# Why don't we brew coffee in tea bags? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** coffee\ **Created:** [November 20, 2013, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-brew-coffee-in-tea-bags/674362 "2013-11-20T17:42:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-brew-coffee-in-tea-bags/674362/1 "2013-11-20T17:42:29Z")
Coffee makers are complicated, and instant coffee is gross. Is there any good reason why we don’t brew coffee like tea? ---
**Author:** ![Mdcastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-brew-coffee-in-tea-bags/674362/2 "2013-11-20T17:44:29Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Coffee makers are complicated, and instant coffee is gross. Is there any good reason why we don’t brew coffee like tea? Folger’s coffee singles. Not anywhere close to good coffee but when I use to camp I’d only cook things that could be made with boiling water (think ramen cups and instant oatmeal) and those coffee bags. ---
**Author:** ![Frazzled](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frazzled/32/3368_2.png) [@Frazzled](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frazzled)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-brew-coffee-in-tea-bags/674362/3 "2013-11-20T17:54:37Z")
The concept isn’t that different from a French Press. When I use mine I just mix course ground coffee with hot water, let it seep, then press the grounds out and pour. Your question is really very good - why not put the grounds into a tea bag instead and let seep for 4 minutes? The only reason I can think of off hand is that more coffee is required than tea to make a good cup but I can’t imagine the difference would be so much as to make the idea impractical. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-brew-coffee-in-tea-bags/674362/4 "2013-11-20T17:55:28Z")
Moved to Cafe Society. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-brew-coffee-in-tea-bags/674362/5 "2013-11-20T17:56:48Z")
They do sell “coffee bags”. [Link](http://coffeeperfection.com/products). I bought some a while back to try at work and they weren’t very good. The coffee never seemed to brew strong enough. ---
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-brew-coffee-in-tea-bags/674362/6 "2013-11-20T17:57:04Z")
I had assumed it was because coffee made with hot water-weak coffee-strong coffee circulating through the grounds makes the coffee taste like crap. Hence why nobody really uses percolators anymore (I tried using one recently, on a camping trip for fun. I could have added milk to muddy water and gotten the same flavor :eek: ) ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-brew-coffee-in-tea-bags/674362/7 "2013-11-20T17:58:17Z")
From what I understand, you don’t want coffee to steep. This will bring out the bitter nasty substances in addition to the desired stuff. However, I don’t see anything wrong with the OP per se. There just has to be some better way of executing it. ETA: Like **Incubus** says, percolating sucks. The reason why Mr. Coffee is so much better is that the hot water only gets a single pass through the grounds and therefore leaves the bitter crap behind while taking the good stuff into the pot. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-brew-coffee-in-tea-bags/674362/8 "2013-11-20T18:01:45Z")
We get these in the UK which aren’t too bad: [http://www.rombouts.co.uk/products.asp?categoryID=2712](http://www.rombouts.co.uk/products.asp?categoryID=2712) If you don’t want to follow the link, they’re Rombout’s one cup filters. It’s a plastic “jug” with a sachet of coffee grounds that sits on top of a cup or mug. Hot water is poured into the jug which then slowly percolates through to the cup. Taste is … acceptable. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-brew-coffee-in-tea-bags/674362/9 "2013-11-20T18:03:11Z")
Traditionally, both tea and coffee were brewed by just throwing the leaves or grounds in hot water, which then settled to the bottom. [Cowboy coffee](http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Cowboy-Coffee) is made this way if you don’t have a coffee maker on hand. [Tea bags](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_bag) weren’t invented until the early 1900s. According to Wiki, > [@](#): > > The loose tea was intended to be removed from the sample bags by customers, but they found it easier to brew the tea with the tea still enclosed in the porous bags. Just as a guess, it may be that tea bags caught on while coffee bags didn’t because coffee tended to be brewed in larger amounts, while tea was often consumed as single cups where a single-serving bag made more sense. Also, as others have said, coffee that has been allowed to steep too long tastes crappy. Tea that steeps a long time gets stronger but the taste doesn’t deteriorate so much. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-brew-coffee-in-tea-bags/674362/10 "2013-11-20T18:20:44Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > They do sell “coffee bags”. [Link](http://coffeeperfection.com/products). Those are single-cup bags. I vaguely remember coffee in bags meant to go into a regular coffee maker, with enough coffee for a whole pot. I think the bags just went in the filter holder. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-brew-coffee-in-tea-bags/674362/11 "2013-11-20T18:38:42Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Those are single-cup bags. I vaguely remember coffee in bags meant to go into a regular coffee maker, with enough coffee for a whole pot. I think the bags just went in the filter holder. They still make those: > **[French Roast Maxwell House Ground Coffee 42/Case](https://www.discountcoffee.com/maxwell-house-french-roast.htm)** > > Maxwell House French Roast Ground Coffee. Good to the last drop just got Great! French Roast Maxwell House Coffee is a Medium-Dark roasted blend of only 100% Arabica coffee. Experience the rich, bold flavor that comes from Maxwell House Coffee... I primarily see them at mid-level hotels. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-brew-coffee-in-tea-bags/674362/12 "2013-11-20T19:04:30Z")
