The most difficult problem high-quality tea faces today is the popularity of tea bags.
Today, tea bags make up the vast majority of all tea sales in the U.S. – close to 95% by some estimates. These bags, however, usually contain the cheapest tea material possible; delivering little more than a brown-colored liquid.
Given this as the well-accepted, popular standard, it's not surprising that many people in the West think of tea as a bland, second-tier drink.
A Brief History of the Tea Bag
Modern tea bags appeared in the early 1900s. A popular story says tea bags came to life as a result of an accident.
Thomas Sullivan, a tea merchant from New York, was looking for ways to cut production costs by sending loose tea in small, hand-sewn silk pouches instead of costly tins – the standard at the time. His clients, confused by this new packaging, started throwing the bags with tea in hot water.
Sullivan began receiving many requests for these "tea bags" and realized he had struck gold.
Whether or not the full story holds up historically, tea bags first appeared commercially in the early 1900s and quickly gained popularity worldwide. Since the tea leaves were in the silk bag, the quick, easy clean-up made the bags enticingly convenient.
Why Tea Bags Produce Inferior Tea
This convenience, unfortunately, came at a high price: flavor.
In order for a tea leaf to fully release its flavor, it needs room to expand. Because tea in bags had less room to open up, the quality was diminished. So the merchants came up with a solution – smaller leaves, which need much less room to open up.
With this decision, the slippery slope of tea’s decline began. Since the size and quality of tea leaves no longer mattered, merchants started using much cheaper grades of tea – the broken fragments, fannings, and dust that remain after whole-leaf tea is sorted and graded. These tiny fragments infuse very quickly and give plenty of color and strength, but much less aroma and complexity, and often more bitterness and astringency than good whole-leaf tea.
This state of tea mediocrity has been plaguing the West for several decades now. Most sellers in the U.S. offer only bottom-of-the-barrel tea products, leaving consumers to believe that there is nothing better available. This is but a far cry from the abundance of flavor and aroma found in a cup of full-leaf premium tea.
Tea Is Like Wine
There is a far cry between what most people know as tea and what high-quality loose-leaf tea actually offers.
Tea is like wine. There are many variations in taste. Like the grapes with which wine is made, tea leaves have their own harvest time, optimal growing conditions, and other factors that result in the many sensations and experiences that fine tea can bring. Tea artisans across the world spend entire lifetimes mastering their craft – the precise timing of the harvest, the technique of the firing, the feel of the leaf. The result is something that cannot be fit into a cheap tea bag.
You Don't Need to Be an Expert
Many people believe that to enjoy quality tea, one must have extensive prior knowledge of the subject. But you don’t have to be a sommelier to enjoy good tea.
If the taste is present, you will feel it. As time passes, you will begin to recognize the many notes in a tea's character, feel the nuances, and taste the subtleties. Your expertise will increase naturally, sip by sip. The journey of learning tea can be lifelong and full of adventures. But the journey starts today, with a simple cup. You don't need to be an expert to savor rich taste and pleasant aroma.
Rebuilding tea's reputation in the West may seem like a long shot – but consider that there once was a time when coffee was all canned, instant, and stale. Then a few innovative and passionate roasters came along to show consumers how much better it could be. Most people are no longer drinking instant coffee.
The same is beginning to hold true for tea.
Where to Start
Path of Cha would like to introduce everyone – newcomers and longtime members alike – to the tea community. All it takes is a taste: a floral and fruity oolong, a crisp, umami-rich green tea, a smooth, gentle white tea, a malty black tea, or an incredibly complex pu-erh. The rest comes naturally.
Today, more and more people in the West are starting to understand and appreciate fine tea. A community is growing – a community of people who wish to have real flavor in their lives and a healthier, more mindful daily ritual.
