CAN REUSING A TEA BAG FOUR TIMES BE A BRILLIANT ECO-STRATEGY (OR IS IT JUST PLAIN CHEAP)?

There are very few things in this world that I willfully spend top-dollar on, which is why it is particularly noteworthy that I plunk down a whopping $10.49 for a slim canister of Republic of Tea’s Certified Organic Double Green Matcha With Green Tea Leaves (sounds slightly redundant, but that’s what it is really called). As I reach into my wallet to secure funding for this indisputable indulgence, there is no gun pointed to my head nor masked marauder threatening to break the kneecaps of my entire feline menagerie nor even the faintest flash of brass knuckles in my peripheral vision.

Yes, it is true that a legion of tea manufacturers churn out their own versions of good-for-your-body, supremely wallet-friendly and taste bud accommodating green tea blends… which in many ways makes this an even more ostensibly foolhardy purchase. Nevertheless, I can still in good conscience assert that my Double Green Matcha With Green Tea Leaves addiction can easily become an essential part of any recession-shocked budget. Allow me to break it all down. While each canister houses 50 tea bags @.2098 cents per bag, extensive in-house exploratory drinking studies have proven many a time that each bag yields four varyingly flavorful cups of tea – okayyyy… now we’re talking!

The first cup traditionally packs an herbaceous, bright spinachy wallop…the second is surprisingly hillside-y and reminiscent of what the English countryside might taste like if you endeavored to liquefy it…the third cup is still remarkably spirited considering its somewhat diminished pigmentation…and the forth? It is warm and about as passable as a fresh cup of Lipton (which isn’t all that horrible, truth be told).

Okee-dokey…suddenly, the initial slap-in-your-face investment is softened under the specter of a more digestible .05245 cents per cup. Oh, but it gets even better. Idyllic tea-drinking extrapolations allow for the utilization of four separate 12 fluid ounce pours, further stretching the usability factor of each bag well beyond what the Double Green Matcha geniuses originally envisioned or intended.

Surely, you must be asking yourself why this particular blend holds up so well to the rigors of quadruple steeping. It helps to understand that traditional tea leaves are infused in water, generally releasing 8% of the flavor while 92% of the tea properties remain in the leaf.

Matcha tea leaves, on the other hand, are ground into a fine powder which in essence enables you to consume 100% of the plant. The resulting brew is far more full-bodied, slightly sweet and kind of grassy, but in a good way. So…it's mighty tasty AND it can become a regular part of my financially-challenged-black-beans-and-rice-diet?? What more could a tea drinker ask for?

Listen up, healthcare refugees -- countless scientific studies have proven that by regularly consuming green tea, various forms of cancer, diabetes and heart disease can be avoided. Additionally, cholesterol reduction, immune system enhancement, weight loss and halitosis prevention add to the allure of green tea.

If you’re asking where you can sign up, hold your horses and consider this: one cup of brewed matcha tea is equivalent to drinking 10 cups of brewed green tea (in terms of its nutritional value and antioxidant content), so it’s almost like giving the one-two-punch to all of your body’s conceivable offenders. Admittedly, there are a few sources out there in Google world that debunk matcha’s medicinal powers, but in my experience, believing in something is almost as good as putting money in the bank.

Even if you are not quite convinced that one solitary beverage could posses so many restorative benefits, from a fiscal perspective, the particular product that I am touting is a completely worthwhile investment and remarkably doable in today’s economy. I assure you, this brew gives you mucho bang for your buck if you follow the recommendations of the exploratory drinking studies referenced above.

Naysayers, please take note: I am in no way affiliated with The Republic of Tea and I most certainly DO NOT receive a commission if you decide to invest in their glorious green beverage. In fact, the better part of their tea line does nothing more than tint your water with barely-there-essences of coulda-been-yummy-flavor-combinations that fall disappointingly FLAT. But oh sweet Double Green Matcha With Green Tea Leaves -- throughout each 48 ounce run, my taste buds are never disappointed. Long live your precious canister of 50 tea bags (errm, 200 twelve ounce cups)!

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GREENWALA TEA DRINKERS:

1) Do you have your own tea secret that you'd be kind enough to share with us?

2) Got any recession-friendly tips to help us all drink away our fiscal worries (tea-related rather than moonshine-related)?