Salutations, gentlefolk,

Somehow, over the past four months or so, the strings on the teabags
I've bought have been breaking about a third to a half of the time.
This has happened with different brands of tea bought from different
supermarkets.

Sometimes tis a nuisance, other times (especially if you like your tea
strong, and habitually spoon out teabag and wrap string around to
squeeze it out) can scatter hot liquid and tealeafs over flesh and
clothing..

Anybody else have this problem recently.

Yours-, John Desmond

On Jan 28, 10:09 pm, wrote:
> Salutations, gentlefolk,
>
> Somehow, over the past four months or so, the strings on the teabags
> I've bought have been breaking about a third to a half of the time.
> This has happened with different brands of tea bought from different
> supermarkets.

That's due to the enactment of the Safe String Act of 2006. It
requires all manufactures of string and string-like products or
subproducts to ensure there's a "weak link" every 1.25"/3cm to prevent
the tragedy of rodent strangulations.

- Brian "Squeak" Huntley

John Desmond wrote
> Somehow, over the past four months or so, the strings on the teabags
> I've bought have been breaking about a third to a half of the time.
> This has happened with different brands of tea bought from different
> supermarkets.

About 6 months ago, I went 'stringless' and bought loose tea. It seems
fresher, cleaner and no dust. I use my small caffatiere/press pot (about
10oz) which doubles up for coffee and tea. It's easy to shake the 'plug'
into the trash.
You can always adjust the dose and loose tea opens up a lot more varieties.

Bertie

wrote:
> Salutations, gentlefolk,
>
> Somehow, over the past four months or so, the strings on the teabags
> I've bought have been breaking about a third to a half of the time.
> This has happened with different brands of tea bought from different
> supermarkets.
>
> Sometimes tis a nuisance, other times (especially if you like your tea
> strong, and habitually spoon out teabag and wrap string around to
> squeeze it out) can scatter hot liquid and tealeafs over flesh and
> clothing..
>
> Anybody else have this problem recently.
>
> Yours-, John Desmond
>
>

I noticed the same thing. I wonder if it is just the usual cheapening of
products to meet the price point demands of the big box stores?

On Jan 28, 10:09?pm, wrote:
> Salutations, gentlefolk,
>
> Somehow, over the past four months or so, the strings on the teabags
> I've bought have been breaking about a third to a half of the time.

Be thankful they're not your tampon strings.

In message >,
writes
>Salutations, gentlefolk,
>
>Somehow, over the past four months or so, the strings on the teabags
>I've bought have been breaking about a third to a half of the time.
>This has happened with different brands of tea bought from different
>supermarkets.
>
>Sometimes tis a nuisance, other times (especially if you like your tea
>strong, and habitually spoon out teabag and wrap string around to
>squeeze it out) can scatter hot liquid and tealeafs over flesh and
>clothing..
>
>Anybody else have this problem recently.
>
>Yours-, John Desmond
>
>
I learned to make single cups of tea before teabags were around much in
Britain, the old method was to put some loose tea leaves in a tea
strainer (a little mesh spoon thing the same diameter as the cup that
fits it without falling in, assume that something similar is available
in the USA), pour the boiling water through that into the cup, and leave
it there for a minute or two before taking it out and adding milk.
Worked pretty well.
--
Marcus L. Rowland http://www.forgottenfutures.com/
LJ:ffutures http://homepage.ntlworld.com/forgottenfutures/
Forgotten Futures - The Scientific Romance Role Playing Game
Diana: Warrior Princess & Elvis: The Legendary Tours
The Original Flatland Role Playing Game

On Sun, 28 Jan 2007 22:09:12 -0500, wrote:

>Salutations, gentlefolk,
>
>Somehow, over the past four months or so, the strings on the teabags
>I've bought have been breaking about a third to a half of the time.
>This has happened with different brands of tea bought from different
>supermarkets.
>
>Sometimes tis a nuisance, other times (especially if you like your tea
>strong, and habitually spoon out teabag and wrap string around to
>squeeze it out) can scatter hot liquid and tealeafs over flesh and
>clothing..
>
>Anybody else have this problem recently.

No, because I buy loose tea and put it in the mug in a spoon-like tea
ball. Or more often, I zap iced tea in the microwave.
--
Marilee J. Layman
http://mjlayman.livejournal.com/

wrote:


>
> Sometimes tis a nuisance, other times (especially if you like your tea
> strong, and habitually spoon out teabag and wrap string around to
> squeeze it out) can scatter hot liquid and tealeafs over flesh and
> clothing..
>
> Anybody else have this problem recently.


Not since I stopped winding the string around the spoon. I use the paper
tab on the end to squeeze the bag with, or sometimes just my fingers. By
the time the tea has steeped enough it's not too hot to handle.



Dawn

In article >,
George > wrote:
wrote:
>>
>> Somehow, over the past four months or so, the strings on the teabags
>> I've bought have been breaking about a third to a half of the time.
>> This has happened with different brands of tea bought from different
>> supermarkets.
>>
>> Sometimes tis a nuisance, other times (especially if you like your tea
>> strong, and habitually spoon out teabag and wrap string around to
>> squeeze it out) can scatter hot liquid and tealeafs over flesh and
>> clothing.
>>
>> Anybody else have this problem recently.
>
>I noticed the same thing. I wonder if it is just the usual cheapening of
>products to meet the price point demands of the big box stores?

It's been going on for a long time, but it may depend on the company more
than the big box stores. Either the staple is loose or the glue is weak.
A box of tea lasts me long enough so that the age of the teabag may also
be a factor, weakening the glue as it dries out. I like weak tea so it
doesn't bother me except that I have to use a spoon to take the bag out
of the cup.

