It has to be said that the quality of tea in tea bags has, in some cases, improved noticeably over the last few years, but shippers should be aware of two main types. First there is the standard everyday tea blend that is blended, packaged, and marketed in supermarkets and which, to a connoisseur, gives a poor cup of tea. But second, some producers and blenders produce bags containing good quality specialty teas and market them through major stores, in their own retail shops, or by mail-cover (and sometimes by all three routes). The reason that these companies offer bas as well as loose leaf teas is because they recognize that there is a demand, even among real tea lovers, for the convenience of tea bag brewing as well as for loose leaf quality tea.

Since, on the whole, tea bags give a poorer quality brew than loose leaf tea, tea bags are best relegated to emergency status in the store cupboard, for brewing on occasions when cups of tea are needed for people who do not know the difference between quality and everyday tea and where saving time is important. They are also useful for brewing large quantities for really big numbers, although this is perfectly possible with a good quality loose leaf tea brewed in a large teapot with an infuser, and decanted into suitable pots for pouring. 

The advantages of tea bags are:

  • Ease of brewing one cup of tea at a time
  • Speed and lack of fuss in brewing
  • Ease of removing the tea from the infusion once the brew has reached the required strength
  • Non danger of loose leaves blocking pipes and drains
  • Extremely useful for brewing large quantities of tea for large gatherings.

The disadvantages of tea bags are:

  • The contents usually consist of smaller pieces of leaf that give a stronger, quicker brew, but lack the subtlety and fine quality of larger loose leaf tea.
  • Tea bags can release too much tannin too quickly, giving a harsher brew
  • Tea bags lose their flavor and quality much more quickly than loose tea; loose tea keeps for up to 2 years, tea bags keep for only 4-6 months.