By Vidya Reddy | Tea & Turmeric Co-Founder | 25+ Years of Experience in Holistic Wellness & Ayurvedic Living
Growing up in our Indian household, loose leaf tea was simply how tea was made. My grandmother brought it from India in her suitcase along with the spices for chai. Black tea, whole leaves, simmered with milk and cardamom and ginger. That was tea. There was no other version.
So when I moved out on my own and the headlines were everywhere about green tea and how good it was for you, I did what everyone else did. I bought the bags from the grocery store. I boiled the water. I dunked the bag. I thought it was terrible. Bitter, flat, nothing like what the headlines promised. I wrote off green tea entirely and went back to my black tea.
What I did not know then, and what I know now after years of running Tea & Turmeric, is that I was making it wrong. Not because I was careless, but because nobody taught me. Boiling water destroys green tea. It scorches the leaves and pulls out tannins that create bitterness before the good compounds even have a chance to infuse. And the bags I was using were filled with dust and fannings, the lowest grade of processed tea, not whole leaves at all.
Now green tea is what I reach for more than anything, more than black tea, more than chai. Once I learned how to brew it properly I could not believe it was the same thing I had dismissed for years.
That gap between what people think they know about tea and what is actually in their cup is exactly why we are writing this.
What Are Natural Flavors in Tea and Are They Safe?
When you see natural flavors on a label it is worth understanding what you are actually getting. The FDA requires natural flavors to come from real plant or animal sources, but that covers a wide range of ingredients and processing methods.
At Tea & Turmeric our natural flavors are always plant based, extracted from fruits, herbs, and spices. No artificial chemicals or additives. Everything is vegan. Our [Fruity Apricot Green Tea and Mango Tango Tea are good examples of this done right. The flavor comes from real fruit extracts, not a lab reconstruction of what fruit should taste like.
Tea should taste like the ingredients it celebrates. If you ever want to know exactly what is in a specific blend, just ask us.
Sometimes people ask why we use natural flavors at all. Here is the simplest way I can explain it. Think of natural flavors in tea the way you think of extracts in baking. When you make an almond cake you use both almonds and almond extract, because the almonds alone are not enough to flavor the whole cake. Tea is the same.
Most teas steep for a maximum of five minutes, which is not much time to pull deep flavor from dried ingredients. Natural extracts help make sure your peach tea actually tastes like peach every single time. They are not there to hide anything. They are there to help the natural flavors do their job.
The Truth About Microplastics in Tea Bags
Microplastics in tea bags is not a wellness trend concern. It is a documented scientific finding that every daily tea drinker should know about.
Research from McGill University, published in the National Library of Medicine, found that many tea bags, especially pyramid-shaped or silky ones, are made from plastics like nylon or PET. Even paper tea bags often include thermoplastic fibers to seal the seams. When those bags steep in boiling water, plastic particles release directly into your cup.
The numbers from the McGill study are significant. A single plastic tea bag releases approximately 11.6 billion microplastic and 3.1 billion nanoplastic particles at brewing temperature. That is thousands of times higher than plastic levels previously found in other foods.
The simplest way to avoid this is to choose loose leaf tea. Whole [loose leaves](https://teaandturmeric.com/collections/herbal-tea) contain no plastic and no fillers. If you want the convenience of a bag, our unbleached, plastic-free paper bags sourced from India are the clean alternative.
For everything we covered here in more depth, listen to Episode 4 of The Tea on Wellness podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
What About Convenience
The most common reason people stick with tea bags is convenience. We understand that. Here is the simple solution.
We carry our own branded unbleached, 100% plastic-free paper tea bags sourced directly from India. We know the people who make them for us. No thermoplastic seals. No bleaching chemicals. No microplastics. Just clean, simple paper that does its job and nothing else.
Fill them with whatever loose leaf tea you choose and you get the convenience of a bag with the quality of whole leaf tea. It is a small switch that makes a real difference in what ends up in your cup every day.
And when you brew loose leaf tea there is something else worth mentioning. You see exactly what you are getting. Whole leaves, real herbs, spices, dried fruit. Nothing hidden. The leaves have room to open up and release their full flavor, so your tea tastes richer and more complex than anything a bag can produce. Measuring out your tea, watching the leaves unfurl, taking in the aroma before the first sip. That is a moment of mindfulness in your day that a tea bag simply cannot give you.
Knowing where your tea bags come from matters just as much as knowing where your tea comes from. We think about both.
Award-Winning Loose Leaf Tea in Southern California
We are the only dedicated loose leaf tea and spice shop in Orange County and one of the very few in all of Southern California. People make the drive because they want someone who actually knows tea, not just sells it. They want to smell the leaves, ask questions, and leave with something that was chosen specifically for them.
