On Sep 27, 3:29 pm, Alan wrote:
In the thread on green and whites teas causing headaches, Mydnight
wrote:

For one thing, nobody that I know condones actually DRINKING tea
balls; otherwise known as "art tea" or "tea art". It is not natural
and they use all kinds of different plastics and coloring agents to
make the teas appear so nice.

What are other people's opinions on this? I know we've discussed the
fact that these teas are made more for looks than taste, but I don't
remember anyone mentioning that they are anything more than tea,
flowers, and string. They certainly don't add any artificial
flavors! ;-)

Thanks,

Alan

It's not so much artificial flavors that are the issue, it's (just as
was said) plastics, strings, and dyes/colorings, among other things.
There are some that are pure tea crafted into an artistic shape with
some minimal cotton string, they are also expensive. The one's you buy
for $0.50-$1 are most likely going to involve plastic, string, dye,
binder/glue/sizing, etc. I have seen bright red centers made of
plastic, I have also seen bright red centers made from ungodly dyed
leaf... and red dye ain't exactly the safest color especially coming
from China.

I'm very wary of artistic teas, even beyond the normally bad flavor
and improper steeping needed to make them "flower."

- Dominic
http://teasphere.wordpress.com