Cite this Response
Alice! Health Promotion. "Is drinking tea without tea bags better for you?." Go Ask Alice!, Columbia University, 13 Oct. 2025, https://goaskalice.columbia.edu/answered-questions/drinking-tea-without-tea-bags-better-you. Accessed 13, Oct. 2025.
Alice! Health Promotion. (2025, October 13). Is drinking tea without tea bags better for you?. Go Ask Alice!, https://goaskalice.columbia.edu/answered-questions/drinking-tea-without-tea-bags-better-you.
Dear Alice,
You've been a hero(ine) of mine for quite some time. I hope YOU can answer this question (it seems no one else can).
I've been reaping the benefits of green tea for about a year now, and I feel great! Just recently I began opening the tea bags after brewing, and putting the tea leaves in with the actual brew and drinking the leaves as well. Does this add more health benefits to green tea? I would think so! So far, no one has been able to answer this question directly. Please let me know if you know!
Stay Awesome Alice! May your boards hum forever!
Whole Heartedly (And Healthy Heartedly Hopefully!),
— Tiger M
Dear Tiger M,
You’re really steeping yourself into the uncharted tea-ritory of green tea! The reason it may be hard to find an answer to your question is because science is still figuring out the health benefits of green tea and its brewing methods. That said, limited research does suggest that brewing green tea without tea bags may help you get more tea content in your drink. This brewing method may also reduce the risks of consuming microplastics and nanoplastics that certain tea bags can release in hot water. While research on drinking tea leaves directly is limited, it’s certainly an option. That said, the amount of caffeine you get from this method may be of concern.
What are the health benefits of drinking green tea?
Research has found some potential benefits of drinking green tea, but many of them haven’t come to a solid conclusion yet. Some of the potential benefits include:
- Lower risks of coronary heart disease
- Lower cancer risks and blood cholesterol level
- Weight loss from catechins and caffeine
Overall, the effects of green tea differ between individuals, but it’s great that you’re feeling good drinking green tea!
What are the effects of drinking tea without bags?
Drinking tea without bags may indeed offer some benefits. Some suggest that tea bags may prevent the extraction of tea components, such as caffeine, into the drink. Also, if a tea bag is too full and the tea doesn’t have ample room to expand, the tea bag can become clogged, making it more difficult for tea components to go through the bag. In terms of nutritional benefits, there’s limited research. However, one study that compared bagged and loose-leaf green tea found no significant difference in the antioxidant in the resulting brew.
Leaving the bag out may also reduce the risks associated with the tea bags themselves. Many tea bags are made of plastic, and despite some of them being food grade, they may still decompose into microplastics and nanoplastics when steeped in high temperatures. Even paper tea bags may contain plastic in their seal.
Furthermore, if you choose loose leaf tea that doesn’t come in tea bags, you might also be doing a favor to the Earth—many tea bags aren’t biodegradable, which means that it can take a long time for them to decompose in nature. More biodegradable tea bag options are being developed. Paying attention to the tea bag material or using cloth-based tea bags may be beneficial for both the health of you and the Earth.
What are the effects of drinking loose green tea leaves?
While drinking the actual leaves themselves is less common, there are some teas that are designed in such a way that you’re consuming the whole leaves but not in leaf form. Matcha is just one type of green tea that’s often in a powdered form and directly blended into water. These leaves come from the same plant as other green tea that you might buy in tea bags, Camellia sinensis.
Matcha offers similar potential health benefits as other types of green tea. One main difference is because matcha drinks contain whole leaves but in the form of powder, they generally contain higher levels of nutrients, such as caffeine and fibers. While not much research is available on drinking green tea leaves directly, it might be a good idea to beware of the amount of tea leaves that you consume. Too much caffeine during certain times of day, like right before bed, can have a negative effect on your sleep.
How to maximize the tea content in your drink when brewing bagged tea?
Even if you decide to leave the tea in a bag, there are still many measures you can take to get the most tea goodness out of it, such as:
- Stirring while the tea bag is brewing to help tea content go into water more quickly.
- Choosing bagged tea that has more empty space, which gives more room for tea leaves to expand and brew without clogging the tea bag.
- Selecting tea bags that use more permeable material, which allows more tea content to go through.
- Opting for tea bags that contain less plastic; instead choosing paper and biodegradable materials.
Overall, drinking tea without the bags may help you avoid harmful plastic materials in the bags and consume more tea ingredients.
Keep brewing and chewing mindfully,