To squeeze or not to squeeze, that is the question.

Neither, I’m afraid the Tea Police will show up at the door.

I dunk if I’m impatient and only squeeze if frustrated. Usually squeeze over the sink though, not back into my cup.

I do that spoon thing – where you dunk dunk dunk the teabag into your teacup, spoon the teabag with your pretty teaspoon, wrap the string around the teabag & spoon about 2-3 times, squeeze with light pressure, then drain the excess tea off the spoon into the teacup, leave the spoon w/ teabag and string onto the teacup saucer. But, now that I think upon it, I haven’t had bagged tea in a long time — ever since I started with the loose tea ritual.

I’m a PG Tips guy. No strings. When brewed to my satisfaction, a couple of minutes, the bags must come out. Spoon needed! After removing them I then press them with a finger against the spoon — I usually use two bags and a large cup — to get a bit more into the brewed tea. (It’s not unpleasantly hot. After all, we’re only doing a quick, gentle press here.) Does it make the tea a bit stronger or “tannic” as some say? Yes. Just a little. But having compared more steeping with no pressing at all and pressing, I prefer the latter. It’s quicker and I like the extra tea-taste jolt I get when sipping the hot result (with a bit of sugar and milk, of course). Does all this offend certain tea aficionados, especially in the UK? Perhaps, but I’m an American. We do what we like. I heartily thank the Brits for the terrific tea, though!

I’m a squeezer, all the way! I drink several cups of green tea daily. I want the most goodness out of every tea bag. I like my tea strong and with a little bit of an edge. So, squeezing gives me more flavor, more poly-phenols and a little bit of an edge to the taste. I usually will add a spoonful of organic honey to the cup of tea. The honey helps smooth the bitterness out, so it provides the perfect cup of tea for me… a strong cup of tea with just a little edge and light honey sweeteness. Mmmmm… just right!

If you’re not squeezing, you’re leaving perfectly good tea in bag. If you drink macha tea, you’re drinking the whole leaf. So, what’s the big deal about squeezing a little extra from your tea bag?

I say, squeeze to your heart’s content. Bon appeTea!

What about squeezing loose leaf tea? When I brew loose leaf tea in an infusion basket or mesh strainer, I squeeze out the tea leaves mainly so it doesn’t drip. I’ve heard it can make the tea bitter, but honestly I can’t tell the difference.

I think it is particularly prudent to squeeze loose leaf tea. The whole leaf is less likely to succumb fully to steeping. So, a little squeeze may help to release the tea flavor and poly-phynols. Any bitterness that some tea drinkers may not like can be neutralized with just a pinch of baking powder or a teaspoon of honey (strained, not filtered!).

I say no squeeze. I think it makes the tea bitter. I do dunk though but like someone else said, only when I’m impatient. I tend to let it do it’s own thing.

If you want the most tea flavor from your tea bad, then squeeze. If you want a milder cup of tea with no edge to the flavor, don’t squeeze. If you add milk or sweetener to your tea, it doesn’t really matter, as that ingredient will likely neutralize the bitterness, at least to some degree.