It has to be said that the quality of tea in tea bags has, in some cases, improved noticeably over the last few years, but shoppers should be aware of two main types. First there is the standard everyday tea blend that is blended, packaged, and marketed in supermarkets and which, to a connoisseur, gives a poor cup of tea. But second, some producers and blenders produce bags containing good quality specialty teas and market them through major stores, in their own retail shops, or by mail-order (and sometimes by all three routes). The reason that these companies offer bags as well as loose leaf teas is because they recognize that there is a demand, even among real tea lovers, for the convenience of tea bag brewing as well as for loose leaf quality tea.
Since, on the whole, tea bags give a poorer quality brew than loose leaf tea, tea bags are best relegated to emergency status in the store cupboard, for brewing on occasions when cups of tea are needed for people who do 。not know the difference between quality and everyday tea and where saving time is important. They are also useful for brewing large quantities for really big numbers, although this is perfectly possible with a good quality loose leaf tea brewed in a large teapot with an infuser, and decanted into suitable pots for pouring.
