/ck/ - Food & Cooking

Contrary to conventional wisdom, teabags don't infuse faster because they're full of fannings and dust with all that extra surface area. The opposite is actually true; larger leaf inside bags infuses more efficiently. Reason being the solubles have to be carried away from the leaf, which happens by convection currents. Densely compact small leaf restricts flow. Only outside a bag does the small leaf infuse faster. So the reason teabags taste like musty poowater is you're only getting the most superficial extraction.

I noticed my teabags taste much better when I tear them open, shake the dust off, brew it loose in the pot, then pour it through a coffee filter. I assumed it was because of the dust, but maybe it was the extra space. The next thing I'm experimenting with is continually swirling the cup while a teabag steeps. Allegedly, it should mostly overcome the disadvantage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaDlWYbQjPQ
https://myperfectteapot.weebly.com/uploads/2/4/5/1/24513829/factors_affecting_the_caffeine_and_polyphenol_contents_of_black_and_green_tea_infusions.pdf