Thomas Sullivan's tea inspiration. How did tea bags come about? First tea bags

29.11.2021

The technological evolution of tea began in the 19th century, when the British put into operation tea factories and the production of tea became machine-made. This has led to the rapid development of new ways of converting tea leaves into raw materials for the preparation of a drink.

Remember in James Cameron's Titanic, Captain Smith brews a tea bag in a mug? Most likely, this is a mistake by the scriptwriters. The prototype of the tea bag, of course, was in the early 20th century, but it appeared on the market much later than the sinking of the Titanic.

The first significant change occurred with tea in 1904, and was not at all associated with factories - tea bags appeared in the USA. And this curiosity of the beginning of the century is now gradually replacing the classic loose tea and is produced exclusively on automated lines. 77% of the tea consumed in Europe is tea bags. And in conservative England - the trendsetter of the tea fashion - tea bags are consumed by 93% of the population.

It all started like this: In 1904, American merchant Thomas Salivan first proposed an unusual way of drinking tea. He began to send out to his customers lots of different types of tea in silk bags. Each of the bags contained the amount of tea leaves needed to brew one cup of tea. The mailings were not intended to simplify the tea ceremony. They were samples! That is, customers could compare different types of tea without buying large quantities, and then decide on the choice.

A few years later, during the First World War, the Teekanne tea company in Dresden took this idea into service, modified it, and began to organize supplies to the army in the form of gauze bags. The soldiers called these bags "tea bombs" because they could have a quick cup of tea at any time if they wanted to.

Due to such an accident, "tea in bags" was first made by hand. Only by 1929 did the first factory bags appear.

In the twenties, American engineer Fay Osborne, who served in a company that produced various types of paper, became interested in brewing tea without a teapot. He thought he could try to find a variety that would be cheaper than silk, gauze or gauze and would not have any taste of its own. One day he noticed an unusual thin, soft, but strong paper in which some types of cigars were packed. Learning that this kind of paper is made in Japan by hand from some exotic fiber, in 1926 he decided to make the same paper. He tried different types of tropical wood, jute, sisal, cotton and even pineapple leaf fibers. Nothing worked. Finally, he came across the so-called Manila cannabis, or, in short, manila, from which sea ropes are twisted (in fact, this plant has nothing to do with hemp, it is a relative of the banana). The result has been promising.

In the meantime, tea bags with tea leaves have already gained a foothold in the American market. They were made of gauze, and the number speaks of the scale: in the thirties, more than seven million meters of gauze were consumed annually for tea in the United States. By the spring of 1934, Osborne was making Manila tea paper on a large machine. As early as 1935, its paper was also used for packaging meat, silverware and electrical goods. By the end of the thirties, paper bags were already successfully competing with gauze.

But with the outbreak of World War II, attracted to become a strategic raw material (it grows only in the Philippines), and the US authorities not only banned spending it on tea bags, but also requisitioned Osborne's supplies for the needs of the fleet. The inventor did not give up, he established a "washing" of the decommissioned Manila ropes from dirt and oil, and since this raw material was not enough, he introduced viscose additives into his paper. Continuing his research, in 1942 he obtained a new, very thin, but strong enough paper without Manila fiber, and two years later he found a way to "glue" the edges of the bags by hot pressing instead of sewing with threads. These two advances have given tea bags a wide path to the table.

In the late 1950s, the first double-chamber tea bag with metal staples was released and patented by Teekanne. The novelty made it possible to speed up the tea brewing process even more. However, according to other sources in 1952, the company of the tea king Thomas Lipton (some mistakenly attributed the authorship of tea bags to him) created and patented double tea bags. Although Teekanne may have belonged to Lipton by that time.

Over time, the assortment of tea bags has been replenished with new forms; there appeared sachets in the form of a pyramid, square and round without thread, which are especially loved by the inhabitants of England. And for fastening, not only staples were used, the bag was also thermally sealed.

