This past spring break, my parents and I ventured out to Charleston, South Carolina. We've gone so many times since I was little, but it holds a special place in our hearts. When figuring out what to do for the week, we realized that we had seen every plantation near Charleston but one: the Charleston Tea Plantation. It's not your typical "big house where rich people lived and grew cotton" kind of place. It was started a few years back to grow tea. It is actually America's only tea-growing plantation, which adds to the excitement of the place. We took a tour of the grounds and watched the tea-making process. Then of course after that was all said and done, we had to stop by the gift shop and stock up on teas! I decided that I wanted to get a tin of loose tea leaves, rather than a box of tea bags. Don't ask me why, but I did. I also bought a silicone reusable tea bag, which didn't filter enough for the leaves; they all fell out of the holes so I ended up actually drinking the tea leaves. So I continued to look for a reusable tea bag, and eventually came across one in a gift shop at Disney World when I went there with my choir at school. Again, it didn't filter enough.
At work, I found a coffee/tea press from Bodum that ended up working horribly. So I pondered. I thought, "What am I supposed to do with all these tea leaves and no tea bags for them?". But then I realized something...I can make my own tea bags! And here's how:
What you'll need:
1 coffee filter
12 in. embroidery string
2 teaspoons loose tea leaves
Method:
1. Lay the coffee filter on a paper towel to avoid any messes. Measure two teaspoons of tea leaves and pour them into the middle of the coffee filter. The coffee filter will act as the tea bag.
2. Pinch together all sides of the coffee filter so that it is closed at the top.
3. Take the embroidery string and wrap it around the pinched coffee filter and tie it in a double-knot, even triple-knot. This will keep any loose tea leaves from getting out of the bag and into the drink.
4. Use the excess string to drape out of the mug, as you would with a regular tea bag.
5. Fill the mug with hot water.
6. Use a spoon to move the tea bag around, letting the tea flavor the hot water.
7. Enjoy!
It's that simple! I'm sure I'm not the first person who has come up with this, but I am definitely glad I thought of this idea. It has given use to my loose tea leaves that I was so excited to use-which reminds me...
You can purchase a tin of the loose tea leaves that I used here. The flavor is strong and the tea is great quality! And you can say that the tea you're drinking was made in the U.S. How cool is that? Plus, they have a lotion on the website that is to die for! Of course it has tea in it. But it smells fresh and keeps your hands smooth all day!
Sit back, grab a cup of tea, relax, and most importantly...
~Christy
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