In 1908, Thomas Sullivan, a tea importer in New York, used small silk bags to hold tea as samples to send to customers in order to expand sales. One customer steeped the silk bag directly in a cup, and the world's first batch of bagged tea was born! Sullivan's unintentional act gave rise to today's tea bag industry. In the UK alone, people drink about 130 million cups of tea bags every day.

Today, with the fast pace of life, people do not have much time nor are they willing to follow the complicated procedures for brewing traditional tea. Therefore, tea bags have become increasingly popular among office workers and young urban groups. Foreigners also have a special preference for tea bags. According to statistics, the average American drinks more than 4 cups of tea per day, 96% of which is from tea bags.

Speaking of this, many people may ask: "Is there any nutritional difference between tea bags and traditionally brewed tea?" In fact, freshly processed tea bags taste similar to freshly pan-fried tea leaves, and there is no significant nutritional difference. The difference lies mainly in one being for quick drinking, while traditional tea emphasizes the art of tea drinking, depending on individual needs.

Brewing a cup of tea not only produces a fragrant aroma but also brings relaxation and vitality. However, how many times should one cup of tea be brewed?

When brewing bagged scented tea, black tea, or green tea with boiling water for 3 minutes, the first infusion extracts about 55% of the total soluble substances; the second infusion extracts about 30%; the third about 10%; and the fourth only 1%–3%. Regarding the extraction of vitamins and amino acids from tea, about 80% is extracted in the first infusion, and over 95% by the second infusion. Other effective components such as tea polyphenols and caffeine are also largely extracted in this pattern.