is the unfamiliarity with loose-leaf tea. I, myself, was no exception to this alternative way of drinking my tea when I began working here.
More often than not, when I ask a customer what kinds of tea they prefer and how they prepare it, many customers simply say that they drink Lipton tea sold in the white tea bags. Just like I used to! While this is a perfectly fine way to drink tea, I have since seen the light! And I intend to share and show this light to all you lovely people!
Loose-leaf tea has so many benefits and pros that teabags simply can provide. In this blog post I will try to elaborate further on another one of the many reasons you should be drinking one of our amazing 114 loose-leaf teas.
>>>>> Check out our best selling teas here! <<<<<
Without these little bags though, how do we contain and brew our teas? The answer to this consumer conundrum in the switch to using an infuser! Infusers are simply small stainless steel strainers that you place inside your mug or teapot, with your choice of loose-leaf inside! Infusers allow for the water to interact with the tea leaves more so and, in turn, provide you with more flavor. Infusers are also infinitely reusable and thus, lower your carbon footprint! Score! What’s more is they are dishwasher safe and can be used in any size cup! If you are brewing tea for a group there are also kettles and pitchers that have their own inlay-ed infusers specific to them!
>>>>> Here is a link to all of our infusers! <<<<<
Here at Good Life we have many different kinds and sizes of infusers with various accessories for them as well! They are incredibly affordable along with our teas that average at $3.50/ounce.
Speaking of which, infusers also have a positive effect on your purse strings. Instead of continually buying, and throwing out, your tea bags, why not just allocate these funds to trying more flavors of the loose-leaf tea and brewing them in your reusable infuser? At only around $3.50/ounce (about 10 cups per ounce) the possibilities are endless!
As mentioned above, another reason that switching to using an infuser is a good choice is when you use teabags you may be ingesting many harmful chemicals without knowing it. Many paper tea bags contain a compound known as Epichlorohydrin. This hard to pronounce chemical is used as a pesticide and becomes active when it encounters hot water. It has ties to infertility and can be harmful to your immune system. Furthermore, it causes cancer in animals that may encounter these bags in the landfills. Additionally, as you know, most tea bags are white. This is because white typically signifies cleanliness and is a direct result of the paper used to make tea bags being chlorine bleached. I, for one, do not want to drink my tea from within a bag that has been treated with a chemical known to turn hair green!
If you aren’t completely grossed out yet, I’ll add that a majority of teas sold in tea bags are not washed prior to be packaged as well! As a consequence, the pesticides used on the tea plants while they grow make their way into your tea bag and into your mouth when you sip. When you use loose leaf tea you avoid all of these pesticides and are protecting your immune system!
Another notable difference between loose-leaf tea and that found in tea bags is that seen when you examine what is actually in the tea bags. If you have ever opened a tea bag and analyzed what was inside you know that the contents are simply tea dust and broken tea leaves. What are inside these bags are more often the dusts and small leaf particles found at the bottom of a tea barrel or what’s leftover after the larger tea leaves have been harvested. The broken pieces, as well as the dusts, are rich in tannins, which give tea its categorical color but unfortunately lack the flavors we expect. What results is a bitter taste. The larger tea leaves that were harvested and, are found in loose leaf, hold essential oils which, when brewed with hot water, will give our tea it’s full flavor that we are looking for.
In connection with flavor, the flavored teas in tea bags are flavored, you guessed it, artificially! These artificial flavoring agents are chemically created to embody a more intense and less expensive flavor. This is not the case with loose-leaf teas. If you take a look at our teas, specifically our tisanes, you will see that you can visibly distinguish their natural ingredients. For instance, in our “Pina Colada” you will see actual pieces of dried berries and coconuts that when steeped will release their natural flavors.
What’s more with loose-leaf teas, as I have noted in previous blog posts, is that they allow for more creativity. Because they are not packaged individually, as bags are, they sustain the ability to be mixed to create any flavor you desire. For example, today, I am enjoying a cup of our “Roasted Yerba Mate” with a hint of our “Vanilla” black tea to add flavoring (I highly recommend!). I am able to do this because loose leaf allows me this freedom. We have a few house blends that we have a created here that I recommend or if you have something in mind we are able to mix whatever you like!
>>>>> Here is an example of one of our house blends! <<<<<
If you need anymore reason to switch to loose-leaf tea feel free to come visit me at Good Life and we can chat further over a nice hot cup! Also, if you have any reasons to switch to add, please comment below! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and that you find time to relax with a nice cup of loose-leaf tea! Happy sipping! – Kay-tea :)
P.S. If you are dead set on your teabags and must have them, click on the link below and try these of ours! They don't contain any chemicals and are biodegradable! You can come pick them up with some loose leaf tea to put in them!
>>>>> Teabags <<<<<
