https://youtu.be/limwsUnH4iQ?feature=shared

Regular teabags are sometimes made using non-biodegradable plastic - be sure to buy those made with this starch based plastic. When I first saw biodegradable teabags I was surprised, I thought teabags were made of paper. Not so, it turns out.

there's still a decent chance it's only industrially biodegradable: at higher temperatures and pressures than a good ol' home compost pile normally ever gets near. It could still be a bit infuriating.

I can't really find a source for it, but I remember the EU banning plastic in tea bags quite recently, a few years ago at most. Here in the Netherlands, a lot of tea bags contain(ed) plastic as some kind of sealant.

Also, a lot of tea contains sugar, for no good reason whatsoever.

I have to drink it, too?

If it makes you feel any better, there's so much microplastic everywhere that there was going to be plastic in that water regardless of what the tea bag was made of.

They are from polylactid and decompose without a trace and without microplastic. Paper tea bags on the other hand often contain around 20% polypropylene and cause microplastic.

Arghh, two conflicting replies. What do we do?!!

Silk is expensive. Almost all pyramidal tea bags are nylon and/or polyester (at least in the US). Only premium stuff is going to be made of silk and they'll advertise it as such

Paper tea bags usually contain polypropylene or another plastic so they can be heat sealed shut. They aren’t fully compostable.

Soup is just vegetable and bone tea

Yup, tea cakes with a reusable metal filter. Each cake is wrapped in paper, not plastic. Then you just use a metal mesh filter.

Some still are. Bigelow I think.

But loose leaf tea is much better quality anyway and avoids the issue of what's in the bag entirely. They also have ceramic filters so you can completely avoid having plastic in contact with hot water

Loose leaf club!

signature look of superiority

now

Now?! That used to be the default until some hipster companies started fucking shit up with their shitty plastic pyramid bags.

I bought a giant bag of lapsang souchon and usually just use my french press. I also bought like a hundred empty paper tea pouches that have alson been good for making spiced apple juice

Also in your blood, brain, tissue, children, pets, ...

These are extremely common tea bags found all over the world that are well known to be made of plastic.