Most medical professionals agree that regular consumption of green tea can impart certain health benefits, and these benefits tend to be consistent regardless of whether the tea is brewed from loose leaves or from a tea bag. There remain differences between loose green tea and packaged green tea bags, however. One of the biggest benefits of loose green tea is its flavor. Loose leaves typically unfurl in water, giving tea a richness and depth that cannot be emulated by leaves bound in a tea sachet. Tea marketed as loose leaf tea is typically made from higher quality tea leaves, as well, and yet often also often costs less than bagged counterparts.
The mechanics of bagging tea necessarily diminish some of what tea purists call a tea’s “essential nature.” Most green tea bags contain crushed, almost powdered tea leaves. Crushed leaves brew faster, but can be more bitter than leaves brewed whole. Quality may also be a concern. On most tea plantations, the highest quality leaves are set aside for loose-leaf teas, while poorer quality leaves are relegated to crushing and bagging.
Green tea leaves destined for loose teas are dried, sometimes blended with other tea varieties and herbal elements, and packaged. Traditional green tea preparations instruct that loose green tea should be left to steep in hot water for several minutes before serving. During this time, the leaves usually unfurl, expanding in the water and in many ways reclaiming their original size and shape. The leaves release the complete set of their nutrients into the tea, having lost relatively little in the drying and packaging process.
Loose green tea usually has a more intense flavor than bagged green tea, and the same leaves can often be used for two or three pots of tea before the taste weakens. Re-brewing is not always possible with tea bags. The green tea particles that are found in most tea bags generally only have enough nutrient content, not to mention surface area, to satisfactorily brew one cup.
Even top quality, full-leafed bagged tea may not be able to match the flavor of loose tea. The bag, while adding convenience, necessarily restricts the leaves’ ability to open up and maximize their fullest potential. Most of the time, bagged tea also costs more than loose tea by weight. Loose green tea requires only minimal packaging and takes fewer resources to produce and ship, so can be sold at a lower price. Loose tea that is stored in airtight containers or closed tins often has a longer shelf life, as well.
Green tea can have positive health benefits however it is consumed. There is no definitive study decreeing loose green tea the best green tea for health. Green tea benefits, like black tea and herbal tea benefits, are typically connected to consumption, not necessarily to origin. It is never as convenient to brew tea in loose leaf form, but from the perspectives of flavor, quality, and cost, loose teas can carry significant advantages.