Sometimes there is no choice but to utilized bagged tea. Maybe the tea was a gift, or that’s all the restaurant or hotel serves. In any case, bagged tea can be better than no tea. (Can you tell that I’ve become a loose tea addict?)
First, if you receive bagged tea as a gift, or still have a favorite from the grocery, you can store the unopened box in a plastic bag for up to eighteen months. Once opened, store the bags in a glass container that can be tightly closed, or a plastic container. Be sure to only store one kind per container to prevent flavors from seeping from one type to the other.
As with loose leaf tea, begin with cold, preferably filtered, water in your kettle. Black teas should be made with water that has just come to the boil. Green and herbals with water that is below the boil, about 160-180 degrees F. Steep black tea 3-5 minutes, green and herbal about 3. Check package directions, especially for herbal as some actually want a 7 minute steep.
If the bag has a sting, take care to keep it over the edge of the brewing vessel. If there is no string, then a spoon will aid removal. A fork could puncture the bag. Do not squeeze the bag. Yes, I know there are bag squeezers available and you may have been taught to wrap the string around the bag and spoon and squeeze. But, that just adds bitter tannins to the tea best left behind.
If there is no tea bag holder, it is perfectly OK to ask for a small plate or bowl in which to place the used bag. Do not place it in the saucer and then replace the tea cup in the saucer as you will just end up getting the bottom of the cup wet and that can drip on your clothes or the table.
If you are serving tea, do not place the bag in the cup, add water and then bring it to the recipient. Either brew and remove the bag, or bring the bag separate from the water. Some people do like weak tea. And please take care to have the water at the proper temperature. Water that has been boiled too long or even reboiled will release too much oxygen and cause the tea to be flat.
Tea, in its many forms, is still the second most consumed beverage on the planet. The first – water. Enjoy!
Tea at the Unicorn Wine Guild 
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