Does The Shape Of Your Teabag Matter?

Whether you're substituting coffee for green tea or unwinding with a cup of chamomile tea after a stressful day, drinking tea offers plenty of comforting benefits. For starters, it may help with digestion, weight loss, mental health, and blood sugar levels, according to Sencha Tea Bar. Other types of benefits depend on the tea flavor, per Banner Health. As they explain, if you're looking to improve alertness levels, reach for green tea. Need better sleep? Go for chamomile. And if you have an upset stomach, try drinking mint tea.

Benefits aside, tea is also packed with subtle flavors and aromatic notes, via Artful Tea. These range from sweet and floral, like vanilla or jasmine, to oceanic and herbaceous, which are found in Japanese green teas and thyme tea, respectively. But is it possible to reap more flavors, aromas, and health benefits from certain shapes of tea bags? In other words, does the shape of your tea bag actually matter?

According to Japanese Green Tea Co., pyramid-shaped tea bags are superior to other types of tea bags. Pyramid-shaped tea bags are shaped like a triangle, or a pyramid, where the tea leaves sit at the bottom with lots of space above it. The source explains that when this tea bag sits in hot water, the tea leaves utilize that extra space by flowing in a circular pattern and expanding its size. Thus, pyramid-shaped tea bags are more akin to a tea infuser compared to regular, square-shaped tea bags, as the source concludes.

While a pyramid-shaped tea bag may not have more health benefits, they usually contain tea leaves that are better in quality, per Red Rose Tea. The source also states that these tea bags have a thin, porous mesh and ample space for lots of extra tea leaves, which results in not just a quick tea infusion, but a more flavorful one.

So whether you're making a simple cup of black tea or something more creative like cheese tea, opt for a pyramid-shaped tea bag for a better tea-tasting experience.