Teabags: How can I miss you if you won't go away?

The teabag versus loose leaf dispute makes the Hatfields and McCoys look like the Osmond Brothers. When 95% of all tea sold in the United States is pre-bagged, what's to argue? Isn't the customer always right? Well, yes and no ...

Without a doubt, teabags are convenient beyond compare. They're portable, easy to use, and make for non-messy disposal. But flavor is what counts in a cup of tea, and that's where a teabag's dirty little secret is exposed.

Tea leaves are graded according to size. The largest is the whole leaf, the smallest is called "dust" or "fannings." The dust tea is quite literally that; it's the pulverized leaves that sift to the bottom of the tea box. Prior to the invention of the teabag, it had next to no value. But once the teabag came into vogue, and especially the modern opaque paper bag which prevents consumers from seeing what they're drinking, dust became king.

With the resurgence of quality tea drinking's popularity, tea bag experimentation is picking up speed. Different materials such as nylon or silk, different sized bags, and different shaped bags such as pyramids are being marketed as the answer to the whole leaf drinker's dilemma. The unassailable truth remains, however: a tea leaf needs elbow room to unfurl and steep if it is to infuse to its fullest potential. So it's back to the drawing board for teabag designers.

World Tea Expo in Las Vegas On Now

The World Tea Expo is brewing in Las Vegas this weekend. In just its fourth year, the Expo's 200 exhibitor spaces sold out quickly. Officials expect more than 3000 attendees including buyers for tea rooms, supermarket chains, restaurants, and even Amazon.com.

Expo seminars run the gamut from creating blends to fair trade certification to the oolongs of China and Taiwan. Special events include a Chinese Gongfu tea ceremony, a Japanese green tea ceremony, and an iced tea shake-off.

Interested in the hottest and most happening tea trends? Look to bottled ready-to-drink teas, new tea delivery systems such as pyramid-shaped tea bags and pre-packed spoons, turning recycled tea bags into art, hand-sewn flowering teas, even more information about the health benefits of tea, and creative blends using chocolate, fruit, and flowers.