Bleach or no bleach ? what?s in your tea bag?

Posted by Sache Wellness on March 26th, 2019

Tea bags are the most convenient and least messy way of drinking tea. Not just that, they also save you the worry of how much loose tea leaves you need to steep and for how long to get your perfect cup of tea! But have you ever stopped to wonder what material has gone into making your tea bag?

History of traditional tea bags

The first tea bags were hand made from silk by an American tea importer, Mr Thomas Sullivan in the early 20th century. The fine mesh of the silk did not allow optimal infusion, and was followed by experimentation with gauze, cheesecloth cellophane and perforated paper. Eventually, a perforated paper was widely agreed upon as the most viable and cost-effective material for the commercial production of tea bags.

As the popularity of tea increased among consumers in the 1950s, more and more companies thought of ways of improving its mass appeal. It was around this time that the concept of bleaching tea bags was introduced, and almost all the companies welcomed the concept. The
simple and only reason for bleaching was to provide the tea bags with a bright white exterior. This was considered more attractive, as opposed to the natural colour of paper. However, the process of bleaching does absolutely nothing at all to improve either the taste or flavour or shelf life of tea, other than rendering it the aesthetic appeal of white exterior. Recent reports have also emerged claiming that bleached tea bags may release harmful chemicals when steeped in hot water.

The goodness of Sache’s unbleached tea bags

We at Sache Wellness are committed to ensuring that no chemicals go into our products. It is precisely for this reason that we use 100% organic ingredients to prepare our teas and herbal infusions, which are packed into unbleached tea bags only. It will be hard to miss the natural exterior of our unbleached tea bags, which are made from compostable fibres and look starkly different from the conventional organic tea bags available in the market. When you drink our organic teas and infusions, stay assured that all you are having is a delicious ‘Cupful of Wellness’ and nothing else!