Microplastics released from infusion bags have health consequences, but alternatives exist
Studies have revealed that tea can help fight cancer, heart disease and diabetes, promote weight loss, lower cholesterol and increase mental acuity. The tea also appears to have antimicrobial qualities. However, the way we consume tea also matters.
A year ago, UK public radio and television, the BBC, carried out tests in collaboration with the University of East Anglia to find out how much plastic is contained in infusion bags.
The analysis was carried out on six of Britain’s biggest tea brands. The researchers put the tea bags in a chemical reagent for five days and the result was that when some of them decomposed, plastic was left over. Specifically, they found particles of polypropylene, a type of non-biodegradable plastic. Below we can see the experiment.
East Canadian study from McGill University 2019 confirms that these plastics can be very harmful to our health as they cause cancer, reproductive problems or weaken the immune system. A single tea bag, when in contact with hot water, can release up to 11.6 billion microplastic particles and 3.1 billion nanoplastics.
The other way to drink tea
Traditionally, tea is brewed by steeping the leaves in hot water (never boiling, the ideal temperature is between 70 and 80 degrees), and then using some sort of strainer to remove them. There are solutions on the market for all budgets that allow you to make tea with leaves with ease.
In the case of making a large amount of tea, a teapot with filter to infuse It’s a very comfortable option.
But there are times when we just want a cup of tea, so a single infuser filter it’s a better option. Modern stainless steel filters are cleaner and have smaller holes, leaving less leaf residue in the tea. But what’s wrong with tea residue?
matcha tea powder
The answer comes from Japan. In this country, tea is everywhere and in all its variants. One of the most appreciated is the powdered matcha tea, which results from the fine grinding of green tea leaves. This is the one used in the famous tea ceremony. Unlike other types of tea, matcha is not steeped, but dissolved in hot water.
When drinking matcha tea, we are consuming the entire leaf. This makes the caffeine content higher than in infused tea, but it also increases the amounts of antioxidants we ingest with the drink and its health benefits. As we don’t use bags, we also eliminate the problem of microplastics.
But can we consume other teas in the same way? Matcha & CO is a start Spanish founded in 2018 specializing in matcha tea and supplements that has converted the most common infused teas into powdered tea to increase the absorption of its nutrients and avoid sachets. In addition to traditional matcha green tea, have black tea english breakfast, jasmine tea, roiboos s earl gray.
Matcha & CO Rooibos Tea