How to Make Tea Bags

Folding Coffee Filters

Flatten the coffee filter and cut off two sides. The goal is to make the circle into more of a rectangular shape, with two flat sides facing each other and two curved sides facing each other. This will make it easier to fold into the correct shape. Use a disposable, paper coffee filter. It should be about 3 inches (7.6 cm) across before flattening.

Place your tea inside the filter. Scoop about 1 tablespoon, or ⁄2 ounce (14 g) of tea leaves onto the center of the flat filter. Check if there is a recommended serving size with store-bought tea leaves. Sometimes this is more or less than 1 tablespoon. Adjust the amount of tea leaves you use to your own tastes. This can take some trial and error.

Fold the filter in half so that the two flat edges touch. This will make a pocket with three open edges. The tea leaves should be inside, in the middle.

Roll the edges of long, open side towards the tea leaves. This will close one side of the pocket. You can use a few small (⁄8 inch (0.32 cm)) folds to hold the tea leaves securely, or a rolling motion.

Recenter the seam and fold the package in half. Rather than at the top of the package, the long, folded edge should be in the center. Think of the package as a cylinder that you roll towards yourself. Fold it in half so that the two short ends are touching. If the bag looks too long at this point, cut off about ⁄4 inch (1.9 cm) from the open edges.

Fold in the top two corners and staple them to twine. Fold the two corners of the open edge down, so that the top of the tea bag is shaped like an arrow. Place a piece of twine in the center of the folds and staple the bag closed. You can buy baker's twine in most grocery stores. You can staple a decorated piece of paper to the other end of the twine to create a personalized design.

Folding and Twisting Cheesecloth

Cut a square of cheesecloth that is about 4 by 4 inches (10 by 10 cm). This will give you enough space for about one spoonful of tea leaves. If the tea leaf mixture is very fine, layer two pieces of cheesecloth on top of each other. You can usually buy cheesecloth in both grocery stores and fabric stores.

Scoop your tea leaves onto the center of the cheesecloth. Most of the time, 1 tablespoon, or ⁄2 ounce (14 g) is about right, but check if there is a recommended serving size with store-bought tea leaves. For homemade blends, figuring out the right amount to use can take some trial and error.

Gather the four corners of the cheesecloth and twist them closed. Take each of the the four corners into one hand, with the tea leaves inside. Hold the part of the cheesecloth with the tea leaves in the other hand and twist a couple of times.

Tie baker's twine around the twist to hold it in place. Tie a tight knot to make sure the cheesecloth won't open up and spill the tea leaves. For extra security, you can staple the twine to the cheesecloth. Baker's twine can usually be found at grocery stores and supermarkets. If you can't find any, unflavored dental floss is a safe alternative.

Sewing a Muslin Tea Bag

Cut a piece of unbleached muslin that is 4 by 3 inches (10.2 by 7.6 cm). Muslin is an inexpensive fabric that you can buy at any fabric store. Making sure the fabric is not dyed or bleached means that none of the chemicals used in those processes will make it into your tea.

Fold the fabric down ⁄2 inch (1.3 cm) on one of the long sides. This will become the casing for a drawstring. You may want to experiment with with the size of the casing depending on the thickness of the string you are using.

Stitch a casing for the drawstring. Place a 14 inches (36 cm) piece of string along one of the long sides of the fabric, around ⁄4 inch (0.64 cm) from the edge of the fabric. Fold ⁄2 inch (1.3 cm) of fabric over the string. Stitch the edge of the fabric down to create a tunnel. Be careful not to sew over the string.

Fold the fabric in half and sew the 2 open edges. Fold the fabric so that the two short sides touch each other, with the drawstring at the top. Sew 2 seams, ⁄8 inch (0.32 cm) from the edges of the fabric.

Turn the bag inside out. The seams will end up inside the bag. At this point, you should be able to tug on both ends of the string to close the bag. You can tie something heavy, like a bead, to the end of the string to add some weight, or you can staple a small square of paper to the end to make it look like a store-bought tea bag.

Scoop some tea leaves into the bag and tug the drawstring closed. The tea bag is ready to use! The drawstring makes this tea bag reusable. Simply turn it inside out again to rinse out tea leaves and enjoy a fresh cup.