Tea bags: myths and facts
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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Today, many consumers have an opinion that the whole packaged tea is a continuous set of chemistry and flavors
Many people find that their tea bag is "brewed" in cold water at times no worse than in boiling water, and the taste of this tea is more saturated than that of a leaf.
It turns out that the process of staining water with tea from a bag is not always connected with the presence of any additional coloring substances in it, since the tea itself is a natural dye. Tea bags contain a small fraction of the tea leaf, so the process takes place within a few minutes, and if any leaf tea is kept in water for a long time, it will also color it.
Tea bags are more strong and rich taste than leaf tea. This feature also generates among consumers many myths about the low quality of packaged tea, the use of dust, concentrates and other "non-random" ingredients. In fact, the only qualitative difference between the packaged tea and the leaf tea is the smaller sheet size. After pre-treatment, the best tea leaves are further chopped, which makes it possible to brew tea more quickly, since the number of leaf breaks through which the enzymes enter the infusion is increased, providing a dark color and a deep taste.
And yet, it is better to make leaf tea, because the most common threat to your health is not the tea itself, but the paper from which the sachet is made. Most tea bags are made using the chemical substance epichlorohydrin - a compound that is used for the production of plastic and as a pesticide. This substance is safe in itself. But on contact with water it is converted to 3-monochloropropanediol - a real carcinogen. Although its amount is small, with regular ingestion it can cause irreparable damage to your health.
Of course, not all companies producing paper for tea bags use epichlorohydrin. Find out if it is present in your favorite brand is almost impossible, because on the packaging it is not indicated. So it is worth seriously thinking about how to switch to leaf tea and get from this drink a maximum of pleasure and benefit.