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Dear Dot,
I read that some teabags have microplastic in them. How can I tell which brands are better?
– Julie Warshawsky
The Short Answer: Indeed, you are right, Julie. A study by researchers at McGill University in Montreal revealed that a single teabag can release more than 11 billion microplastic and 3 billion nanoplastic particles when steeped in boiling water. We can avoid teabags entirely by using loose leaf tea with stainless-steel, glass, or ceramic tea balls. And, fortunately, there are brands that work hard to steer clear of microplastics, according to the folks at Beyond Plastics, including Numi Teas, featured in Bluedot’s Marketplace.
Dear Julie,
Dot is not a coffee drinker. Rather, I love a cuppa, as the Brits say. Did you know, Julie, that the British drink 60 billion cups of tea a year? That’s 900 cups of tea for every man, woman, and child on the Isle. And though I can only trace the Dot Family ancestry loosely to Britain (I hail predominantly from the Irish, lovers of Guinness more than Twinings), I adore selecting which tea I’m in the mood for, love the ritual of plugging in the kettle, delight in choosing a teacup.
There’s a value to our rituals, we’re told. While a habit feels mindless, a ritual is its opposite — imbued with meaning, rich with intention. Zen and the art of tea.
Incidentally, there is a right (and therefore wrong) way to make a cup of tea, according to Dot’s friend — a food writer and cookbook author. Taking umbrage at Starbucks when they first began selling tea in 2013 with the purchase of Teavana, my friend reported that the barista dunked her teabag into a cup of nearly boiling water, a cardinal sin in the tea world. Instead, she explained, one must let the boiling water sit for two or three minutes and then pour it slowly over the tea bag or ball, so that each leaf releases maximum flavor.
Nowhere in our tea ritual, however, do we want the intrusion of microplastics. Alas, the choice is not (necessarily) our own, thanks to a system that increasingly relies on synthetic materials to contain, to package, to seal. A 2019 study performed by scientists at Montreal’s McGill University revealed that a single teabag can release more than 11 billion microplastic and 3 billion nanoplastic particles when steeped in boiling water. A further study at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona confirmed that polymer-based commercial tea bags release millions of nanoplastics and microplastics when infused and, furthermore, outlined the capacity of these particles to be absorbed by human intestinal cells, thus reaching the bloodstream and spreading throughout our bodies. Blimey, Julie! We know just how ubiquitous these particles are, thanks to reader Spencer K, who sought advice from Dot on how to keep microplastics out of our bodies (no easy task!).
Must we abandon our daily tea, Julie? Not at all. Though there are some changes we might make to ensure that as few microplastics as possible make their way into our systems.
For one thing, avoid bagged teas in favor of loose leaf tea contained in a ceramic, glass, or stainless-steel tea ball. (Dot found her stainless tea ball in a home goods store for a few dollars.) Or, consider a teapot with an insertable infuser. It’s easy to find a nice glass one for around $20.
If you prefer the convenience of bagged tea, Numi Teas, featured in Bluedot’s Marketplace, told the folks at Beyond Plastics that “We use biodegradable, unbleached Manila hemp fiber — not plastic like the tea bags studied in the microplastics report. Our tea bags are Non-GMO verified, meet the highest standards for safety in the EU (this goes way beyond the US’s FDA standards) and will degrade over time in a normal compost heap. And we don’t stop there: we also use an oxygen process to whiten our tea bags, so there is no bleach present in the tea or the bags.”
Two other companies, both fairly widely available, that promise a plastic-free experience are Stash Teas and Yogi.
So, Julie, just one question remains: One lump, or two?
Warmly,
Dot