Today tea bags occupy a leading position in the tea market. This is not surprising, since many types of tea can be found in such a comfortable guise. And after spending just a few minutes on preparation, you can enjoy the wonderful taste and aroma of black, green, fruit or herbal tea.

There is a strong belief that tea bags- this is the waste of the main production of tea. Like instant coffee, tea bags are bought by lazy people who do not understand what's what. There are many excuses, one of which is this: for convenience and speed you have to pay with taste. Manufacturers, however, claim that tea in bags is simply finer and its quality is not nearly worse than large tea.

And here are a few more stories of ordinary things: here, for example, and here

The original article is on the site InfoGlaz.rf The link to the article this copy was made from is

Tea bags have long and firmly entered our life. They are convenient, easy to use, and most importantly, they can significantly save time for brewing tea. However, despite its widespread use, tea bags continue to be considered a low quality drink.

In fact, for such purposes, the tea leaf is only crushed more strongly, due to which it is brewed much faster. Here we are talking more about the quality of the tea itself, and it can be both good and bad, regardless of whether it is ordinary tea or tea bags.

The tea bag itself has undergone many transformations over its more than a century history. It is made of special filter paper, which consists of natural wood fiber, thermoplastic fiber and abaca fiber. Such paper does not emit any harmful substances and does not change the color and taste of the tea.

There is information that a semblance of tea bags has long existed in China, as well as tea bags made of flax, which were made in Russia.

But be that as it may, tea bags became widespread in 1904 thanks to the American Thomas Sullivan. As a tea merchant, Thomas once decided to save money on samples of his products sent to customers, and instead of packing portions of tea in traditional metal jars of the time, he packed the tea into hand-sewn silk bags.

Subsequently, buyers began to ask him to send tea in these bags, and not in cans. Then it turned out that such an increased interest in tea in bags was due to the fact that customers did not understand Thomas's ideas with the original packaging and decided that tea should be brewed directly in silk bags. This method of brewing tea turned out to be fast, simple and convenient, which gave rise to increased consumer demand.

Tea bags grew in popularity and were sold in stores and served in restaurants. And, of course, it soon became clear that silk is not the cheapest material for making such a massive product. Since then, the search and experiments began with new raw materials for tea bags, so for some time they were made from gauze, then there was paper from manila hemp, later with the addition of viscose, and then filter paper appeared, from which tea bags are made, and this day.

As for the very type of the bag, it acquired its modern appearance in 1929. It was invented by Adolf Rabold, who later designed a packaging machine for the mass production of tea bags.

In the late 1950s, the first double-chamber tea bag with metal staples was released and patented by Teekanne. The novelty made it possible to speed up the tea brewing process even more.

Like many ingenious things, the disposable tea bag was invented by accident. In 1904, the largest manufacturer at the time, Thomas Sullivan, decided it was too expensive to send boxes of tea to potential customers. In search of economical packaging, he came up with small bags. The recipients of the promotional items also accidentally brewed the drink right in the bag, admitting that it was very convenient and practical.

At first, the bags were sewn by hand from fine natural silk with a special weave of threads, providing quick access to water. Later, expensive silk was replaced with gauze. The manufacturer, having learned about a new brewing method, reduced the amount of tea to one serving. But initially this portion was designed not for one cup, but for a whole samovar or teapot.

Single-use tea bags became available to the mass consumer in 1929, when tea factories became interested in production. At the same time, a filling machine was invented, which produced only 35 sachets per minute. The gauze was replaced with paper made from manila hemp fibers, and then higher quality filter paper was used.

Tea bags began to be especially popular during the First World War. Even then, the well-known company Teekanne established the production and delivery of tea bags to the front. The soldiers appreciated the novelty, so the company began to improve the technology.

Particularly fine raw materials, fannings, were poured inside the bag. However, do not think that this is waste from the production of other types of tea. The leaves are specially crushed almost into dust to ensure quick brewing.

During World War II, Manila cannabis was completely excluded from the production of single-use packaging. In order to save money, we introduced perforated paper without its own taste and smell.

