Why no tea bags?

Why Loose Leaf and Not Tea Bags?

At Tide & Terrain, we choose loose leaf tea because we believe the quality of what goes into your cup matters. From flavour and aroma to the integrity of the herbs themselves, loose leaf tea offers a more authentic and less processed tea experience.

Better Quality Herbs

Many commercially produced tea bags contain tea dust or fannings—the smallest particles left after whole leaves are processed and sorted. These smaller fragments can lose delicate aromatic compounds more quickly during storage and often lack the complexity of whole leaves, flowers, and herbs. Whole plant material retains its natural structure, helping to preserve flavour, aroma, and many of the beneficial compounds for which tea is valued (Banerjee and Chatterjee, 2015; Moreira et al., 2024).

Loose leaf tea also provides complete transparency. You can see the quality of the ingredients for yourself—whole flowers, roots, herbs, leaves, and spices—rather than a finely cut blend concealed within a bag.

Reduced Exposure to Microplastics

A growing area of scientific research has focused on the materials used to manufacture tea bags. Studies have shown that certain tea bags made from nylon, polypropylene, and other plastic-containing materials can release millions to billions of microplastic and nanoplastic particles when steeped in hot water (García-Rodríguez et al., 2024). Researchers have also demonstrated that these particles can interact with and be absorbed by human intestinal cells under laboratory conditions, highlighting the need for further investigation into their long-term health implications (García-Rodríguez et al., 2024).

While not all tea bags contain plastic, many conventional and pyramid-style tea bags use plastic fibres as part of their construction or sealing process. Choosing loose leaf tea prepared with a stainless steel infuser or glass teapot eliminates this potential source of exposure and keeps the brewing process as close to nature as possible (García-Rodríguez et al., 2024).

Superior Flavour and Extraction

Tea leaves, herbs, flowers, and roots need space to expand during brewing. Loose leaf tea allows water to circulate freely around the plant material, creating a more complete extraction of flavour, aroma, colour, and beneficial plant compounds.

The sensory qualities of tea—including sweetness, floral notes, aroma, body, and mouthfeel—are strongly influenced by the chemical compounds extracted during brewing. Research shows that extraction conditions play a significant role in determining both flavour and the concentration of bioactive compounds in the final cup (Banerjee and Chatterjee, 2015; Moreira et al., 2024). Whole leaves and herbs generally provide a more complex and balanced flavour profile than highly fragmented tea particles.

Rather than a flat or one-dimensional brew, loose leaf tea allows the full character of the plants to shine through—from delicate florals and bright citrus notes to rich roots and warming spices.

A More Intentional Ritual

Beyond quality and flavour, preparing loose leaf tea encourages a slower and more mindful approach to wellbeing. Seeing the herbs, measuring the tea, breathing in the aroma, and allowing time for brewing transforms tea from a simple beverage into a daily ritual.

At Tide & Terrain, we believe health is built through consistent daily practices. Loose leaf tea invites a deeper connection with the plants you are consuming and creates opportunities for moments of nourishment, presence, and balance throughout the day.

In short, loose leaf tea offers greater transparency, less processing, superior flavour, and eliminates many of the concerns associated with modern tea bag materials—allowing you to enjoy tea in its purest form.

References

Banerjee, S. and Chatterjee, J. (2015) ‘Efficient extraction strategies of tea (Camellia sinensis) biomolecules’, Journal of Food Science and Technology, 52(6), pp. 3158–3168.

García-Rodríguez, A., Marco, E., Castillo, P., Hernández, A. and colleagues (2024) ‘Commercial tea bags release millions of microplastics when in use’, Chemosphere. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Research Summary.

Moreira, J., Aryal, J., Guidry, L., Adhikari, A., Chen, Y., Sriwattana, S. and Prinyawiwatkul, W. (2024) ‘Tea Quality: An Overview of the Analytical Methods and Sensory Analyses Used in the Most Recent Studies’, Foods, 13(22), 3580.