Fibers from the abaca plant, a type of banana, are a high-quality natural material for tea bags. Terranova has its own factory to manufacture abaca pulp. Photo credit: Terranova
Today's better tea brands compete not just on the qualities of their teas but also their tea bags. Paper producers are rising to the occasion.
A good tea bag is distinguished by its performance both in the cup and on the packing line — as well as by certifications. The bag's form factor might be single-chambered, double-chambered, rectangular, or circular, sometimes pyramidal. But the factor that really sets it apart is the material.
Paper makers offer numerous options now because the material faces performance demands in as many as six dimensions.
- It has to perform well in the cup, allowing the infusion to be quickly and fully extracted but without imparting any flavor of its own.
- It has to be sturdy enough to withstand hot water without falling apart, even after a long steeping.
- It must perform well in the factory, being strong enough to fold and fill on a high-speed packing machine without breaking, since downtime is expensive.
- It should perform well in the waste stream, allowing biodegradability.
- It must perform well in the market, supporting product claims and certifications that meet rising consumer and brand expectations around sustainability.
- The cost must be right for both the company and the consumer.
Better papers are made from natural materials like cellulose — usually derived from trees like spruce and pine — and abaca, a fiber from the tropical Musa textilis plant, a species of banana native to the Philippines. New materials include polylactic acid, or PLA, derived from renewable biomass like corn starch or sugar cane.
Tea in bags accounts for most of the tea industry’s growth in value, forecast at a 5.8% compound annual rate through 2028. Terranova has seen a steady double-digit annual expansion of sales of its filter papers during the past 10 years. Photo credit: Terranova
Terranova: deep roots
Terranova, which has been making premium tea filter paper and coffee filters for decades, reports that demand for its products has been growing at double-digit rates for at least 10 years.
"We offer only premium quality. This is what's best for our customers," said Josep Payola, managing director. "They can use our paper with their machines and get excellent yield. They won't have down time. The reduction in production problems lead to lower total production costs, and the difference easily covers the somewhat higher cost of the paper."
Terranova invests heavily in research and development, working closely with universities, technology centers, suppliers, and machine makers, according to Pere Paris, regulatory affairs manager. It offers filter paper that runs smoothly on the fastest tea packing machines on the market.
The company's core brand is its Terrafilt line of filter papers in both heat-sealable and non-heat seal versions. Terrafilt NHS, for example, is a non-heat sealable paper for double-chamber bags made of a mixture of abaca and cellulose fibers, in a weight of 12.5 to 12.7 grams per square meter. It has excellent infusion and run ability, high yield, good crimping strength, good wet strength and is neutral in odor and taste. It is rated compostable under the EN 13432 standard and is also rated Home Compost Biodegradable. An extension of this line is Terrafilt NHS Natural, which is made of 100% unbleached fibers.
Terranova offers Terrafilt HS, made of abaca, cellulose, and heat seal fibers. It is appropriate for single-chamber and double-chamber bags, both rectangular and round. It comes in standard and unbleached grades as well as a premium grade compatible with high-speed machines. It's a double-layered paper, with abaca and cellulose on one side and on the other, a thin layer of heat-seal fibers made of polyethylene (PE) or Polypropylene (PP).
With a broad product line, Terranova services tea business customers in mote than 100 countries around the world. Photo credit: Terranova
Plastic free
Terranova's latest innovation is a family of fully compostable, plastic-free, tea bag and coffee filter papers called Compofilt, which are heat sealable and available in weights ranging from 16.5 to 38 gsm. Like the company's other papers, Compofilt incorporates abaca and cellulose fibers.
The heat-seal layer is made of PLA, polylactic acid, derived from corn (maize). Compofilt meets food contact requirements for the hot beverage industry and is compostable in compliance with the EN 13432 standard, which means it disintegrates in 10 weeks. It also has the top level, four-star OK Biobased certification from TUV Austria, which indicates the highest percentage of renewable raw materials. It is available in standard and unbleached grades.
"Unbleached paper is a small percentage of our production, but we definitely see a growing interest in this paper," said Marta Prats, general sales manager.
Terranova is part of Spain's listed Miguel y Costas Group, a specialty paper company founded way back in 1752. With customers in more than 100 countries, the Group has production centers across Spain, with branches in Argentina, Chile, and Germany as well as its own abaca production operations in the Philippines.