At the end of the fifties of the last century, a two-chamber tea bag with a string appeared on the market, allowing more water to pass through. This invention belongs to the Teekanne company. As a result, the tea brewed faster and became richer.

Today, the attitude towards tea bags is ambiguous. On the one hand, this brewing method is very popular and convenient. On the other hand, people are drawn to traditional tea drinking, increasingly preferring teapots and even samovars.

Manufacturers do not want to lose such a profitable segment and are improving technologies. This is how transparent volumetric pyramids appeared, in which the contents are clearly visible. Instead of tea dust, there is quality long tea inside. For those who do not want to lose a drop of their favorite drink, there are squeeze bags.

Packaged tea is popular on trains, in offices, in public trade places, fast food outlets and wherever there are no conditions for classic tea drinking.

Has long and firmly entered our life. This is largely due to its convenience, ease of use, as well as the ability to reduce the time spent on preparing a drink. However, despite its wide popularity, such tea is considered to be low-grade and low-quality. Is this really so, and how the first tea bag appeared, we will tell in this article.

The exact time and history of the origin of tea bags are not known for certain. There is information that their analogues existed in ancient China. In Russia, small bags made of flax were widely used for brewing a drink. But since this information has not been officially confirmed, it is believed that the tea bag was invented in 1904 by the American Thomas Sullivan. As a trader, he once tried to save money on product samples to be sent to customers. So, instead of the typical tea jars of that time, he packed portions into hand-sewn silk bags. Then the customers themselves began to ask Thomas to send them the drink in bags, not in cans. The fact is that the customers did not understand his original idea related to the renewal of the packaging, and began to brew the drink directly in the bags, which subsequently gained wide popularity due to the convenience and ease of use.

Soon tea bags were widely used in restaurants and sold in stores. Over time, it became clear that silk is far from the cheapest material for the production of such a mass product. Active experiments began to find more suitable raw materials. At one time, a tea bag was made from gauze, a little later - from Manila hemp with the addition of viscose. However, these materials have not proved to be the best. And only then a special one for tea bags appeared. The one that is actively used to this day.

If we talk about the appearance of the bag, then it acquired its usual appearance only in 1929 - it was then that the industrial technology of its manufacture was introduced. In 1950, two-chamber tea packages began to be produced, capable of increasing the contact surface of water with the infusion and increasing the filtration efficiency. The brewing process took even less time. Soon the assortment of bags began to expand and replenish with new forms: products appeared in the form of a square, a circle and even a pyramid. Brackets were actively used as fasteners, and the thermal sealing technology made it possible to increase the strength of the product.

It is also worth mentioning the tea bag itself. Unlike leaf, it is richer and stronger. The quality of tea bags is in no way inferior to leaf tea - no concentrates are added there. And the high speed of brewing is due to additional crushing of the leaf, due to which the enzymes mix faster with water.

Today the assortment of packaged drinks surprises with its variety. So is its packaging. The box for tea bags is available in paper, wood and metal, and its design sometimes amazes even the most sophisticated customers. Connoisseurs of this drink will certainly be able to choose a worthy copy for themselves that can replenish their rich tea collection.

Tea bags: history of appearance or struggle for supremacy

As the latest technologies develop, there is a need to create more and more new products that present us with a huge variety of instant semi-finished products, which gives rise to disputes between people about their need and safety. The discovery, which is already a little more than a hundred years old, stands apart among such benefits of civilization. This invention overturned millennial traditions, but managed not to affect not only the properties of the product, but also the attitude towards it. So the discovery is the tea bag.

The history of the tea bag

It all started with a coincidence. The impetus for making a tea bag was the flooding of the hold of the ship of the American tea merchant Thomas Sullivan, in which bags of tea were kept. "Well, we drank some tea ..." - Thomas was upset. I was in vain upset - they bought tea from him in wet bags anyway, and even said thank you. So Mr. Sullivan came up with the idea of starting the production of tea bags. But there are some sources claiming that first tea bag sold not at all by Thomas Sullivan, but by a certain John Horniman in order to stop the reuse of tea leaves once and for all.

