For all you tea lovers out there, you might be wondering if loose leaf tea is worth the extra hassle and expense compared to tea bags. The answer is a resounding yes! Loose leaf tea not only offers superior flavour and quality, but also saves you money and can boost your health in many ways. Read on and learn some of the benefits of loose leaf tea and why you should switch to today!
Loose Leaf Tea Has More Flavour and Aroma
One of the main benefits of loose leaf tea is that it has more flavour and aroma than tea bags. This is due to the loose leaf tea consisting of whole or partially broken leaves. Because of this, the leaves retain their natural oils and compounds. Tea bags, on the other hand, contain mostly dust and fannings, which are the smallest and lowest quality fragments of tea leaves. These fragments can lose their flavour and aroma quickly and often become stale and bitter.
Additionally, with loose leaf tea you can control the strength and taste of your brew much easier. You can do this by adjusting the amount of leaves, water temperature, and steeping time. With tea bags, they usually come with a standard amount of leaves and instructions which may not suit your preferences or the type of tea you’re brewing. So ultimately, loose leaf tea allows you more flexibility and variety to enjoy different teas and blends!
Loose Leaf Tea Saves You Money in the Long Run
Another benefit of loose leaf tea is that it saves you money in the long run. This may seem counterintuitive, since loose leaf tea is usually more expensive per gram than tea bags. However, loose leaf tea has a higher yield and can be re-steeped multiple times without losing its flavour and quality. Tea bags, on the other hand, can only be used once or twice before becoming weak and bland. Learn more about re-steeping in our article: The Art of Re-Steeping: How to Enjoy Multiple Cups of Flavour
To illustrate this point, let’s compare two popular teas: green tea and raspberry leaf tea. According to a 2023 study published in the journal Food Chemistry, loose leaf green tea releases more catechins (a type of antioxidant) than tea bags in the first infusion, and can be re-steeped up to four times without significant loss of catechins. Tea bags, however, release less catechins in the first infusion and lose most of them after the second infusion.
Similarly, raspberry leaf tea which is known for its benefits for women’s health, can be re-steeped up to three times without losing its flavour and nutrients. Tea bags, however, become weak and tasteless after one or two infusions. For an affordable, tasty, and healthy raspberry loose leaf tea, check out Origeens Organic Raspberry Leaf Tea
This means that loose leaf tea gives you more bang for your buck, since you can use less leaves and get more cups of delicious and healthy tea. Tea bags, on the other hand, are wasteful and costly, since you need more bags to get the same amount of flavour and benefits. Personally, I find that many loose leaf products turn out cheaper, since they are usually bought in bulk.
Loose Leaf Tea Has More Health Benefits
The third and probably most important benefit of loose leaf is that it has more health benefits than tea bags. This is because the leaves contains more antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial compounds that protect your body from disease and promote your well-being. Tea bags, on the other hand, contain less of these compounds due to their lower quality and processing.
Some of the health benefits of loose leaf tea include:
- Lowering cholesterol levels
- Preventing cardiovascular disease
- Managing weight and metabolism
- Improving mood, stress, cognitive function, and memory
- Protecting against age-related cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases
- Supporting digestive health
- Relieving mouth ulcers, sore throats, and gum disease
- Alleviating inflammatory conditions
Of course, these benefits depend on the type and quality of tea you choose, as well as how you brew it. To get the most out of your loose leaf tea, make sure you use fresh leaves from reputable sources. Also, store them properly in airtight containers away from light and moisture, use filtered water at the right temperature for each type of tea, steep them for the optimal time according to your taste preferences, and enjoy them without adding too much sugar or milk. For more information on this, check out our guide: Loose Leaf Tea: How to Improve The Quality And Flavour in 4 Steps
Conclusion
As you can see, loose leaf tea has many advantages over tea bags that make it worth trying. Not only does it offer more flavor and aroma, but also saves you money and boosts your health in many ways. So what are you waiting for? Grab some loose leaf tea today and discover a whole new world of tea enjoyment!
Check out some of our other interesting facts, and expand your tea knowledge!
Sources:
- (1) 7 Health Benefits of Green Tea (and Why Loose Leaf Tea is Best).
- (2) Green Tea: Benefits, Side Effects, and Preparations – Verywell Health.
- (3) Beginners guide to loose leaf tea | Full Leaf Tea Company.
- (4) 7 Benefits Of Loose Leaf Tea & Where To Buy It – Fit as a Mama Bear.
- (5) Top 9 health benefits of raspberry leaf tea | BBC Good Food.
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