It's in the bag....
You might have read about our journey to a more sustainable tea bag over the past few years, well here's a little backstory.
Traditionally, everyone in the industry used oil-based plastics to seal tea bags; and to find an alternative that sticks (pardon the pun) took a lot of trial and error. However we now use plant-based plastics (known as PLA) for most of our tea bags and we’re now on to the next step of our tea bag journey....the paper!
Have you ever noticed the texture of a tea bag and seen the pattern on the paper? This pattern allows for the tea to infuse in the water. For many years we’ve been using tea bag paper that has its infusion pattern applied with wire mesh roller.
We still using the same paper, however the pattern is now applied using jets of water instead of a roller. The result is a tea bag that has a slightly different texture and appearance, but otherwise its exactly the same.
So why did we switch? The new method applies less pressure on the tea bag paper meaning it retains its integrity and is therefore stronger, so less chance of tea bags ripping.
Why do we use plastic in tea bags?
Visit our website for more information on the vital role that plastic has in tea manufacturing.