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The best plastic-free tea bags
Many “paper” tea bags are heat-sealed with polypropylene, and premium pyramid bags are often nylon — researchers at McGill found a single plastic tea bag released billions of microplastic particles into one cup. Genuinely plastic-free bags exist; this shelf is only those.
What to look out for: Unbleached paper, stitched or folded closed — no polypropylene sealant; “biodegradable” PLA mesh is still a bioplastic, and we say so when it appears.
Quick answer: Our top pick for plastic-free tea bags is the Traditional Medicinals Organic Chamomile Tea, 16 Tea Bags ($5.88). Most-reviewed: the Luzianne Unsweetened Iced Tea Bags, Gallon Size, 24 Count (11,450 reviews).
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9 vetted plastic-free tea bags
Organic Chamomile Tea, 16 Tea Bags
Classic organic chamomile in Traditional Medicinals' double-chamber tea bag, which is pressed and folded from abaca leaf fiber and wood pulp so that no heat-sealant — plastic or otherwise — is needed.
Why we picked it: The easiest US swap in the category: a genuinely sealant-free abaca/wood-pulp bag (no plastic, no PLA), certified organic and B Corp, $5.88 at Amazon with 1,339 ratings at 4.7 — and the same construction applies across the brand's whole line
Why we trust it · 2 independent sources
British Breakfast Black Tea, 50-Count Tin
Brisk full-bodied breakfast black tea in Republic of Tea's signature round, unbleached paper tea bag — deliberately made with no string, no tag, no staple, and no wrapper — packed in a recyclable steel tin with bulk refills available.
Why we picked it: The most waste-stripped bag in the wave — round unbleached paper with literally nothing attached (no string, tag, staple, or wrapper) in a refillable steel tin, with 1,280 ratings at 4.7
Why we trust it · 2 independent sources
Three Ginger Organic Herbal Tea, 20 Bags (4-Pack, 80 Count)
Organic ginger-galangal-turmeric herbal blend in Pukka's hand-folded bag, which is stitched shut with organic cotton thread — no staple, no glue, no heat sealant of any kind.
Why we picked it: Fully stitched with organic cotton — no staple, no sealant, no plastic, no PLA — organic certified, home-compostable, and 709 ratings at 4.7; the construction the whole category should be judged against
Why we trust it · 2 independent sources
Honey Lavender Stress Relief Tea, 16 Tea Bags (4 Pack)
Organic caffeine-free herbal blend (chamomile, lavender, lemon balm, mints) in Yogi's non-heat-sealable filtration paper bag made from abaca fiber and wood pulp, closed with an organic cotton string rather than a plastic sealant.
Why we trust it · 2 independent sources
Constant Comment Black Tea, 20 Count (Pack of 6)
Bigelow's flagship orange-and-spice black tea (blended since 1945) in a plastic-free filter bag of wood pulp and abaca fiber, from a third-generation family company that manufactures in the US.
Why we trust it · 2 independent sources
Organic Jasmine Green Tea, 18 Tea Bags
Fair-trade organic green tea scented with real jasmine flowers, in Numi's unbleached manila-hemp filter bag with a plain cotton string and a tag printed in soy-based ink.
Why we trust it · 2 independent sources
Peppermint Herbal Tea, Box of 30
Single-ingredient Pacific Northwest peppermint in Stash's unbleached wood-fiber filter bag, which is machine-folded and pressed shut with no glue and no plastic sealant, finished with a cotton string.
Why we trust it · 2 independent sources
Unsweetened Iced Tea Bags, Gallon Size, 24 Count
The American South's default iced-tea bag, blended specifically for clear, smooth iced brewing — in a completely plant-based wood pulp and abaca filter bag with no plastic.
Why we trust it · 1 independent source
Organic English Breakfast Black Tea, 20 Bags
Fairly traded organic Indian black tea from small farmer co-ops, in an unbleached abaca-fiber bag with organic cotton string and vegetable-based ink tag — from the worker-owned co-op that pioneered fair trade in the US.