But let's continue talking about Sullivan's invention. Until 1904, tea was sent in large cans. Thomas Sullivan was the first to suggest an unusual way of drinking tea. He began to send out lots of different types of tea in silk bags to his customers. Each bag contained as many tea leaves as needed to brew one cup of tea. In this way, customers were given the opportunity to compare different types of tea without buying large quantities, and then make a choice.

Gauze bags - "tea bombs"

During the First World War, Teekanne took the idea of the "silk bag" as a basis, modifying it: it organized supplies to the army in the form gauze bags. Among the soldiers, these bags are called "tea bombs": if you wanted, you could have a quick cup of tea at any time.

Making tea paper and tea bag

Before 1929 tea bags were made by hand... In the twenties of the last century, engineer Fay Osborne, who served in a company that produces various grades of paper, became interested in the question brewing tea without a teapot... He had the idea that he could try to find a variety that would be cheaper than silk, gauze or gauze and would not have any taste of its own. Once he saw an unusual thin, soft, but strong paper in which some types of cigars were packed. Learning that this kind of paper is made in Japan by hand from some exotic fiber, in 1926 he decided to make the same paper.

American engineer Fay Osborne tried different types of tropical wood, jute, sisal, cotton and even pineapple leaf fibers. There was no result. In the end, he discovered on the so-called Manila hemp, or, in short, manila, from which sea ropes are twisted (in fact, this plant has nothing to do with hemp, it is a relative of the banana). The result has been promising.

Between 1929 and 1931, Osborne tested different chemistries that would make manila paper more porous for the same strength. Having found the right method, he spent several more years translating his laboratory process, which made it possible to make single sheets, to a large machine that releases entire rolls of paper. By the spring of 1934, Osborne had established making tea paper from manila fiber by a big car. Already in 1935, its paper was also used for packaging meat, silverware and electrical products. Towards the end of the thirties paper bags have already successfully competed with gauze.

The Second World War made adjustments to the actions of the inventor: beckoning became a strategic raw material and the US authorities not only prohibited spending it on tea bags, but also requisitioned Osborne's stocks for the needs of the fleet. In 1942, continuing his research, he invented a new, very thin, but strong enough paper without Manila fiber, and two years later he found a way to "glue" the edges of the bags by hot pressing instead of sewing with threads, which opened a wide road for tea bags to the table.

Perforated tea bags

The British were very skeptical about the invention of the Americans: they did not like that the Americans brewed tea in lukewarm water, and not in boiling water, and the bag often fell into the cup and gave more taste than the tea dust itself in the bag. Joseph Tetley's Company, the largest tea producer in the UK, spent almost 10 years for the British to adopt this invention. Everything changed in 1964 when perforated tea bags... Today Tetley sells 200 million tea bags a week.

Tea bag yesterday and today

In 1950, the same Teekanne company proposed to pack tea leaves in special two-chamber bags made of the finest filter paper. This greatly improved the taste of the tea and tea bags began to spread widely and gradually gained popularity in all countries, reaching the CIS countries in the 90s of the last century. In 1938, the American firm Dexter patented filter paper, which is still used today. Well, the tea bag itself was patented only in 1952 by the firm of a successful tea manufacturer named Lipton.

The advantage of tea bags

The most important thing advantage of tea bags over ordinary lies in the fact that the bags are put, basically, the smallest particles of tea leaves obtained during processing. As a rule, these are the edges of the leaf, in which the greatest concentration of nutrients and aroma. This refutes the notion that tea bags are of poor quality. Today tea bags can be seen in any country in the world, even in China, even if only in hotels for Europeans. The Chinese themselves still do not deny themselves the pleasure of enjoying the tea ceremony.

Currently tea bags is gradually replacing classic loose tea and is produced exclusively on automated lines. 77% of tea consumed in Europe is exactly tea bags... And in conservative England - the trendsetter of tea fashion - tea bags are consumed by 93% of the population.

Based on materials from p-i-f.livejournal.com