A sweet cup of tea or an energizing shot of coffee, it’s the first thing that begins an auspicious morning for most of us. However, while we innocently immerse our teabags in hot water, we may overlook the microplastics particles that they release. A single tea bag can release around 11.6 billion microplastic particles at brewing temperatures (boiling in other words). Not only is this a bane for our health, but it also irreparably pollutes the environment, making its way up the entire food chain.
But two friends from Assam, Upamanyu Borkakoty and Anshuman Bharali, found a near perfect solution to this conundrum. With their Assam-based company, The Tea Leaf Theory (TTLT), the duo has come up with a one-of-its-kind dip with eco-friendly bags that are made of leaves.
Known as Woolah, these tea bags are made of two compressed leaves and a bud, weighing approximately two grams. They are shaped in a cylindrical form and tied with a raw, naturally grown cotton string.
Not only are these eco-friendly, but they also enhance the taste of the beverage and can be used to brew up to four cups of tea! Along with this, making these tea bags helped them generate employment for 140 women from their region. Along with paying their wages, they also pay for their children’s education.
Woolah offers a variety of different, creatively named flavours like filthy green (‘not filthy at all’ green tea), filthy white (white tea), dirty detox (green tea with tulsi), killer immunity (black tea with tulsi) and the ‘brutal combo’ (a mix of all the varieties, guaranteed to take your taste buds on a rollercoaster).
So sit back and enjoy a refreshing cup of India’s favorite beverage without worrying about any environmental repurcussions, thanks to these two innovative geniuses. Bon-Appe’tea’.