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photo credit: rivertea.com |
It’s cold now, and the go-to caffeinated hot drink for college students is, of course, coffee. However, too many students ignore the bean-based beverage’s leafy rival: tea.
Some people have the perception that brewing loose-leaf tea is somehow complicated and expensive, requiring esoteric materials and herbal expertise. In fact, it’s remarkably easy and cheap. All you need to brew loose-leaf tea is hot water, a tea kettle or infuser and the tea itself.
Most people first encounter tea through the Lipton bag, a satanic symbol if there ever was one. There are a few good tea bags out there; Lipton does not make any of them. The problem with tea bags is that they’re filled with broken tea leaves, and when tea leaves break, they lose most of their essential oils and aromas. When steeped, broken tea leaves release more tannins, a type of molecule that tastes bitter. Because of this, bagged teas often misrepresent the flavor of full teas, and only with loose-leaf tea can you brew full tea leaves. In fact, bagged tea is usually made from the dust and fannings from tea leaves. In other words: the garbage. If you’re drinking Lipton, you’re literally drinking garbage juice.