Why loose leaf tea is better for you ánd our planet
Tea: we love to drink it! After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage; about three cups a day. When it's cold outside, when the sun is in the sky, just before bedtime or a moment for yourself in the morning. But did you know that most tea bags are not that good for you and the environment?
In this blog, we explain why it's much better to choose loose (plastic-free!) leaf tea.
Plastic, not so fantastic... While your teabag is dangling in the freshly boiled water in your favourite mug, small pieces of microplastic are floating around in your glass. Yes, you read that correctly: most teabags from the supermarket contain microscopically small plastic particles. Research has shown that there are sometimes as many as 11.6 billion microplastics and 3.1 billion nanoplastics! Of course you can't see this with the naked eye, but these particles enter our body through our tea. Not a great thought, right? Not so nice.
In addition to the small plastic particles you drink, there is also plastic in the tea bags. Most supermarket teabags are only 70-80% biodegradable. For example, there may be plastic in the bags themselves, the glue used to make the bags or the strings used to attach the labels. For this reason, ordinary tea bags cannot be disposed of with the organic waste, but has to be thrown away with the residual waste. Unfortunately, the bags cannot be recycled. Besides the plastic in the teabags themselves, teabags are often packed in an extra plastic bag and box. This also has a huge impact on transport and therefore also on the environment
Do we have stop drinking tea now? Don't worry: there is another way! And like many zero waste alternatives, this one is also very simple but effective: Loose leaf tea!
Loose leaf tea is hand-picked and therefore contains only the good leaves of the tea plant. Also, loose tea does not need to be processed in the factory into the powder normally found in bags. So you get more taste ánd you are free of microplastics. Also, because of the more intense taste, you can use your loose tea much more often to make a cup of tea; 3 to 5 times even.
Our loose leaf teas come in paper bags which can be easily recycled. Store the tea in closed tins or jars to maximise flavour (zero waste tip: reuse old glass jam jars to store your tea). The tea can be disposed of with the organic waste or compost after use.
You make a delicious cup of fresh tea by putting a scoop of loose tea in a tea infuser or reusable tea bag. You just let the tea infuser or bag sink into the tea as usual! The tea infuser can be washed with normal dish washing soap and the teabags can be put in the washing machine.
Extra tip: Mix used tea leaves with potting soil to give your plants an extra boost.
Curious to know (or actually: try) more? In our webshop you will find everything for your sustainable cup of tea. Especially for the occasion, we have put together a tea (gift) box in which you can add two tea flavours of your choice plus a tea infuser or reusable tea bags. Prefer to choose the products yourself? Here you can find our loose leaf tea, tea eggs and loose tea bags.
Enjoy!
Sources: