SQUEEZING TEA BAGS… NO! NOT THOSE TEA BAGS…!
0757 by Jeff HessI started drinking hot tea when I was about 14 or so. I’d have a cup after dinner or five (I really stretched out that tea bag and I imagine that drinking the tea was really all about the sugar.
One of the lessons my father taught me was how to catch the tea bag in my spoon, wrap the string once around the spooned tea bag and gently squeeze out the excess moisture. I think that this was less about economy and more about not having a drippy tea bag on the table.
Over the years I’ve learned that there are those who consider the practice low-class and I wonder if it is a holdover from my father’s depression-era upbringing. This morning I discovered one discussion that suggests that taste and not class is at play here.
From EvanorTeas:
It’s tempting to squeeze a tea bag. Who wants it dripping all over the place? Plus, with the cost of things today, shouldn’t we squeeze every last drop out instead of wasting it? Makes sense, but what are you really doing to that cup of tea?
When you squeeze out that last bit of liquid from your tea bag you release tannins and oils that make the tea bitter. Also, if you squeeze too hard, you run the risk of breaking the bag and releasing all of the fannings [I do so love learning a new word. JH] into your drink.
So the next time you use a tea bag, resist the temptation to squeeze it. You’ll end up with a more drinkable cup of tea.
OK, so no squeezing. How do I deal with the drippy tea bag?