That is what we are here for. Every single day on Coast Highway in Laguna Beach.
Frequently Asked Questions We Get in Our Shop
Are tea bags actually bad for you?
Most tea bags, even the ones that look like plain paper, contain plastic. The majority of standard paper bags use thermoplastic fibers to seal the seams shut. When you pour boiling water over them, those fibers start releasing particles into your cup.
Researchers at McGill University found that a single plastic tea bag releases approximately 11.6 billion microplastic and 3.1 billion nanoplastic particles at brewing temperature. A 2023 study found even biodegradable bags released about one million nanoplastic particles per bag. The health effects are still being studied but the exposure is confirmed. We think that is worth knowing.
What are fannings and dust and why do they matter?
Fannings and dust are the broken pieces left behind when whole tea leaves are processed and sorted. Most commercial tea bags are filled with them because they infuse quickly and produce a strong brew fast. The problem is that smaller particles have a much larger surface area exposed to oxygen and light, which degrades catechins and evaporates the essential oils that give tea its real flavor and therapeutic value. By the time a mass market tea bag reaches your cup, much of what made the tea worth drinking has already started to disappear.
What are natural flavors in tea and are they safe?
Natural flavors must come from real plant or animal sources according to the FDA, but the term covers a wide range of ingredients and processing methods. Most commercial tea companies use them to compensate for the aroma and flavor that fannings and dust lose during processing and storage. At Tea & Turmeric our natural flavors are always plant based, extracted from fruits, herbs, and spices. If you want to know exactly what is in a specific blend, just ask us.
Are pyramid tea bags safer than regular tea bags?
Not always. Pyramid bags give tea leaves more room to expand which improves flavor. But they are more likely to be made from nylon or PET plastic than standard paper bags, which means the microplastic release can actually be higher. The shape is better for the tea. The material is often worse for you.
What is the difference between loose leaf tea and what is in most tea bags?
Most commercial tea bags contain fannings and dust, the lowest grade of processed tea. Loose leaf uses whole or large leaf pieces that retain their essential oils and beneficial compounds until the moment you brew. The cup you get is more flavorful, more aromatic, and delivers more of what you actually want from tea. And there is no plastic or bleaching chemicals involved.
I tried green tea bags and hated it. Is loose leaf actually different?
This is the question I wish someone had asked me years ago. When I first bought green tea I bought the bags from the grocery store. I thought it was terrible, bitter and flat. I wrote off green tea entirely. What I did not know was that boiling water destroys green tea. It scorches the leaves and pulls out tannins that create bitterness. And the bags I was using were filled with dust and fannings, not whole leaves. Now green tea is what I reach for more than anything. Once I learned to brew it properly with whole leaves and water at the right temperature, I could not believe it was the same thing I had dismissed for years. If green tea has ever disappointed you, try it loose leaf before you give up on it.
Can I get the convenience of a tea bag without the plastic?
Yes. We sell unbleached, plastic-free paper tea bags you fill yourself with whatever loose leaf tea you choose. No plastic seals, no bleaching chemicals, no microplastics. Convenience without the compromise.
Where can I buy loose leaf tea in Orange County?
We are the only specialty loose leaf tea and spice shop in Orange County. Visit us at 1175 South Coast Highway in Laguna Beach or shop our full collection at teaandturmeric.com. We ship nationwide. And for everything we covered here in more depth, listen to Episode 4 of The Tea on Wellness podcast.
From Our Counter to Your Cup
My grandmother never questioned what tea should be. Whole leaves, brought from home, brewed with intention. That was just how it was done.
It took me years of running this shop, learning from our suppliers, studying Ayurveda, and talking to thousands of customers to understand what she already knew. Whole ingredients prepared properly are always going to outperform a processed version of the same thing.
That is true of spices. It is true of food. And it is true of tea.
Come into the shop and let us show you the difference. Or if you are not local, everything we carry is at teaandturmeric.com. Until next time, steep well and live naturally.
Originally published September 8, 2025. Updated May 2026 with expanded guidance on microplastics, natural flavors, fannings, and frequently asked questions.
About the Author
Vidya is a holistic health practitioner with over 25 years of experience in Ayurveda and wellness, including running a private practice in Canada before co-founding Tea & Turmeric in Laguna Beach, Orange County, California. She is the creator of functional herbal teas and spice blends and writes about stress, sleep, digestion, adaptogens, and nervous system support. Her work blends traditional Ayurvedic knowledge with modern functional wellness, translating herbal wisdom into practical everyday rituals. She is also the host of The Tea on Wellness Podcast.
