Tea bags didn’t appear until the 20th century

Packing tea in small bags was not a modern invention. In fact, Chinese has been packing tea on paper all the way from the 8th century - during the Tang Dynasty. They put tea in folded and sewn square paper bags to preserve the many qualities of tea. However, it was in the 20th century that the idea of making tea with a small bag of tea are thought of and practiced.

Until the early 20th century, teas were originally brewed as loose leaves in a pot, then poured into cups - but that all changed in 1901, when Roberta Lawson and Mary McLaren of Milwaukee, Wisconsin filed for a patent for a 'Tea Leaf Holder'. The aim was simple - they wanted to brew a single cup of fresh tea while no leaves were floating around the cup to spoil the experience. "Our novel tea-holding pocket is constructed of open-mesh woven fabric, inexpensively made of cotton thread." - Roberta Lawson and Mary McLaren described their tea bag. This was a big hit right away in the USA.

Filter paper replaced fabric in the USA during the 1930s. Tetley brought the idea of the tea bag to the UK first in 1939. Yet, this new way of consuming tea didn't take on in Britain as in the United States. While in 1968 only 3% of all tea brewed in the UK used a teabag, by the end of the century this number rose to 96%.

Nowadays, the most famous type of tea bag is thought to be the pyramid tea bag, which was launched in 1996 by a company called Brooke Bond. Pyramid tea bags act like a floating 'mini teapot'. By providing extra room for the tea leaves compared to flat tea bags, they make a better infusion, as well as make flavors of loose-leaf tea spread faster in the hot water. Their distinct shape and shiny finish are elegant, too.