If your idea of a good cup of tea starts with plain tea bags from the grocery store, you are likely missing out on truly superior tea.

Before I explain why loose tea is better, I just want to let you know that I am mainly talking about generic supermarket tea bags. There are some excellent bagged teas out there, made up of whole tea leaves. Quality tea merchants often carry bags as well as loose.

The main difference between loose teas and bagged teas is the size of the leaves. That's what effects the resulting cup of tea. Tea leaves contain chemicals and essential oils, which are the basis for the delightful flavour of tea. When the tea leaves are broken up, those oils can evaporate, leaving a dull and tasteless tea. Typical tea bags are filled with the tiniest pieces of broken leaves, called fannings. Loose teas are typically whole leaves or at least large pieces of leaves.