How and when the first tea bag appeared

Such a familiar subject, like a tea bag, has long and firmly entered our life. This is largely due to its convenience, ease of use, as well as the ability to reduce the time spent on the preparation of the drink. However, despite widespread popularity, such tea is considered to be low-grade and substandard. Whether this is really so, and how the first tea bag has appeared, we will tell in this article.

The exact time and history of the occurrence of tea bags are not known for certain. There is information that their counterparts existed in ancient China. In Russia, small bags, made of linen, were widely used for brewing a drink. But since this information has not been officially confirmed, it is commonly believed that the tea bag was invented in 1904 by American Thomas Sullivan. As a trader, he once tried to save on samples of products intended for distribution to customers. So, instead of typical for that time tea jars, he packaged portions on silk bags, sewn by hand. Then the buyers themselves began to ask Thomas to send them a drink in bags, and not in jars. The fact is that the customers did not understand his original idea related to the update of the package, and began to brew the drink right in the bags, which subsequently gained wide popularity due to the convenience and ease of use.

Soon, tea bags began to be actively used in restaurants and sold in stores. Over time, it became clear that silk is by no means the cheapest material for the production of such a massive commodity. Active experiments were started, connected with the search for more suitable raw materials. At one time the tea bag was made of gauze, a little later - from the manila hemp with the addition of viscose. However, these materials have proven themselves not from the best side. And only then came a special filter paper for tea bags. The one that is actively used to this day.

If we talk about the appearance of the sachet, then it became habitual for us only in 1929 - then the industrial technology of its manufacture was introduced. In 1950, two-chamber tea packs were produced, which could increase the contact surface of water with welding and enhance filtration efficiency. The process of brewing the drink began to take even less time. Soon the assortment of sachets began to expand and replenish with new forms: products appeared in the form of a square, a circle and even a pyramid. As a fastening steel actively used staples, and technology of thermal sealing gave the possibility of increasing the strength of the product.

It is also worth mentioning the very tea placed in the sachet. In contrast to the leaf, it is more saturated and strong. In its quality, the packaged tea is not inferior to the leaf tea - no concentrates are added there. And the high speed of brewing is explained by the additional crushing of the leaf, due to which the enzymes mix with water more quickly.

For today the assortment of the packaged drink surprises with its diversity. Its packing is also. The box for tea bags is produced both from paper, and from wood and metal, and its design sometimes amazes even the most sophisticated buyers. Connoisseurs of this drink will certainly be able to choose for themselves a worthy specimen capable of replenishing their rich tea collection.