TeaApproved By Aficionados
Most of us are more familiar with bagged teas. These are tea dusts, called fannings, that are placed in small bags made of some type of fabric or paper and hung from a string. Tea aficionados, on the other hand, prefer loose leaf tea. These are dried whole leaves that are placed inside canisters.
One of the reasons why aficionados prefer the loose leaf kind is because powdered, or even just broken, leaves tend to lose their essential oils. Hence, loose teas are generally more full of taste and aroma. Another reason is because bagged broken leaves are packed tightly and have little room for the water to circulate in order to dissolve the flavor.
If you"re not a tea lover, however, you might find using loose leaf teas too inconvenient. You"ll need a lot of paraphernalia such as strainers, presses, filtered teapots, and infusion bags. In contrast, bagged teas only need hot water and a cup. Thus, choosing between the two is actually a choice between taste and convenience.
Some tea bags also contain leaves. However, most of them are broken leaves. Although this type is far more superior than those bags that contain fannings, they still cannot compare to the richness of taste of the whole loose leaf teas. Hence, hard core tea aficionados still prefer the latter.
Some of the loose types are made of tea flowers, like jasmine, that have stronger taste and aroma. These are well-loved by Chinese as well as true blue tea aficionados. The flowers are typically bred in the highlands of China where the temperature and atmospheric pressure combine to produce premium quality flowers. Expect these types to be quite expensive though. Still, the effects that they have on the senses are well worth the cost.
If you"ve started falling in love with teas, which may have started when you discovered their health benefits, then you might want to try loose leaf teas. Because they tend to retain more of their essential oils, it is not only their taste and aroma that is retained but their therapeutic components as well.
You"ll have to dedicate more time to preparing loose leaf teas though. On the other hand, you might find the preparation process appealing. You"ll later discover that the preparation itself is a form of art, one that does not reward the sense of sight but rather, your sense of taste and smell.