Tea bag - wikipedia Tea bag For other uses, see Tea bag ( disambiguation ). A tea bag being removed from a mug of hot tea to halt the brewing process Tetrahedron - shaped tea bags made of polylactide ( PLA ), a bioplastic, shown here containing dried peppermint leaves Three different teas in tea bags A tea bag is a small, porous, sealed bag containing dried plant material, which is immersed in boiling water to make a tea or an infusion. Classically these are tea leaves ( Camellia sinensis ), but the term is also used for herbal teas ( tisanes ) made of herbs or spices. Tea bags are commonly made of filter paper or food - grade plastic, or occasionally of silk. The bag contains the tea leaves while the tea is steeped, making it easier to dispose of the leaves, and performs the same function as a tea infuser. Some tea bags have an attached piece of string with a paper label at the top that assists in removing the bag while also displaying the brand or variety of tea. In countries where the use of loose tea leaves is more prevalent, the term `` tea bag '' is commonly used to describe paper or foil packaging for loose leaves. They are usually square or rectangular envelopes with the brand name, flavour and decorative patterns printed on them. Contents 1 History 2 Production 2.1 Teas 2.2 Paper 2.3 Tea bag manufacturing machines 3 Shapes and use 4 Coffee bags 5 Tea bag - related activities 6 See also 7 References History Packing tea in paper goes back to medieval 8th century China, during the Tang Dynasty when paper was folded and sewn into square bags to preserve tea flavoring and aromas. Then the paper tea bags were stitched from all sides to create protective casings for the tea leaves. The first modern tea bags in the Western World were hand - sewn fabric bags ; tea bag patents date as early as 1903. First appearing commercially around 1904, tea bags were successfully marketed about 1908 by the tea and coffee importer Thomas Sullivan from New York, who shipped his silk tea bags around the world. The loose tea was intended to be removed from the bags by customers, but they found it easier to brew the tea with the tea still enclosed in the porous bags. The first tea bag packing machine was invented 1929 by Adolf Rambold for the German company Teekanne. Modern tea bags are usually made of paper fiber. The heat - sealed paper fiber tea bag was patented in 1930 by William Hermanson, one of the founders of Technical Papers Corporation of Boston, who sold his patent to the Salada Tea Company. The rectangular tea bag was not invented until 1944. Prior to this, tea bags resembled small sacks. Production Teas A broad variety of teas as well as other infusions like herbal teas, are available in tea bags. Typically, tea bags use fannings, the left - overs after larger leaf pieces are gathered for sale as loose tea, but some companies sell teabags containing whole - leaf tea. Paper Main article : Filter paper Tea bag paper is related to paper found in milk and coffee filters and is a blend of wood and vegetable fibers. The latter is bleached pulp abaca hemp, a plantation banana plant grown for its fiber, mostly in the Philippines and Colombia. Some bags have a heat - sealable thermoplastic such as PVC or polypropylene as a component fiber on the inner tea bag surface. Tea bag manufacturing machines A few of the leading tea bag production machine companies are MAI from Mar del Plata, Argentina ; Teepack from Meerbusch, Germany ; and IMA, from Bologna, Italy. A standard machine produced by the MAI company can fill 120 rectangular bags per minute containing up to 3.3 grams per bag, which allows the packaging of herbal teas. Another company, the Italian Tecnomeccanica, has a faster design capable of filling 250 tetrahedral bags per minute. Shapes and use Circular tea bags Tetrahedral nylon tea bag Traditionally, tea bags have been square or rectangular in shape. More recently circular and tetrahedral bags have come on the market and are often claimed by their manufacturers to improve the quality of the brew. Environmentalists prefer silk to nylon because of health and biodegradability issues. Another material for tea bags is Soilon, made from corn starch. Empty tea bags are also available for consumers to fill with tea leaves themselves. These are typically open - ended pouches with long flaps. The pouch is filled with an appropriate quantity of leaf tea and the flap is closed into the pouch to retain the tea. Such tea bags combine the ease of use of a commercially produced tea bag with the wider tea choice and better quality control of loose leaf tea. Coffee bags The concept of pre-measured portions to be infused in disposable bags has also been applied to coffee in the form of coffee bags, although this has not achieved such wide acceptance as tea bags. Tea bag - related activities Decorative tea bag labels have become the basis for large collections and many collectors collect tea bags from around the world. Teabag folding began in the Netherlands and is often credited to Tiny van der Plas. It is a form of origami in which identical squares of patterned paper ( cut from the front of tea bag wrappers ) are folded, and then arranged in rosettes. These rosettes are usually used to decorate gift cards and it has become a popular craft in both the US and UK since 2000. See also 3 - MCPD, a chemical compound that is carcinogenic, and can occur in some resin - reinforced tea bag materials Builder 's tea, refers to a basic method of preparing tea in a mug with tea bags Tea leaf grading Tea strainer, a small mesh utensil that can filter out stray tea leaves when whole - leaf tea is poured from a teapot Tetley, the British tea company that introduced tea bags in the United Kingdom in 1953 References Jump up ^ Tsien, Tsuen - Hsuin ( 1985 ). Paper and Printing. Joseph Needham, Science and Civilisation in China, Chemistry and Chemical Technology. Vol. 5 part 1. Cambridge University Press. p. 122. Jump up ^ `` Facts About Tea Bags ''. Darjeerling Tea Boutique. Jump up ^ Lloyd, Christopher ( 2009 ). What on Earth Happened ?... in Brief : The Planet, Life and People from the Big Bang to the Present Day. