Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Microplastics in Tea Bags: Why What Holds Your Tea Matters
A closer look at what holds your tea — and why we chose a different material.
A few years ago, one headline was everywhere: we may be taking in the equivalent of a credit card's worth of plastic every week. The exact estimate is debated, but the comparison was shocking enough to make us look closely at the things we use every day. That includes something as simple as a tea bag, and it's one of the reasons Kura Klub never used conventional tea bags.
Do Tea Bags Contain Microplastics?
Traditional tea bags aren't always as simple as they look. Many use plastic, either in the bag itself or in the materials used to seal it. Bags that look like ordinary paper can contain polypropylene, and silky pyramid bags are often made from plastics such as nylon or PET.
So the material holding your tea deserves as much attention as the leaves inside it.
Why Traditional Tea Bags Deserve a Closer Look
A conventional tea bag can involve several materials: the paper or mesh, the string, the tag, and sometimes the glue used to attach them. When you brew tea, the bag sits in hot water for several minutes, exposing all of those materials to heat and moisture.
In a 2019 study, researchers at McGill University found that the four plastic tea bags they tested released billions of microplastic and nanoplastic particles into hot water. The findings drew attention to a detail many tea drinkers had never thought to question: what exactly is their tea bag made of?
Scientists are still studying what microplastic exposure means for health. But the research gave us a reason to look closely at the materials in something as familiar as a daily cup of tea.
Why We Chose Biodegradable, Plant-Based Tea Bags at Kura Klub
When we developed Kura Klub, we wanted to make a different choice.
Our tea bags are made from plant-based, sugarcane-derived material that is biodegradable. We chose it instead of conventional plastic mesh as part of how we raise the quality of every infusion.
We also chose the pyramid shape so our whole and cut botanicals, flowers and fruit have room to move and infuse as they steep, letting each blend unfold as intended. You can see it in our Night Tea, a caffeine-free blend of passionfruit and chamomile.
A thoughtful cup of tea is about more than the blend. It's also about the choices behind it. At Kura Klub, we believe those details make a better tea experience, from the botanicals we select to the material that holds them.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Are pyramid tea bags made of plastic? Many are. Silky pyramid bags are often made from nylon or PET. Kura Klub's pyramid sachets are made from plant-based, sugarcane-derived material that is biodegradable.
- Do all tea bags contain microplastics? Not all, but many conventional bags use plastic in the bag or in how it's sealed. That's why it's worth knowing what your tea bag is made of.
- What are Kura Klub tea bags made of? Plant-based, sugarcane-derived material that is biodegradable, shaped as a pyramid so whole botanicals have room to infuse.