Iconic Designs: Teabag

Program:Blueprint For Living

In our fast-food, one-cup world, who among us doesn't give thanks for the ease that the humble teabag brings to daily life? The story goes that the teabag was invented by accident by American tea importer Thomas Sullivan in the early 1900s when he sent out samples of tea in little silk bags. Recipients couldn't be bothered to unpick the whole thing and simply dunked the bags in boiling water to see what the tea tasted like. It was supposedly the eureka moment and the rest is history. The truth is that the idea of simplifying the way of making a cup of tea had been in people's minds ever since the price of tea fell in the C19th, thanks to faster shipping and bigger tea plantations. Perforated metal balls on a chain, hinged so that they could be packed with tea leaves, found favour with many people, and continue to be used today. But while they seemed vaguely practical, there was little incentive to buy them when putting loose tea in a pot was just as straightforward. Sullivan's silk bags sparked something, though, and the idea of a teabag certainly took hold. By the 1920s muslin was used instead of silk for better water penetration. The key was in the sealing of the bag. By 1929, a German called Adolf Rambold had invented a teabag packing machine and a year later, American William Hermanson patented teabags made from fibrous paper, sealed with glue. By the 1940s, these little bags had evolved into the flattish, squareish items that we're familiar with today.

The Americans were swift to adopt the new convenience but Britain, a nation where any problem can be solved by having a nice cup of tea, took a while longer. In 1952, British tea company Liptons stapled a tag to the string of a teabag, which gave instructions for use while also advertising the brand. And so it's remained ever since. Although tea bags accounted for only 3% of the market in the early 1960s, thirty years later it had reached 97%. Every type of tea and tisane became available in a teabag. It was the revolution the kitchen benchtop had to have.

Environmental concern around needless packaging and the damaging consequences of tags, staples and glues that remain after the teabag itself has degraded drove many back to loose tea in the C21st but most companies have responded by making their teabags more ecological. Swankier tea companies have even reverted to muslin bags to give their brand some heritage cachet and charm. It all means that teabags continue to rule the tea table, a symbol of welcome convenience allowing a longer moment's pause in a busy day, and a wistful link for some to a simpler time of teapots and strainers.

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Published: FriFri 4 Aug 2023 at 9:00pm/with Jonathan Green

Published: FriFri 4 Aug 2023 at 9:00pm/with Jonathan Green

Published: FriFri 4 Aug 2023 at 9:00pm/with Jonathan Green

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