How To Make Tea Bags

Learning how to make tea bags is a great idea if you enjoy making your own custom tea brews. It allows you to mix your own special blends and keep the tea leaves from floating around in your cup. Save money by buying your favorite dried tea in bulk and then flavoring them with cloves, herbs, cinnamon and other spices. They make wonderful gifts for friends or a special indulgence for yourself.

Items needed:

• Unbleached cheesecloth
• Sharp scissors
• Bulk tea
• Choice of flavoring and spices
• Cotton string or embroidery thread

1. Cut the cheesecloth into eight-inch squares. Cheesecloth is flimsy, which makes it difficult to cut. Be sure to use very sharp scissors to make cutting cheesecloth easier. Lay the squares on a flat surface.
2. Measure two tablespoons of your favorite dried tea. Place it near the edge of the cheesecloth closest to you, but centered between the two sides. Add your preferred amount of flavoring or spice.
3. Start at the top edge near the tea and roll it like a cigarette or sushi roll. Make sure the dried tea stays in the center of the cloth. 
4. Gather the two ends together with one hand to make your tea bags. Use the twelve inches of the cotton string to tightly tie the ends together. If you're making tea bags for gifts, you may want to use colored embroidery thread.
5. Store the homemade tea bags in an air-tight container. Keep the containers labeled if you have made different blends with different flavorings.

Tips:

• It is better not to mix the tea and spices in a bowl before putting them in individual tea bags. The flavoring will go to the bottom of the bowl and each tea bag will not be the same. If you choose to make a large batch, keep stirring or shaking the bowl to keep the tea blend well-mixed.