=Tamar

Richard Eney > wrote:

> In article >,
> George > wrote:
> wrote:
> >>
> >> Somehow, over the past four months or so, the strings on the teabags
> >> I've bought have been breaking about a third to a half of the time.

> >I noticed the same thing. I wonder if it is just the usual cheapening of
> >products to meet the price point demands of the big box stores?
>
> It's been going on for a long time, but it may depend on the company more
> than the big box stores. Either the staple is loose or the glue is weak.
> A box of tea lasts me long enough so that the age of the teabag may also
> be a factor, weakening the glue as it dries out. I like weak tea so it
> doesn't bother me except that I have to use a spoon to take the bag out
> of the cup.

My husband would say that the whole problem stems from people not making
tea *properly* in a teapot :-)

Rob hates tea made in a mug and insists on using the teapot, even if
only making tea for himself. I can't taste any difference myself, but
then most tea tastes like warm water to me unless it's quite strong.

--
Carol
Some people are like slinkies - they don't really
have a purpose, but they still bring a smile to your
face when you push them down the stairs (Anon)

Carol Hague wrote:

> My husband would say that the whole problem stems from people not making
> tea *properly* in a teapot :-)
>
> Rob hates tea made in a mug and insists on using the teapot, even if
> only making tea for himself. I can't taste any difference myself, but
> then most tea tastes like warm water to me unless it's quite strong.

I started experimenting recently with trying to improve my tea, and I
found that pre-heating the mug and putting a top on it while the tea
brewed significantly improved the tea brewed from a teabag in a mug.

Those are of course standard techniques when using a pot, so they were
an obvious thing to try. I had somehow thought, without ever really
considering the issue, was that all that was just about keeping the
final temperature high enough. When I finally did start thinking about
it more deeply, it seems clear that the flavor extraction from the
leaves is temperature-dependent, and sitting in a mug open lets it drop
below the necessary temperature.

I'm not at all sure that my research is over, but I don't actually drink
tea that often, so it's not urgent, either.

Alan Moor wrote:
> David Dyer-Bennet wrote:
> >Carol Hague wrote:
>
> >> My husband would say that the whole problem stems from people not making
> >> tea *properly* in a teapot :-)
>
> >> Rob hates tea made in a mug and insists on using the teapot, even if
> >> only making tea for himself. I can't taste any difference myself, but
> >> then most tea tastes like warm water to me unless it's quite strong.
>
> >I started experimenting recently with trying to improve my tea, and I
> >found that pre-heating the mug and putting a top on it while the tea
> >brewed significantly improved the tea brewed from a teabag in a mug.
>
> >Those are of course standard techniques when using a pot, so they were
> >an obvious thing to try. *I had somehow thought, without ever really
> >considering the issue, was that all that was just about keeping the
> >final temperature high enough. *When I finally did start thinking about
> >it more deeply, it seems clear that the flavor extraction from the
> >leaves is temperature-dependent, and sitting in a mug open lets it drop
> >below the necessary temperature.
>
> >I'm not at all sure that my research is over, but I don't actually drink
> >tea that often, so it's not urgent, either.
>
> Not to forget that pouring hot water into a cold mug will
> instantly reduce the temperature of the hot water.
>
> I'm not a tea maven, but if I was, I would pre-heat the mug,
> and cover it while the tea was steeping.

Tea mavens, and those with a smidgeon of common sense, pre-heat the
cup by filling it with hot water, letting it sit for a few seconds,
and then pouring out the hot water before filling with tea, teapots
are preheated the same way too... I even own an ornate teapot that has
its own cup that sits on top inverted so it can heat while the tea
brews... however I hate tea/pond water. I keep it only because it's
cute and I use it to serve those who do like hot pond water.

Sheldon Godfrey

In message >,
lid writes
>On Wed, 31 Jan 2007 10:25:55 -0600, David Dyer-Bennet
> wrote:
>
>>Carol Hague wrote:
>>
>>> My husband would say that the whole problem stems from people not making
>>> tea *properly* in a teapot :-)
>>>
>>> Rob hates tea made in a mug and insists on using the teapot, even if
>>> only making tea for himself. I can't taste any difference myself, but
>>> then most tea tastes like warm water to me unless it's quite strong.
>>
>>I started experimenting recently with trying to improve my tea, and I
>>found that pre-heating the mug and putting a top on it while the tea
>>brewed significantly improved the tea brewed from a teabag in a mug.
>>
>>Those are of course standard techniques when using a pot, so they were
>>an obvious thing to try. I had somehow thought, without ever really
>>considering the issue, was that all that was just about keeping the
>>final temperature high enough. When I finally did start thinking about
>>it more deeply, it seems clear that the flavor extraction from the
>>leaves is temperature-dependent, and sitting in a mug open lets it drop
>>below the necessary temperature.
>>
>>I'm not at all sure that my research is over, but I don't actually drink
>>tea that often, so it's not urgent, either.
>
>Not to forget that pouring hot water into a cold mug will
>instantly reduce the temperature of the hot water.
>
>I'm not a tea maven, but if I was, I would pre-heat the mug,
>and cover it while the tea was steeping.
>
>Alan
>
>==
>
>It's not that I think stupidity should be punishable by death.
> I just think we should take the warning labels off of everything
>and let the problem take care of itself.
>
>--------------------------------------------------------
>
You can buy tea bags with strings in the UK, but the most commonly
available tea bags are string less & a common teaspoon is used.
--
martyn dawe