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How to use tea bags safely even for brands that make them out of toxic materials that should not be exposed to hot water. Plus…which brands do NOT use toxic tea bags if you need convenience for travel.
You may already know that teabags even from organic brands can be a significant source of toxins…even carcinogenic ones. This is especially true if you drink multiple cups of tea per day.
Expensive “premium teas” can be the absolute worst as the three dimensional, mesh teabags that allow the tea to infuse into the water more quickly are made of plastic!
Brands that Use Safe Tea Bags
There are surprisingly only a few brands of teabags as of this writing that appear completely safe to buy. This includes all the many organic brands of tea too.
100% nontoxic tea means BOTH the tea bag AND the tea are safe and do not contain pesticide residues, natural flavors, artificial flavors, GMOs or plastic/petroleum-based chemicals. (1)
Here are the only three to consider at this time that I know about:
My guess is that your tea cabinet is like mine and is loaded with brands of tea that are NOT one of the above brands, right?
In that case, what to do? You’ve spent a lot of money on that tea and you don’t want to throw it out!
Fortunately, there is definitely a safe way to use up that tea without harming yourself as described below and the 90-second video included with this article.
How to Safely Use Toxic Tea
Organic loose tea is definitely the best way to go long-term. It is the most budget-friendly choice as well as the safest, most toxin-free option if you love tea like I do and drink it a lot.
As mentioned earlier, however, what do you do with boxes of herbal, black and green tea bags that you already have? You can’t return them and they were expensive to buy. In some cases, $8 or more per box!
How do you use these unsafe tea bags safely without introducing a toxic burden into your digestive tract, possibly undoing all the benefits of drinking the tea in the first place?
Remember that even paper tea bags typically contain small amounts of plastic too, so you will need a plan for safely using those up as well. (2)
I recommend two products that make the transition from tea bags very easy.
Two Methods for Using Tea Bags Safely
First, get a stainless steel diffuser for brewing single cups of tea. This is the one I’ve used for years. This is a good option for traveling too as you can tuck it into your carry-on.
The second option is what I prefer to do at home. Get a small teapot specially designed to infuse tea. It is useful for making therapeutic herbal infusions or brewing 2-3 cups of tea at the same time.
This is similar to the one I use (which I actually received as a gift a few years ago).
The 90-second video included with this article demonstrates exactly how to use them!
References
(1) Do You Really Know What’s in Your Tea?
(2) Plastic Compounds in Tea Bags
Where in heaven’s name did you get that absolutely adorable tiny stainless tea kettle? That is what I need !!
It is so cute isn’t it! It was a gift … I haven’t found one exactly like it online anywhere although the link in the post is to one that is very similar.
Sarah, this is a great article and I hope lots of people see it and take heed. I drink black tea about 8 times a day and also the occasional herbal tisane, so I buy organic loose leaf tea only. But occasionally someone gives me teabags, and I always pour the tea into my stainless steel infuser and toss the bag. Thanks for covering this important topic.
I contacted the folks at Equal Exchange and got this response about their bagged teas:
“Equal Exchange tea is packed in a double chamber teabag. The teabag components are made of the following:
– Teabag: Our tea bag filter paper is not bleached, we use a more natural process called oxygen delignification which is free of chemicals or toxins including chlorine. The tea bag itself is made of a special blend of abaca material. Abaca is a relative of the banana tree family and also sometimes known as manila hemp.
– Tea tag: Paper
– Teabag string: Cotton”
Remember that cotton is one of the most highly sprayed crops. Also, paper can be loaded with residues as well. Unless all organic materials are used, I would forgo the teabags! They are wasteful anyway!
Wonder if Yogi teabags are ok
No, that brand uses “natural flavors”.
No video can be seen on this post. There are pictures, but not an available video. I don’t have blockers on. Not sure what’s up. My guess is you cut open the tea bags and use them in a loose leaf fashion in an appropriate brewer.
I agree about the aluminum. Also, if those teas were ever stored in a high heat environment, then the aluminum could leach into the tea they contain. Dementia and aluminum toxicity is already too high in this world! I’ll skip aluminum as much as I possibly can, in any form!
If you’re incognito mode on the firefox browser then you won’t be able to see it as videos are blocked. Chrome browser incognito mode (no cookies) does not block videos, so perhaps try that one instead?
Sarah, I know you made the comment about each tea bag being packaged in aluminum as being wasteful and while I know you mean well…………..that being said, it is the aluminum that keeps the tea from oxidizing and going stale before you can use it! For those of us who don’t drink it every day, this might very well be a viable option.
Yes, I understand that the aluminum keeps it fresh, but it is still an unsustainable packaging option on a per teabag basis! Better to get loose tea packaged in airtight, opaque containers. It’s not just about you and your health and the freshness of the tea, but also the sustainability of the processing methods and packaging. If something has wasteful packaging, I don’t buy it no matter how good the product itself might be.
Also, aluminum itself is toxic and is linked to breast cancer and alzheimers. So not knowing how long the tea has been in that aluminum bag…..well I’d just ditch. I avoid aluminum at all costs.
I contacted YamamotoYama teas and they said their tea bags are not plastic but of plant pulp. Their teas come sealed in a aluminum packet. EACH serving. The tea is high quality and the only green tea that has a grassy hint to it in every cup. It’s the only one I buy.
The rest of the line up is tasty too. Each of their teas are individually wrapped in foil packets and the price is very reasonable.
My experience with bagged teas is much like coffee. They do get stale and lose somewhat their flavor. But not these teas. I have tried many of them. I have returned back to Yama green tea.
Each tea bag packed in aluminum? That seems highly wasteful to me … ? Just another reason to avoid tea bags and just use up what you have and use only loose tea going forward.
Choice Organic Teas should also be safe. Here is what their website says:
“Our teas are bagged in double chamber, flow-through tea bags made from 100% unbleached, natural abaca fibers, and free from plastics and plasticizers. Tea tags are made from unbleached paper and attached with a natural cotton string.
The ORIGINAL, GOURMET, and WELLNESS TEAS** tea bags are all staple-free and sewn shut. Our three VALUE PACKS contain tea bags that are secured with staples.”
They say they use a natural cotton string. I don’t know if their strings are made with organic cotton or how much that matters, but at least there is no plastic in the tea bags.
I’m so glad you posted this … I have a huge box of Choice tea I’ve been using up via the method shown in the video on this post just to be safe. Thank you 🙂 I suspect more brands will get their act together now that the word is out about toxic tea bags.