Tea in the box

There is a big difference between loose tea and tea bags! Find out through this article, what are the differences between loose tea and tea bags and why one is better than the others.

Loose tea or in bags?

There is a big difference between loose tea and tea bags, and it's really easy to see it once you put them side by side to compare them.

Loose tea and tea bags contain rolled dried tea leaves. The more whole tea leaves (the larger pieces) you see, the better the quality of the tea.

Loose tea is usually made from whole tea leaves. After the tea leaves are steeped, they will unroll and you should be able to see the shape of the leaf.

Tea bags contain a mixture of whole and cut tea leaves in a pyramid or rectangular shaped bag.

If you open a tea bag, it will be difficult to tell where the leaves are since they are almost crushed.

Loose tea is better quality

Loose tea is of higher quality and has a more pronounced flavor than tea bags, see why:

It is usually made up of whole tea leaves;
The essential oil of the leaf is the source of the tea's flavor;
Whole tea leaves have the most flavor;
Loose tea brewed in water has the most room to expand and unwind, resulting in the best tasting tea.

The tea bags contain good quality tea

Pyramid shaped tea bags are filled with a mixture of broken and whole tea leaves. When the tea leaves are broken, they lose most of their essential oils, resulting in a less tasty tea. The pyramid shape allows more room for the tea to expand, leaving a tastier tea.

Tea bags are useful for making lattes and other drinks where the tea is mixed with other ingredients like cocktails, smoothies etc ...

The tea bags may contain lower quality

Since tea bags contain tea in such small pieces, the essential oils have mostly disappeared. This will lack a more pronounced flavor than is found in loose tea.

Please note that no premium tea is put into tea bags!

Use loose tea

If all you add to tea is water, always go for loose tea. This one will be much richer in flavor.

Look at the tea leaves to see how many tea leaves are whole. The highest quality loose teas are those where you can see whole tea leaves - unbroken or crushed.

As a general rule, loose tea is of better quality than tea bags, however it is important to choose it wisely! A tea bag is still a very good choice.

Feel free to use tea bags when making tea lattes or in recipes, they are more than enough.

Don't always use boiling water

Have you ever had really bitter green tea? Probably because it was infused with too hot water. Not all teas should be prepared with boiling water, especially green tea. For more information, read our article on water temperatures for different types of tea.

Water that is too hot can alter the taste of the tea, making it too bitter and strong. Take the time to always inquire about the temperature of your tea water.

Get a kettle with a temperature control

Speaking of water temperature, we highly recommend getting an electric kettle with temperature control so that the water is perfectly heated. This is the must have accessory for tea lovers!

Do not use a tea ball that is too small

As the loose tea brews in the hot water, the tea leaves begin to unroll.

To get the perfect flavor, the leaves need to have enough space to unroll. Do not put them in a tea ball or in a tea infuser that is too small. The bigger the brewer, the better - give your tea leaves some room to unwind.

Use filtered water

We say it over and over again, the best water makes the best tea. The quality of the water plays an important role in the taste of your tea. Use filtered water to make tea whenever possible.

Brew your iced tea in cold water for the best iced tea

We very recently wrote an article on this topic, the best iced tea is the one infused in cold water, read our article to know the secret!

Heat the teapot

Warming up the teapot is something every tea professional does before brewing tea.

Boil additional water, pour it into the teapot, and then throw it away.

This step, unknown to most of us, keeps the teapot warm so that there is not a big difference in the temperature of the water while the tea is brewing.

Cover the teapot while the water brews

Cover the teapot while the tea brews, this helps keep the temperature stable.

If you are brewing tea in a mug with an infuser, be sure to put something on top of the mug so that the water can stay piping hot while the tea brews

A “London Fog” drink is an Earl Gray milk tea sweetened with vanilla extract. Earl Gray tea is a black tea with notes of citrus and bergamot.
This recipe is very easy to make, just prepare the tea, stir and enjoy.

What you need

Earl Gray tea bags
Sweetened condensed milk (This ingredient turns an Earl Gray into a sweet latte. It replaces adding sugar and milk.)
Portable milk frother
Optional: whipped cream for drinks in seconds.

The steps:

Brew tea
Make a whipped cream filling
Mix
To assemble

Make the tea

Bring the water to a boil then turn off the heat. If you are using an electric kettle with a temperature setting, set it to 190 ° F.Use filtered water whenever possible.Brew the tea for 5 minutes then discard the tea bags.

Make the whipped cream

Whip the heavy cream and the sweetened condensed milk in a large bowl using a milk frother.In a few seconds, the cream will double in size and it's done!Put aside

Mix

Mix ice cream, tea, vanilla extract and sweetened condensed milk until smooth.

