WTF
bitter taste
How your morning cuppa is brewed from DUST swept up from tea factory floor
The 'leaves' you get in a normal teabag are often what was swept up off the floor after the tea passed through the grading machine
IF you enjoy a nice cup of tea in the morning, you may be shocked by this rather distressing news.
We're sorry to have to break it to you, but the 'leaves' you get in an average teabag are actually mainly DUST.
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The filling that goes into those square bags of Yorkshire or the PG Tips triangles is considered the 'lowest grade' of tea, as it's what was left over after the leaves passed through the grading machine.
It is powdery in texture and is often swept off the floor - DELICIOUS.
According to , most of the tea sold in standard teabags is the "lowest grade dust", or fannings.
Meanwhile the highest grade, usually loose leaf tea, is referred to as "orange pekoe".
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The main reason for this, apart from being much cheaper to produce, is that conventional paper teabags do not have enough room for the whole leaf tea to expand while steeping (the proper word for letting it brew).
This is why tea connoisseurs tend to go for loose leaf to enjoy all the goodness of premium whole leaf teas, as it's considered the tastiest and the best quality.
I know - mind blown.
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Although the idea of drinking whatever was left on the floor post-production doesn't sound hugely appealing, you can't deny the convenience of teabags.
It's the reason why the majority of us stock them in our kitchen or our office drawer, as it takes a lot of time and effort (and money) to faff around with whole leaves and strainers.
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But if this has really put you off, there's always those fancy pyramid-shaped teabags in mesh bags, which are larger in shape to hold whole leaf.
Though they do tend to need to stew for longer to get a decent brew.
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