An alternative advent calendar
According to one estimate, the British drink 100 million cup of tea a day - although this seems to vary considerably depending on where you look. With Covid, we are now drinking more tea than ever. Whilst this years Christmas will be different to ones we have known before, however, it's always a perfect time to consume more biscuits and what is a better companion to biscuits than tea?
However, have you ever considered ways of making your daily cuppa more sustainable?!
I know, it's just a cup of team - but we are learning that most bags which encapsulate our favourite drink contains plastic. As such, you might think this post will be a list of teas that have biodegradable bags...but it's not (please do search it though as there are many posts recommending biodegradable brands).
What I am suggesting is loose leaf tea! I know, how old do I think you are?!?
Well, loose leaf tea has a lot going for it:
You can 'pretend' to be fancy There's something really nice about making loose leaf tea. It honestly doesn't take any longer to make than bagged tea. However, whilst you are at it, why not get fancy and break out the china?
2. Less production involved
Regardless of whether or not it's biodegradable, the bag is not necessary. It's another industrial process using more resources, energy, human capital and transportation.
3. Its got more flavour
Leaf tea has more room to expand and move in the water, thus providing more flavour. Also, you can add as much or as little as you like to suit your taste. As such this means it is also great for families who like different strengths of tea.
4. It's better quality
Tea in bags tends to to contain tea leaf dust and thus are generally not as good quality as loose leaf.
You might think it's messy to make loose leaf tea but it doesn't have to be. There is a plethora of strainers to choose from, from the traditional 'sieve' which requires brewing in a pot, to some highly decorative infusers which get steeped directly into the cup.
However, my favourite is using a cafetière. It's simple to use, easy to clean and the used leaves go straight into the composter.
Finally - we tend to boil twice as much water as is needed. This might not sound too bad, but when we think that we drink 100 million cups of tea a day, that's a lot of water and energy being wasted. My number 1 tip is to boil a kettle and put the hot water into a flask, that way you have hot water on tap.
All images sourced from the internet. Cover image from willowandeverett.com
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