People are defending their dusty tea whereas the world cringes.

Folks everywhere in the world say what passes for tea within the US is definitely “tea mud.” The bagged tea present in American properties and supermarkets is decrease in high quality than the unfastened leaf variations drunk internationally.

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When loose-leaf tea is processed, the smallest items left behind are gathered and graded as “tea mud” by the tea business. The particles are bagged to allow them to be consumed. It’s what most People consider as tea—as the remainder of the world laughs at them for ingesting dusty tea particles.

Tea fans say unfastened leaf teas have a extra advanced taste than their bagged counterparts. Bagged tea is typically bitter. That’s why it’s meant to be combined with milk and sugar. Free leaf tea is usually loved after it’s steeped in sizzling water solely. 

“I attempted unfastened leaf tea and didn’t must something however sizzling water 🤯.”

What really is “tea mud”?

Tea mud is a byproduct of unfastened leaf tea. As harvested tea crops are crushed, pressed, and rolled to be offered as unfastened leaf tea, the bits and items left behind are bagged and offered as tea baggage. These remnants of damaged tea leaves are known as “fannings” or “mud” within the tea business. Tea leaves are graded utilizing a system that considers the dimensions of processed and dried black tea leaves. Excessive-grade teas have lengthy, wiry leaves, whereas the smallest tea particles are categorized as “mud grade.” 

@teakleyourfancy shared that tea baggage “often comprise tea mud and damaged tea leaves.” The mud and damaged leaves supply a much less advanced taste and may style bitter as a result of the tiny particles yield the next floor space than lengthy, dried tea leaves do. 

@teakleyourfancy Tea baggage are handy they often comprise tea mud and damaged tea leaves. Tea mud and damaged leaves are likely to style extra bitter and also you get much less of the complexities and layers that come from tea. This is because of larger floor space. Free leaf teas are usually not that inconvenient to drink. We regularly have these teas grandpa style- simply add unfastened leaves in a glass and pour sizzling water. #teaktok #tealover #teatime #hottea #coldbrewtea #koridashi ♬ authentic sound – Kylie Jenner

Tea folks commenting on tea mud posts agreed with Kylie Jenner’s iconic, whining, “I don’t prefer it.” They turned their noses up on the bagged stuff.

“That’s not tea. Nope, nope, nope.”

“I might style the Lipton via my display 🤮🤮🤮.”

“Bag tea is nice from southern candy tea and that’s about it 😂.”

Why do folks within the US drink tea mud?

In brief, colonialism.

TikTok tea man, @yourteaguy defined all of it. “Within the West, tea developed for folks so as to add big quantities of milk and sugar to the tea as a result of it was bitter.”

@yourteaguy Teabag mud = additionally not tasty exterior the bag #tea #teabag #looseleaf #jessesteahouse #gongfutea #asian #chinese language #tradition #high quality ♬ Chillest within the Room – L.Dre

The western tea market developed alongside colonialism. Colonialists who planted tea timber of their colonies developed a course of known as crush, tear, curl. The tactic remodeled leaves into powder (mud) to be offered for max revenue. 

In line with @yourteaguy, the crush, tear, curl course of, “…prevented farmers from including worth by destroying your complete tradition round tea consumption. Not one of the outdated experience about tea tools, fatherland, selecting technique, processing model, steep technique, historical past, tree age, tasting, notes of formality mattered when it was going to be floor up and homogenized.”

“…and when the tea was dangerous high quality or bitter, they informed folks it was meant to be drunk with milk and sugar.”

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