Tea bag made from thin perforated (biodegradable) plastic which has a "memory" and shrinks to a small size when heated (takes about 4 mins) so that it squeezes all the flavour from the tea. Saves you having to press the tea bag against the side of the cup or do some elaborate tea-bag-string wringing ritual.
-- Jim, Jan 24 2001

Sweet Tea Bags http://www.halfbake.../Sweet_20Tea_20Bags
Other halfbakery idea this one sprang from. [Jim, Jan 24 2001]

Some of us tea drinker really are that cheap http://www.george-o...o_Wigan_Pier/5.html
Unemployment is an endless misery that has got to be constantly palliated, and especially with tea, the English-man's opium. A cup of tea or even an aspirin is much better as a temporary stimulant than a crust of brown bread. [LoriZ, Jan 15 2011]

Too bad the flavor you're squeezing out in this process is the one you're trying to avoid.
-- francois, Jan 25 2001


Yes, Blahginger says the same in the annotation: "According to the "expert" tea drinkers I know, you should never wring out you teabag. It will make your tea more bitter.".

This seems a little odd, as anyone I'd previously heard expound their views as an "expert tea drinker" would look down their their aroma-sensitised nose at anything brewed from the contents of a bag.
-- Lemon, Jan 25 2001


Lemon: You are correct. The person giving the advice had her loose tea and tea ball, and was just giving friendly advice to a lowlife commoner as she saw I was about to squeeze my bag.
-- blahginger, Jan 25 2001


Could be done, too! bravo, man! (heat activated) shrink-tube is already widely available; wouldn't take much to engineer a low-temp, high-elastic, no-hazardous-excretions version and stuff it with tea.
-- absterge, Jan 25 2001


I don't really mean to sound like a tea snob (heavens forfend!), and I'm sure the debate over loose-leaf or bag will rage on for centuries, I just don't really see the point of an invention whose only purpose seems to be to make tea taste worse.

I think the real problem here is that tea bags don't allow you to easily regulate the strength of your tea, except by using more or less water. Maybe boxes of tea bags should come with regular bags, and then a few thousand minibags, to allow for finer grade control.
-- francois, Jan 25 2001


Never having tasted a dry tea bag, I couldn't tell you.

I think the main objection to bags on the part of connoisseurs is simply that you aren't as likely to find a high quality tea in bags. There are also complaints about restricting the available surface area during the steeping process.
-- francois, Jan 25 2001


I like my tea bitter. Further, good tea can be found in bags. I don't see what the big deal is.
-- Vance, Feb 05 2001



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