Tea Dust VS Tea Leaves
Deciding between the convenience of a teabag and the quality of a loose leaf brew is a constant struggle. So what's the difference anyway?
Firstly what is tea dust & loose leaf tea?
Tea dust is often found in mass-produced tea bags. It is the dust and fannings (small particles) leftover from broken tea leaves, so in essence - the waste. Loose leaf tea is the whole picked leaf (or in less superior grades the leaves may be broken and a bit smaller) delicately put through the oxidisation process and generally served loose without a bag.
What's wrong with tea dust?
Scraped from the bottom of the barrel, tea dust compromises the flavour of the tea, however when the leaves are broken they lose oils and aroma which are major contributors to the overall flavour and experience. Often 'cheap' tea dust is used in mass-produced tea bag production of which most bags are bleached adding nasty chemicals to your cup.
It's not all bad news tea enthusiasts!
Loose leaf can be found in bags! Look for the Pyramid Infusers as these allow the leaves to expand and infuse almost to their full potential. A lot of boutique tea companies specialise in both loose leaf in and out of the bag including us, because let's face it not all of us can be bothered with all the fuss of making a brew from scratch! Oh, and an added bonus - our pyramid infusers are kind to the environment, made of cornstarch, and are 100% biodegradable.
