The very first herbal tea I fell in love with was a chamomile, honey, vanilla blend from Twinnings. I wanted to give it a try as part of my evening wind-down routine and loved that it had a slightly sweet taste and (what I realize now is) a light floral flavor from the chamomile. Plus, I did seem to have an easier time falling asleep, though I now suspect that had a bit more to do with the overall evening routine than the chamomile in that tea.
Once I started exploring herbalism, I started playing with loose herbs and quickly learned that a cup of chamomile tea brewed using a therapeutic amount of chamomile (up to 5 tablespoons!) and steeped for at least 15 minutes created a much more potent cup of tea. One that is slightly bitter and has noticeable relaxing and soothing effects.
While teabags are incredibly convenient, they fall short of what properly prepared herbal teas are capable of. And while there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a cup of tea made from a teabag, I think there are enough compelling reasons to make the switch to loose-leaf tea.
The information in this post is intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. It is always best to work with a qualified healthcare professional before incorporating herbs into your diet.
3 Reasons Loose Leaf Tea Is Better Than Teabags
Fresher, Higher Quality Herbs
The herbs in teabags are, frankly, usually super old. Because the herbs used in teabags is finely ground and hidden in a teabag (see photo above), older, lower-quality herbs are generally used for this preparation. And while herbal teabags don’t go “bad”, the herbs in them have likely lost much of their potency.
With loose-leaf herbs, you can actually see what the herb looks like and gauge how fresh it still looks. It should resemble the herb in its fresh form and be as vibrantly colored as possible. It should also smell strongly of the herb. And if you’ve ever sniffed a box of teabags, you know there’s not much of an aroma left. This is one of the best indicators of the freshness of a dried herb.
Effective Dosage Of Herbs
As I mentioned above, the therapeutic dosage for most everyday herbs is considerably higher than what you’d get out of one of those tiny teabags. And while I wouldn’t go as far to say that you won’t get any health benefit from teabags, you definitely aren’t experiencing the full range of gifts the herb or herbs have to offer, either.
Using loose-leaf herbs and teas allows you to get the proper dosage and allows you to play with the dose, as well – adjusting up or down according to your preference and the effects you’re after.
Loose Leaf Tea Just Tastes Better
In addition to getting the most therapeutic effects out of an herb, loose-leaf tea just tastes better! Because of the higher quality of the herbs, you’re going to get a much better depth of flavor and the full complexity out of any herb you steep properly.
If you’re wanting to make a chai latte or add a bit of peppermint flavor to your hot chocolate, go ahead with the teabag. But if you want to truly experience an herb with all its benefits, loose leaf is the way to go.
Proper Brewing Technique
Making tea may seem fairly straightforward. I certainly didn’t give much thought to it when I would pour freshly boiled water over a teabag. But in order to extract the most beneficial qualities out of your herbs, there is a right way.
Many people who use loose-leaf tea will still opt for using either teabags or those small metal tea strainers. And that’s certainly an improvement over the store-bought teabags. But to really pull every last health benefit out of those herbs, you want to give them enough space to “dance in the water” (to quote my favorite herbalist, Rosalee de Foret). If the herbs are packed together, they won’t have as much contact with the hot water. And that’s key to extracting the medicinal properties out of your herbs.
My favorite way to brew herbal tea is either using a French press or one of these tea steeping mugs. I use my tea steeping mug daily and while it’s not quite as convenient as just tossing the used teabag in the garbage, it’s also not much more work than just washing a cup.
Below are a few of my favorite places to source loose-leaf tea. But there are a number of great companies out there, so be sure to see if there are any local options, first!
- The Queen’s Tea – Local to Salt Lake City, their Blue Tea is one of my all-time favorite blends.
- Fusion Teas – I’ve tried several from them and have enjoyed them all. They offer great sample packs, too.
- Mountain Rose Herbs – This is where I get many of my loose herbs and they offer great pre-blended options, too.