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978 - 1408802168. Jump up ^ `` Tea - leaf holder ''. USPTO. Retrieved 25 October 2013. US patent 723287 was issued on MAR. 24, 1903 to R.G. LAWSON & M. McLAREN for a ' novel tea - holding pocket constructed of open - mesh woven fabric, inexpensively made of cotton thread '. Jump up ^ Time Mag., ' A Brief History of the Tea Bag ' Jump up ^ Editors, Time - Life ( 1991 ). Inventive Genius. New York : Time - Life Books. p. 99. ISBN 0 - 8094 - 7699 - 1. Jump up ^ Bloxham, Andy ( 2008 - 06 - 13 ). `` Tea bag to celebrate its century ''. Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 15. Jump up ^ Dubrin, Beverly ( 2010 ). Tea Culture : History, Traditions, Celebrations, Recipes & More. Charlesbridge Publishing, p. 35. ISBN 1607343630 Jump up ^ Fabricant, Florence ( 2000 - 02 - 09 ). `` Whole Leaves, No Strings For a New Tea Bag ''. The New York Times. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 15. Jump up ^ `` Mai S.A ''. Mai S.A. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 15. Jump up ^ `` TEEPACK GmbH & Co. KG ''. Teepack. Retrieved 2010 - 02 - 17. Jump up ^ `` IMA Tea & Coffee Division ''. Ima.it. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 15. Jump up ^ `` Maisa Tea Bagging ''. Allianceindia.net. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 15. Jump up ^ `` Faster tea - bagging machine ''. Foodproductiondaily.com. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 15. Jump up ^ Fabricant, Florence ( September 13, 2006 ). `` Tea 's Got a Brand New Bag ''. The New York Times. Jump up ^ Tea Stick Brewing Package and Method Jump up ^ jbritton ( 2009 - 06 - 29 ). `` Tea bag folding ''. Britton.disted.camosun.bc.ca. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 15. Tea ( Camellia sinensis ) Common varieties Black tea Assam Bohea Ceylon Congou Darjeeling Dianhong Kangra Keemun Lapsang souchong ( Jin Jun Mei ) Nilgiri Tibeti Rize Yingdehong Oolong tea Bai Jiguan Ban Tian Yao Bu Zhi Chun Da Hong Pao Darjeeling oolong Dong ding Dongfang Meiren Gaoshan Huangjin Gui Huang Meigui Qilan Pouchong Rougui Ruanzhi Shui Jin Gui Shui Hsien Tieluohan Tieguanyin Green tea Anji bai cha Aracha Baimao Hou Bancha Biluochun Chun Mee Dafang Genmaicha Lu'an Melon Seed Gunpowder Gyokuro Hojicha Taiping houkui Huangshan Maofeng Hyson Kabusecha Kamairicha Konacha Kukicha Longjing Matcha Maojian Mecha Mengding Ganlu Sencha Shincha Tamaryokucha White tea Bai Mudan Baihao Yinzhen Darjeeling White Shoumei Yellow tea Junshan Yinzhen Huoshan Huangya Fermented tea Pu - erh Lahpet Blended or flavoured teas Earl Grey ( Lady Grey ) Breakfast tea ( English, Irish ) Jasmine tea Lapsang souchong Masala chai Moroccan mint tea Prince of Wales Russian Caravan By country Australian Chinese British Korean Nepali Taiwanese Turkish Vietnamese Culture Customs Afternoon / High tea / Evening meal Tea party Tasseography Tea ceremonies Japanese Chinese Korean Associated places Chashitsu ( tea room ) Mizuya ( prep room ) Sukiya - zukuri ( style ) Roji ( garden ) Teahouse circuit or trek ( Himalayas ) By country American Argentine Azerbaijani Brazilian Chinese Dominican Hong Kong Indian Mexican Pakistani Russian Senegalese Taiwanese History China India Japan Production and distribution Tea processing ( Tea leaf grading ) Tea tasting Decaffeination Cultivation : Tea plant diseases and Tea plant predation Tea companies By country Bangladesh Kenya Sri Lanka United States Auctions London Chittagong Guwahati Preparation Flowering teas Infusion Decoction ISO Procedure Steeping Ground or pressed ( Tea bag, Tea brick ) Tea and health Health effects Phenolic content Caffeine Compounds : Theanine, Flavan - 3 - ol ( Catechin ), Epigallocatechin gallate ( EGCG ), Theaflavin Sale Pleasure garden Teahouse Consumption by country Tea - based drinks Bubble tea Builder 's tea Butter tea Doodh pati chai Ginger tea Hong Kong - style milk tea Iced tea Arnold Palmer Jagertee Kahwah Lei cha Milk tea Noon chai 7 layered Tea Shahi haleeb Suutei tsai Sweet tea Teh botol Teh tarik Thai tea Troq chai Yuenyeung See also Teaware ( Tea chest, Tea caddy ) Tea set ( Brewing : Strainer or Infuser, Utensils : Teacup or Teapot ) Coffee Herbal tea Bak kut teh Mate Guayusa Kuding Kombucha List of Chinese teas Lipton Institute of Tea Teas of related species Camellia japonica Camellia sasanqua Camellia taliensis Tea seed oil Category : Tea Drink Portal Coffee & Tea Task Force Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tea_bag&oldid=814714516 '' Categories : Products introduced in 1904 American inventions Chinese inventions Bags German inventions Single - serve containers Tang dynasty Tea Hidden categories : All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from May 2008 Articles with unsourced statements from February 2016 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Azərbaycanca Brezhoneg Català Čeština Deutsch Español Euskara فارسی Français 한국어 Հայերեն Íslenska Nederlands नेपाली 日本 語 Polski Русский Simple English Suomi Svenska Tagalog Türkçe Українська Vepsän kel ' Winaray 粵語 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 10 December 2017, at 13 : 37. 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Question: when were tea bags first used in the uk
Answer: as early as 1903