When it comes to buying in bulk, it seems natural enough for coffee...but what about tea? For some reason, it seems like a crazy purchase that makes no sense but I want to show you three great reasons you should consider buying your tea this way. If you only ever drink a cup of tea every once in a while, then this is probably not for you. However, if you enjoy drinking it hot or iced all year long like we do, then you'll want to read on to see why it's a great idea to buy lots of tea leaves and step away from the tea bag!
We drink all kinds of teas because they taste great, but also because they're nutritious and medicinal. Green, white, oolong and black teas all come from Camellia Sinensis plant or bush. They are all the same leaf but look and taste different based on the way they were dried and processed. White/green being the only non-processed leaf. They all contain antioxidants but green and white contain the most. Green tea has been researched quite a bit in recent years and is found to be helpful in preventing cancer, stomach conditions, beneficial for the liver and skin (resource.)
Herbals, especially "rooibos" are also chock full of antioxidants as well as alpha-hydroxy and I drink this one for my skin on a daily basis. Rooibos comes from a plant in Africa, so even though it has the dark coloring of black tea, it actually is decaffinated and has no tannins. No tannins = not bitter! I have a "caffeine-sensitivity" so Rooibos gives me the benefits of green tea without the caffeine.
Of course, all this information makes them a great reason to drink more tea. So, we drink these in place of sodas and sugared vitamin waters as they do so much more than just taste great.
Now I still do have and use teabags, but our main teas I buy in bulk. There's room for both in your tea locker (yes, I do have an actual painted locker I use for herbs and teas!) but buying your tea loose leaf and in larger quantities makes LOTS of sense.
Reason #1: Taste! Buying your tea loose leaf is going to naturally result in MUCH better tasting teas. One reason is that the leaves are much larger and not broken down in order to fit into the bags. Once a leaf has been broken in pieces, it begins to lose its essential oils which means it loses much of its flavor. The first time I tasted bulk loose tea leaves that I had steeped myself, it was a tea experience epiphany! It's like comparing a value hamburger to a prime rib...no comparison. Now, you can get a decent cup of tea from a bag sometimes, but it's never the same as with good quality loose leaf tea. Cup after cup, I can tell the difference and tea has never been the same since I tasted it this way. Quality wins, every time.
Reason #2: Value. Yes, when you see how much a pound of tea costs, it's can be a bit of a shock. It's almost always much more than a pound of coffee, however, I've found several places that sell great tea at a great price. (Check out Adagio Tea for Rooibos, Mountain Rose Herbs for Green) I pay only 10 cents a cup for a pound of organic rooibos from Adagio Teas. Plus, every purchase, review and post on Facebook gives me points towards 100 points for $10 coupon for my next order! It's a great deal and I've been ordering from them for years. Plus they have the best shipping prices that I've found on the web. A good gunpowder green tea can be purchased from Mountain Rose Herbs. Only $12 a pound! Also, if you buy great quality tea, this means you'll end up with leaves that you can steep multiple times. And that means more $$ for your buck. We usually steep twice and then drink the tea iced the next day. Yes, I know tea bags can be steeped again but we're talking about gourmet high quality tea that taste great. It's a much better tasting tea,
Can't drink a pound? Consider putting in a fun packages and gifting some of it. Or, find another tea addict, I mean, tea drinker and goes halvies with them. I have quite a lot of tea here...there are four of us and we drink an assortment of herbals, greens and black tea and it doesn't go to waste!
Reason #3: It's Green! That's right. No more tea bags, strings and boxes to go into landfill. I recycle my boxes and compost the paper tea bags, but they do take awhile to break down. This also brings me to the new line of teas in the pyramid bags. They put them in these bags so they don't have to break up the tea leaves and lose its flavor. Great idea, however, these bags seem to be made of some kind of nylon material. Definitely NOT going into my compost bin :(. Now when I'm brewing loose leaf tea and I'm finished with my multiple steepings, I simply compost the tea leaves. Done. I like this reason...while I do use some tea bags especially when I'm on the go, most of my steeping is done paper free.
Storage is premium for bulk loose tea. But it's also simple. They usually come in a foil bag with a zip closer. I mostly keep them in these bags, in my tea locker (any pantry or cabinet away from light and moisture will do) or in any kind of air tight container.
I have quite a few tea tins that I use and re-label to store new teas in as well. I have one tin of Jasmine that I've stored for a good ten (yikes!) years and it still smells amazing whenever I open it. Now, the teas should be used faster than that, but it does show you how proper storage can extend their lives!
I hope this inspires you to try bulk loose teas or to as least consider them. If you've never tried quality tea, then well, this could be the time to drink it...it will revolutionize your taste buds!!
Blessings!!
What's your favorite tea?
Are you a fan of tea? You may want to check out these posts...Vintage Tea Room Fun
Tea Chat at the Open Door Coffee House Mother's Day Tea Party
Linked to these blog parties...Living Green Tuesday Link-Ups
Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways Wednesday Fresh Food Link-Up
Waste Not-Want Not-Wednesdays
Wicked Good Wednesday
Natural Living Link-Up
Small Footprint Friday
Homestead Revival Barn Hop Backyard Farming Connection
