Anyone make their own tea bags?

[FrankCrank]

Now I do like a nice cuppa, maybe several of a morning, and occasionally in the afternoon if the fancy
takes me. Nothing unusual there really, but the peculiar part is I often make up batches of my own tea bags. Why bother making your own when you can get them at the supermarkets?
Well, back in the UK I would just get them from the local shops for sure, so many fine brews to be had, a
particular favourite of mine being Yorkshire tea.
Here in Thailand, you can hunt around and find some of the English brands, but at a hefty price tag. There are however some very good locally grown black teas available here, but usually sold as loose tea, hence the tea bag making process. A big advantage is that you can use just the right amount of tea per bag, to give the perfect cuppa, in a decent sized mug. Also, you can blend different teas and experiment with different tastes......all good fun methinks.
I get over to the UK twice a year, and bring back several packs of teabags for myself and neighbours, and it's nice to make my own as well for added variety.
So, does anyone else go to such lengths for that perfect brew?

 

[YahudaMoon]

As I do my quality coffee/tea leaf

Just add hot water on the tea leaf/ground coffee

Tea leaf/coffee grindings sink to the bottom of the cup

Companies have been looking at new marketing ideas for some 60 years

Some paper filter is not needed, just add hot water no?

If real fussy, just use a recyclable steel tea strainer that'll last a life time without the after taste with some paper bag

 

[YahudaMoon]

Perfect example how a simple thing like coffee can become so complexed here.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-35605927

 

[FrankCrank]

...those steel tea strainers are great for green teas as they are big leaves, but black tea is finely chopped and always some escapes and floats around on top, detracting somewhat from the pleasure of it all. Once I make a batch up and put them in a tin, they're very convenient, especially when travelling. The teabags are not expensive, about a penny each, and like I say I can custom fill them to give a perfect mug of brew. As for coffee - I only drink the stuff if tea is not available, so very rarely...

 

[Globalti]

Where do you get the paper and how do you stick the edges together?

 

[FrankCrank]

...heh heh, sorry for the confusion. The tea bags come in packs of 100, and are sort of like a pillow case. Put some tea inside and fold the flap over on itself, real simple. I also add a paper clip to ensure no floaty bits - I particularly don't like those.....

 

[Old jon]

A shop in Lincoln, on Steep hill, sells a massive variety of tea, and the stuff that goes with it, there is another on Old Compton Street in London's Soho that has a different range of the same commodities. I make tea every morning for Barbs, usually with the Lincoln shop's tea and teabags.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Typhoo Decaf - proper tea. Quick too!

 

[Cubist]

Typhoo Decaf - proper tea. Quick too!

Logic sequence error reported....Decaf- proper tea..... Does not compute.

 

[Ian H]

Teapot, loose tea, and a mesh strainer (the solid metal drilled or stamped ones are rubbish).

 

[ufkacbln]

Allegedly there was once an American dealer in fine teas. They used to send out samples in specially designed boxes, but when there was a slump, one of the cutbacks was to send the teas in small muslin bags tied with a ribbon.
Misunderstanding the concept, some customers immersed these bags in the kettle, and started orderingthe te in the bags... hence th ebirth of the Tea bag

So home made tea bags is merely a reversion to the roots of the tea bag