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Paper or plastic? That's what the old-time grocery store clerk would ask before packing your groceries. The same question could be asked of you as a tea consumer: paper or plastic? Do you prefer paper tea bags or plastic tea bags?

Do you know the differences between paper and plastic tea bags and why you might choose one over the other? Typically, most grocery-store mass produced tea bags are made of paper. Artisan whole loose leaf tea is usually placed into nylon food grade plastic. The difference between the two is a matter of infusion, aesthetics and manufacturing cost.

For the mass tea manufacturer, paper tea bags are the cheapest form of product packaging. The paper tea bag has been an industry standard for so long that just about anyone can can build a die and begin to manufacturer the bags.

However, if you tear open a bag of mass-produced store bought tea what do you notice? You notice how ground up the tea leaves are. The mass tea producer is forced to cut the tea up for at least two reasons: the pores in a paper tea bag are a lot smaller than nylon-silken food grade tea bags and therefore smaller pieces of tea need to be in the bag, and a mass produced paper tea bag will not allow for infusion of large tea leaves.

In the mid-1980s, artisan tea suppliers began to use nylon-silken food-grade tea bags to display and infuse whole leaf tea. The nylon bag has no seams and no glue has been used to close the bag. Rather, ultrasonic waves are used to enmesh or seal the nylon contents in the bag.

Artisan whole leaf tea suppliers moved toward nylon silken tea bags to cater to the whole loose leaf tea market consumer; many consumers want high quality loose leaf tea with the convenience of a tea bag: the loose leaf tea bag is reusable. Aesthetically speaking, the tea looks beautiful in the bag too!

Nylon silken bags typically form a pyramid shape, though other shapes exist. The purpose for the pyramid form is to allow as much space between the whole loose leaf tea leaves; this space allows hot water to cut across the leaves, extracting color and flavor.

Nylon silken tea bags have allowed for a growing number of artisan whole loose leaf tea suppliers to enter the market and innovate new products for a growing, health-conscious and discerning consumer base.

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