Assemble the drink

Pour the whipped cream filling into the tea.Serve with a straw and drink immediately

Some advice

Use filtered water to brew tea and ice cubes.Always use a blender when making Frappuccinos.

Rien ne se perd tout se transforme, cette expression est tout à fait valable avec le thé! Découvrez des petites astuces pour recycler vos sachets de thé ou votre thé en vrac.

Réutilisez votre sachet de thé une seconde fois!

Saviez vous qu’un sachet de thé peut facilement faire 2 tasses? De plus si c’est un thé assez fort, comme un vert ou un noir, il peut facilement assurer deux tasses. La seconde tasse peut-être plus légère, parfait en fin d’après-midi.

Parfumez de l’eau de cuisson: pâtes, riz, pommes de terres…

Une astuce méconnue mais que nous aimons beaucoup, c’est utiliser des thés ou tisanes (légers) pour aromatiser l’eau de cuisson. Exemple un thé au jasmin sera parfait pour parfumer l’eau du riz.

Nourrissez vos plantes

Le thé est un excellent engrais pour vos plantes d’intérieurs. En extérieur, vous pouvez fertiliser vos plantes avec du thé que vous saupoudrez partout. De plus cela repousse les rongeurs. D’ailleurs vous pouvez même arroser vos plantes avec de l’eau préalablement infusé pour les rendre encore plus belles.

Neutralise les mauvaises odeurs

Le thé est très efficace pour neutraliser les mauvaises odeurs! Que ce soit les odeurs de transpiration dans les chaussures ou encore des mauvaises odeurs dans le réfrigérateur, il suffit simplement de placer un sachet de thé à l’endroit des odeurs.

Dans les poubelles, déposez quelques sachets de thés usagés au fond de la poubelle pour neutraliser les mauvais odeurs. Super efficace et surtout 100 % naturelle.

Soin des pieds et des mains

Le thé est connue pour ses bienfaits sur la peau depuis toujours. La peau des mains et des pieds ont tendances à être plus sèches et rugueuse que le reste du corps pour cela nous conseillons de faire des bains à base d’eau et des sachets de thé. Le thé viendra adoucir la peau et réduire les rugosités.

Soigne les aphtes et les petites plaies du quotidien

Le thé est particulièrement efficace pour soigner les petites plaies superficielles. Si vous avez des aphtes, placez un sachet de thé encore un peu chaud sur les aphtes 2-3 minutes, cela va assainir, atténuer la douleur et accélérer la guérison.

The secret to the best iced tea is to brew it cold and let it steep for long hours.
Find out here how to make a cold-brewed iced tea step by step.

COLD ICE TEA

Cold brewed iced tea is sure to be a better iced tea than hot brewed iced tea. By the way, that's how you should always make iced tea, it is a game changer, patience is the secret ingredient!

Cold brew tea is a slow, gentle brewing process that creates a smoother, sweeter tasting tea. Tannins, which make tea bitter, are not “macerated” in cold water as in hot water. This means that the tea will not be bitter but much smoother.

Because cold brew does not involve hot water, it's perfect to make during the hot summer months and it's still the easiest way to brew iced tea.
However, unlike hot brewing, it takes a minimum of 12 hours of brewing.

What you need:

Tea of ​​your choice: 1.5 teaspoon of loose tea or 1 tea bag
Volume of water: 1 cup (8 fl oz.)
Water temperature: cold
Infusion time: 12 hours

Preparation steps

STEP 1: Put tea and water in a pitcher or glass container.

Use cool or room temperature water. No need to boil water to brew cold tea. The tastiest tea is made with the best water, so use filtered water.

STEP 2: Cover the pitcher and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.

Most teas should be cold brewed for at least 12 hours EXCEPT green teas. Green tea like sencha should only be cold brewed for 3 hours.

Green tea in general is more delicate to prepare, both hot and cold. It can taste bitter if not prepared properly. Black tea, oolong tea and herbal teas are the easiest to prepare because and must be steeped for 12 hours.

STEP 3: Filter the tea leaves.

Instead of using a strainer, the easiest way to brew cold brew tea is to use a teapot with a filter as you can simply remove the infuser instead of straining the tea into another container.

STEP 4: Pour the tea into a cup with or without ice.

Cold brew tea is already cooled, so adding ice is optional.

Cold iced tea contains caffeine, unless you used herbal tea

All types of teas can be cold infused, some precautions should be taken with tea see (see above)

Cold tea will keep for 4 days in the refrigerator

It is best to buy loose tea for brewing as it is generally better, but it is quite possible to use teabags.
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