Whether you have been a tea drinker all your life or are relatively new, you've come across various loose and bagged tea options and flavors, it can be confusing no matter where you're at in your tea journey and I'm hoping this little guide will be helpful!
Loose vs Tea Bags
I will always recommend loose-leaf tea. Not only is the flavor stronger but it's less harmful than bagged tea. Conventional tea bags contain about 25% plastic, and when steeped, release billions of micro-plastics into the tea. Plastic polymer or polypropylene is added to help the tea bag keep its shape and seal it closed. Microplastics are just that, particles naked to the human eye that are found in numerous food, water, and drinks, to varying degrees. So not only is this harmful to humans (polypropylene is known to have negative effects on the body's endocrine system) but the plastic doesn't allow the teabag to decompose properly. Now, not every tea bag on the market is made from plastic, some popular non-plastic options are Numi Organic Tea, Republic of Tea, and Yorkshire Tea. A quick video of the making of tea bags can be viewed here.
Tea Flavors
5 main types of tea:
White Tea- Very light, typically floral flavored, and rivals Green Tea in its abundance of antioxidants.
Green Tea- Considered one of the healthiest and least processed teas, green tea is full of antioxidants. A great Green Tea option is Vert L'Oriental by Dammann Frères.
Oolong Tea- Varies significantly in taste from sweet and floral to rich and is touted as an anti-inflammatory.
Black Tea- Bold, strong, and like oolong can vary greatly in taste from nutty, earthy, and spicy, to fruity, and sweet.
Yellow Tea- A light, rare, fermented tea full of antioxidants.
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