Taking time to unwind with a hot cup of tea is a relaxing experience that often comes with a side of health benefits. What it doesn’t have to include is a hefty price tag or specialty brewing appliances. Instead of purchasing prepackaged tea bags, consider trying out this DIY project that transforms coffee filters into customized bags ideal for loose leaf tea.
A single coffee filter cut into a rectangle and folded much like a small envelope transforms into a container that can hold tea leaves of all flavors. Once the pouch is stapled shut around the leaves and you attach a colorful length of baker’s twine for steeping, there’s an option to add a paper heart at the end for aesthetic appeal. Enjoy this personalized tea time experience alone or create these bags for guests when company is expected. Using a clear teacup to enjoy the final product is an easy way to show off DIY success as the tea brews.
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Materials
- Coffee filter, one for each tea bag
- Scissors
- 1 teaspoon of loose leaf tea
- Baker’s twine
- Stapler
- Small square of white paper
- Heart-shaped paper punch
- Small square of brown paper
- Hot glue gun
- Coffee filter, one for each tea bag
- Scissors
- 1 teaspoon of loose leaf tea
- Baker’s twine
- Stapler
- Small square of white paper
- Heart-shaped paper punch
- Small square of brown paper
- Hot glue gun
DIY Everywhere
Instructions
1. Smooth out a coffee filter on a flat surface.
2. Cut the coffee filter into a rectangle by trimming away the accordion edges vertically on two sides where they meet the center circle.
3. Measure out 1 teaspoon of loose leaf tea, and pour it onto the exact center of the coffee filter rectangle.
4. Fold in the two long sides of the coffee filter toward the center of the paper and overlap them, completely covering the tea leaves.
5. Fold down the top of the coffee filter over the tea leaves until it’s lined up with the bottom edge of the filter.
6. Trim the edges evenly where they meet.
7. Fold down the edges down toward the center of the tea bag at least half an inch.
8. Fold in the two corners so they almost meet in the middle.
9. Flip down the triangle so the point faces the bottom of the tea bag.
10. Cut a length of baker’s twine about 8 or 10 inches long.
11. Flip up the pointed end of the tea bag, and place one end of the baker’s twine underneath before folding it down again.
12. Staple once through the top of the tea bag and the twine to secure it.
13. Punch two small paper hearts from a square of white paper.
14. Apply a spot of hot glue to the back of one of the white paper hearts and press it firmly to a square of brown paper.
15. Trim around the white heart, leaving a small amount of brown paper as an outline.
16. Apply a small spot of hot glue to the back and top of the brown paper heart, and press the end of the baker’s twine to the glue.
17. Hot glue the second white paper heart to the back of the brown paper heart to cover the exposed end of the baker’s twine.
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