# Why does lemon tea sink? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 12, 2008, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-lemon-tea-sink/467618 "2008-10-12T20:15:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Freyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freyr/32/5763_2.png) [@Freyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freyr)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-lemon-tea-sink/467618/1 "2008-10-12T20:15:11Z")
It was rather chilly here in LA this morning, so I had a cup of hot tea with breakfast. I chose Celestial Season’s _Lemon Burst_. Now, most tea bags, when you put them into the mug and leave them alone float on the surface. Not _Lemon Burst_, it sinks and floats about half way down in the mug. Why is that? What’s so different about _Lemon Burst_ that causes it to sink? I assume that most tea bags are pretty much the same, made from some sort of paper material. So I’m guessing it’s the ingredients that make up _Lemon Burst_ tea. Does anyone have a clue what this might be? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-lemon-tea-sink/467618/2 "2008-10-12T20:34:54Z")
Do you mean Lemon Zinger? I can’t find Lemon Burst on [Celestial Seasonings’s](http://www.celestialseasonings.com/products/category.html/herbal-teas) website. ---
**Author:** ![Freyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freyr/32/5763_2.png) [@Freyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freyr)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-lemon-tea-sink/467618/3 "2008-10-12T21:14:16Z")
Yup… sorry… my bad… I meant **Lemon Zinger** I dunno why I thought I saw _BURST_. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-lemon-tea-sink/467618/4 "2008-10-12T21:41:22Z")
Okay: Ingredients: Hibiscus, rosehips, roasted chicory, orange peel, West Indian lemongrass, lemon peel and whole dried lemons, natural lemon flavor with other natural flavors (contains soy lecithin) and citric acid. Do any of the other herbal flavors float? My guess would be that the components that are more dense than dried tea leaves would be the culprit, but I don’t know if Lemon Zinger is the only one that does it. ---
**Author:** ![Freyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freyr/32/5763_2.png) [@Freyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freyr)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-lemon-tea-sink/467618/5 "2008-10-12T22:49:00Z")
I’ve not tried all of their flavors of tea, but so far _Lemon Zinger_ is the only one that doesn’t float. Most black teas, when in a tea bag, also float at the top of the mug. Has anyone else had a tea (in a bag) that doesn’t float, but sinks into the cup or mug? ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-lemon-tea-sink/467618/6 "2008-10-13T02:41:12Z")
WAG, but I’d suspect that it has to do with the acidity of the lemon and the bag, somehow interacting to allow gases to escape. Either that or counteracting gas buildup in the bag. ---
**Author:** ![Freyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freyr/32/5763_2.png) [@Freyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freyr)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-lemon-tea-sink/467618/7 "2008-10-13T04:52:47Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > WAG, but I’d suspect that it has to do with the acidity of the lemon and the bag, somehow interacting to allow gases to escape. Either that or counteracting gas buildup in the bag. The acidity of the lemon and/or paper helps the air/gases to escape from the tea bag? Hrm.. I suppose, tho I’m not fully convinced. I do recall that when I dunk the tea bag, it sinks almost immediately and there’s no bubbling, etc. to indicate gasses escaping. I’d like to hear other suggestions.