Coffee grounds have many uses: you can use them in a scrub, put them in your garden, you can even rub them on a steak for crunch and extra flavor. As for tea, what are you supposed to do with all the extra wet sacks of leftover crushed leaves after you’ve had a brew in the morning, one after lunch, another at tea time and one more before bed?
Tea is delicious and, for many, a necessary component of getting through the day. But as any tea drinker can vouch, the bags add up. Having a pile of used, moist baggies is unsightly and feels wasteful.
Here are three ways to re-purpose your leftover tea bags:
#3. Throw Used Teabags Into Pot When Boiling Pasta
Got a few hanging around? Next time you’re boiling water for rice, pasta or quinoa, chuck a couple in and boil your carb of choice in the tea water for an extra layer of flavor. Try adding six used bags of green tea to six cups of water (1:1). The green tea will add an earthy flavor and unlock the remaining rich antioxidants into the pasta left over from the original brewing process.
Toss your Darjeeling teabags into noodles for a curry. In a pinch? You can even use your leftover bags to make stock for soup – use Lapsang Souchong black tea for a smoky taste that complements beef, mushrooms, and other full-flavored hearty ingredients; and Rooibos (naturally caffeine-free) has a honeyed-flavor, great for a lighter, more herbaceous tasting soup.
Watch the video below for tips #2 and #1 that will give you a whole new appreciation for used tea bags.
