Tea time!

Sad news of plastic in tea bags (don't tell my British family...) and how to avoid it.

Having spent a good portion of my formative years in the United Kingdom, where tea drinking is the national pastime, I have come to appreciate a nice cuppa like one might appreciate a breath of fresh air on a spring morning...or a strong whiskey at the end of a long day, whatever works for you. Having that toasty, soothing lifeline is now my favorite way to start and finish the day. In honor of the DC snow day today, I thought I would throw out some fun tips on how to keep this British emblem plastic-free.

The news broke last year that many brands actually use polypropylene, a sealing plastic, in their tea bags to contain the leaf tea contained inside. Many of the small individual packets that hold those tea bags are also plastic, or at least lined with plastic, that isn't readily recyclable. As an avid tea drinker, this was quite a heartbreaking development for me. In my household we've since started purchasing paper bags of loose leaf tea that we then store in glass jars (plus they look beautiful!). Some places will let you fill your own container as well.

I also highly recommend treating yourself to an individual steeping pot or individual steeping mug for looseleaf tea so that you can avoid the bags entirely. I have a brew-in mug from FORLIFE that I got from Dominion Teas in Purceville VA (also recommend visiting for a tea flight!) that I keep at my office. You can find all of the looseleaf teas and drinking apparatus that you need locally from Capital Teas - one of my favorites - or any local tea shop.

Steep happy, my friends.

For your perusal and entertainment, Country Living (of course, 'cause they're great) wrote this helpful article last year outlining which brands of tea to continue buying and which ones to avoid if you're trying to go down the waste-free and plastic-free route.

Now, please excuse me while I go back to sipping my "Content-Mint" tea from the Charlottesville farmers market wearing my extra fluffy socks in front of my fireplace...