Coffee bags are not going to give you more bitter elements in your coffee if you time it right. The amount of bitterness imparted to the drink is really just organic chemistry fractional extraction - the flavors we like are more soluble than the ones we don’t like. Thus, a short amount of contact between grounds and water is good. Whether that short time is a single-pass drip process, a timed French press, or a timed steep in a coffee bag doesn’t make much of a difference. Of course, the single-pass drip method means that you can’t steep the grounds too long and so it’s going to give you the most consistent cup of coffee. Other than that, I actually like coffee bags. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-brew-coffee-in-tea-bags/674362/13 "2013-11-20T19:15:53Z")
I use Folgers single-serving “coffee bags” when I visit non-coffee friends overnight. While not as good as real drip coffee, it is infinitely better than instant coffee. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-brew-coffee-in-tea-bags/674362/14 "2013-11-20T19:43:17Z")
They do make coffe in bags, both single servings (Maxwell House makes them) and Starbucks pouches for drip machines. I take the Starbucks pouches camping, I use one pouch in a Nalgene bottle with hot water. The reason they’re not more popular is they occupy a weird middle ground, the bags aren’t as good as drip or press coffee, but not as convenient as instant. The kind of person who want fresh coffee isn’t going to use the bags and the kind of person who is ok with instant isn’t going to bother with them. ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-brew-coffee-in-tea-bags/674362/15 "2013-11-20T19:45:55Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > They do sell “coffee bags”. [Link](http://coffeeperfection.com/products). > > I bought some a while back to try at work and they weren’t very good. The coffee never seemed to brew strong enough. Tea geek here. The reason we don’t use coffee bags is because people are used to good coffee. I use fresh loose leaf tea almost exclusively and the difference in taste between loose leaf and bags is probably the same for tea as coffee. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-brew-coffee-in-tea-bags/674362/16 "2013-11-20T20:30:27Z")
> [@Deeg](#): > > Tea geek here. The reason we don’t use coffee bags is because people are used to good coffee. I use fresh loose leaf tea almost exclusively and the difference in taste between loose leaf and bags is probably the same for tea as coffee. This may be true, but I hope you see it’s nothing but a self-fulfilling prophecy. Put good tea in a tea bag and you still have good tea. The problem is that the tea geeks won’t buy tea in bags and the average Joe’s won’t pay a premium for good tea. ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-brew-coffee-in-tea-bags/674362/17 "2013-11-20T20:59:39Z")
It is possible to get quality tea in bags but it won’t be as good as loose leaf. The problem is that tea in a bag gets stale faster than if tea is stored as loose leaf. In addition, tea bags restrict water flow resulting in a weaker cup. ---
**Author:** ![Airk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Airk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airk)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-brew-coffee-in-tea-bags/674362/18 "2013-11-20T21:02:31Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > This may be true, but I hope you see it’s nothing but a self-fulfilling prophecy. > > Put good tea in a tea bag and you still have good tea. The problem is that the tea geeks won’t buy tea in bags and the average Joe’s won’t pay a premium for good tea. Whereas it’s NOT actually true for coffee. Put good (ground) coffee in a bag and you’ve invited massive flavor decay. Old coffee is gross. Coffee ages ‘faster’ the further it is from its native state. Green coffee beans apparently stay good pretty much forever. Or at least, severals months. Roast those beans, and they’re really only still good for a few weeks. Grind them, and now they’ll be unpleasant - or at least, lose a lot of their goodness - after only a few days. Brew it? Welp, that’s good for an hour or two. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-brew-coffee-in-tea-bags/674362/19 "2013-11-20T22:05:09Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > … I vaguely remember coffee in bags meant to go into a regular coffee maker, with enough coffee for a whole pot. … > [@zoid](#): > > They still make those: > [Maxwell House French Roast - Rich Ground Coffee Pouches - Office Coffee Service Case | DiscountCoffee.com](http://www.discountcoffee.com/maxwell-house-french-roast.htm) > > I primarily see them at mid-level hotels. And you might be remembering Maxwell House’s [Max-Pax](https://www.google.com/search?q=Max-Pax&client=firefox-a&hs=Z0G&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=rcs&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=6CqNUqbwHYXe4AOL64H4CA&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1024&bih=614#channel=rcs&q=Max-Pax+coffee&rls=org.mozilla:en-US%3Aofficial&tbm=isch), > [@](#): > > … In 1972 the company had introduced “Max-Pax” ground coffee filter rings, aimed at the then still-strong market for drip coffee preparation. Although this method, too, has been eclipsed, the Max-Pax concept was subsequently adapted as Maxwell House Filter Packs (1989) for use in automatic coffee makers. …[RIGHT][CITE](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell_House#Expansion_of_the_product_line)[/RIGHT] which is wrong, Max-Pax was for percolators, hence the ring shape, not drip machines (but they’d kinda work in drip machines). CMC ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-brew-coffee-in-tea-bags/674362/20 "2013-11-20T22:32:59Z")
I was six years old in 1972, so I’m quite sure that’s not what I’m remembering. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-brew-coffee-in-tea-bags/674362.md?page=2)