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Some tea bags may shed billions of microplastics per cup

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Re: Some tea bags may shed billions of microplastics per cup

#91

Post by brokenkebab »

roboys wrote: post #53
simias wrote: post #7

Loose tea is often cheaper and of better quality in my experience. If you brew tea a lot using a reusable strainer seems like a much better choice. I'm also entirely convinced that these plastic pyramid-shaped bags are pure marketing. Then again, I find Lipton tea absolutely terrible regardless of the shape of the bag.

My buddy used to work for Lipton. He explained that they use the cheapest grade of tea (dust) available. Also many tea companies mix non-tea additives (fillers) to their tea bags. After hearing this I decided, if it's not full loose leaf, I don't drink it. We found that companies like Elephant Chateau ( http://elephantchateau.com ) deliver the 3 highest grades of tea direct from Ceylon mountain estates with the optio…

To be fair, bagged tea exists because there are lots of buyers who only want quick refreshing non-coffee caffeine, and don't care for taste that much. Or sometimes they just want a background for those 100 g. of sugar you mentioned. Tea dust is a perfect match for this market, because it releases everything it holds to water immediately, while whole leaves may require some patience, and proper procedure.

Re: Some tea bags may shed billions of microplastics per cup

#92

Post by bstar77 »

AdmiralAsshat wrote: post #88
bstar77 wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many cheap Lipton teas have this type of sachet. Using this plastic is a horrible trend and I'm not sure how it started. My worry was always more about leeching, but the microplastic results might even be more disturbing. Such a shame that a natural simple solution is compromised. I'm sticking to my looseleaf. https://www.amazon.com/Lipton-Tea-Fruits-Rouges-Red/dp/B00JN...

If I had to guess , the "plastic triangle" is a bit larger and would potentially allow larger tea-leaves to move more freely within the water and infuse better. The cheapest end of commercial tea bags are all basically tea powder , so they don't need the larger bags to infuse.

That's possible, but I think you've already reached a point of diminishing returns with a standard teabag. They do have a more premium feel, so it's probably a combination of perceived quality and cost savings.

Re: Some tea bags may shed billions of microplastics per cup

#94

Post by sharadov »

simias wrote: post #7

Loose tea is often cheaper and of better quality in my experience. If you brew tea a lot using a reusable strainer seems like a much better choice. I'm also entirely convinced that these plastic pyramid-shaped bags are pure marketing. Then again, I find Lipton tea absolutely terrible regardless of the shape of the bag.

Try PG Tips, it's the best tea you can get in a bag. Lipton is shit, I agree!

Re: Some tea bags may shed billions of microplastics per cup

#95

Post by ddeck »

amelius wrote: post #70
ineedasername wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My guess is you take a very small sample, count the particles, extrapolate to the whole (I suppose image recognition might automate this somewhat)

Yes but how do you distinguish the microplastics from small tea dust?

With an electron microscope and infrared and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. From the article:

The researchers counted the plastic particles by cutting open bags of tea, removing the tea, rinsing off any pieces that might have come off during cutting, and then steeping the bags in distilled water at 95 C. They then took a sample, let the water evaporate, and counted the plastic particles under an electron microscope, then extrapolated to get the amount in one cup. They also used other instruments to identify the type of plastic in each bag.

The researchers also repeated the experiment with uncut bags that still contained tea to make sure the cutting didn't cause the bags to shed, and with loose tea leaves, confirming that uncut bags shed microplastics too (although they were harder to count) and the plastic didn't originate from the tea itself.

The original study references the use of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).

Re: Some tea bags may shed billions of microplastics per cup

#96

Post by vonmoltke »

markrages wrote: post #81
srbby wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Staples can't be microwaved. Yes I know, you can microwave the cup and then put the bags in, but some people make that mistake and (rightly) freak out when they see the fireworks.

Staples microwave OK. A microwave's wavelength is about 12 cm. A staple is a small fraction of that and won't couple much energy.

Not to mention the water it is submerged in absorbs the actual radiation, so it generally doesn't even make it to the staple to begin with (at least, if you push the bad down to flood it before heating).

Re: Some tea bags may shed billions of microplastics per cup

#97

Post by sharadov »

SolaceQuantum wrote: post #55
dragontamer wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Loose tea is often cheaper and of better quality in my experience. This is indeed my experience as well. Still, the convenience factor of Lipton tea cannot be understated. I'm personally willing to bring in my own tea, metal strainers + teaspoon measurement to my workplace for example (hot-water is usually available in most offices). But that's probably too much for a lot of people. In contrast, you can usually get…

I buy my own tea bags, paper with a string, and fill it myself.

I do the same, but I hire children in 3rd world countries to help fill the bags.

Re: Some tea bags may shed billions of microplastics per cup

#98

Post by dpcx »

rcMgD2BwE72F wrote: post #71
graeme wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's disturbing. Can any consumer grade filters remove plastics that small?

Just stop drinking bottled water.

That article also suggests tap water contains plastics, so "stop drinking bottled water" will help, but doesn't remove it all from the equation.

Re: Some tea bags may shed billions of microplastics per cup

#99

Post by pfranz »

okcando wrote: post #58
mikestew wrote: post #43

Ugh, yet another "hmm, never thought of that" thing to worry about, but it comes at a good time. I was just giving thought to going to back to loose leaf and a tea ball as I was preparing some Trader Joe's Earl Grey that comes in an individual plastic wrapper, along with a string and a bag, and whatever else. For a cup of tea. I'm one step away from a Kuerig. Other brands in the cupboard aren't a whole lot better on…

I've been trying to avoid groceries that come with single-use plastic and it's tough. Grapes and cherry tomatoes come in plastic bags or cartons, even at salt-of-the-earth type places. Meat or cheese from the deli gets a zip lock. There's no way to use the olive bar without grabbing a plastic carton, in various sizes. I wouldn't have even suspected the tea bags themselves. I assume some of them are still made with na…

The truth is single-use plastics are very useful in certain applications. Sanitation and reducing food waste likely outweigh the cost. I do think it's great we're being more thoughtful in our consumption and thinking more about where stuff goes when we throw it "away."

I do think you can address some of your issues assuming your grocer is a bit accommodating and you don't mind the perception of being a bit odd. Farmer's Markets rarely package things like grapes and cherry tomatoes. I got some reusable produce bags that have a tare weight written on them [1] (I don't usually bother having them tare it). I just stuff the produce bags into one of my grocery bags.

There are a bunch of "zero-waste blogs." I can't seem to find it, but I remember watching one video bio where she went grocery shopping. She had them put cuts of meat into jars and brought her own containers for everything. The only "waste" was the paper sticker they put on her jar. She did say it was a bit odd at first and she had built a relationship with the grocer, but I'm pretty sure it was just a local Whole Foods.

[1] https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FT4ZCKZ/

Re: Some tea bags may shed billions of microplastics per cup

#100

Post by smn1234 »

joshvm wrote: post #83
simias wrote: post #7

Loose tea is often cheaper and of better quality in my experience. If you brew tea a lot using a reusable strainer seems like a much better choice. I'm also entirely convinced that these plastic pyramid-shaped bags are pure marketing. Then again, I find Lipton tea absolutely terrible regardless of the shape of the bag.

Make sure you actually buy loose leaf tea. Even "respectable" brands like Twinings in the UK sell what looks like dregs. Its definitely not leaves. I've not seen an appreciable difference in brew time using loose leaf. A mug of Earl Gray should be done in a few minutes either way.

ever tried T2?
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