You Should Never Squeeze A Tea Bag. Here's Why
When you think of tea, you probably think of the British, and for good reason. According to the UK Tea & Infusion Association, they've been drinking it for over 350 years. But tea is pretty popular on the other side of the Pond as well with 80 percent of U.S. households consuming this drink (via The Tea Time Shop). And even though tea time may be quintessentially English, it might surprise you to learn tea bags are actually an American invention that found their way into our cups in the Twentieth century and we've been sipping it up ever since. But there's a lot of do's and don'ts when it comes to tea steeping and drinking. Look through the Street Directory's list, and you will probably find your tea drinking habits have broken one or two of the rules, like steeping the tea bag for too long.
And while you might not be taking a spot of the brew with the Queen of England any time soon, you never know when you are going to need your best tea time etiquette and know-how. Seriously, your chances of bumping into a royal in the United States increased exponentially with the arrival of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, so we want you to be prepared. And perhaps, one of the most important things to remember is this: You should never squeeze a tea bag after you've steeped it in your cup of hot water. Why? Well, read on.
Squeezing the tea bag will make your drink bitter
The reason you should not squeeze your teabag after you brew it goes beyond being considered a bit of a savage when it comes to your tea drinking habits. According to Finest English Tea, tea leaves are high in chemicals called tannins. These tannins, which can stain your teeth (via Spoon University), become increasingly concentrated in the water trapped inside your teabag, giving it a sour and bitter flavor you do not want in your cup of tea. When you squeeze the bag, you unleash that nasty taste. You also run the risk of squeezing too hard and puncturing or tearing the bag, meaning you can end up with loose tea leaves floating in your cup, and that's just yuck.
And if that bitter taste doesn't convince you, then maybe you should consider it is kind of gauche to try to squeeze every last bit of liquid out of the teabag. Can you imagine doing that in front of Meghan and Harry? Moreover, Spoon University advocates for shunning those last dregs altogether and equates the habit with slurping, which is also a bit of a no-no when it comes to drinking your tea.