StillSmart

I confess I've never filtered, but having just read this http://homedistiller.org/distill/polish and specifically " BTW, I don't bother with expensive filters ... just take a couple of feet of toilet paper and roll it up into a cigar." near the bottom (pun not originally intended).

I have been reminded that I have access to limitless free "tea bag" paper via a friend who works in a factory and is fed up with me saying no thanks to gifts of end of run herbal teas and the ends of their paper rolls.

I could make triple filtered earl grey vodka perhaps?

Yup.
I have filleted through alsorts depending on what I want to remove.

Coffee filets work. Wet flannels. Ss scrubbies.

Sounds a good idea but tea bag paper has a heat sensitive adhesive on one side to seal the bag, not so disastrous when you make your cuppa but a cigar full...?

Not trying to be clever here but your average toilet tissue always has a bit of a smell?
Kitchen roll is generally better, and I use it to filter fruit macerations.
Coffee papers are possibly cleaner still, but a little pricey.
Laboratory Filter paper is possibly the best product to use, in terms of anything that may/may not leach out.
Tea bag paper does sound good, check on the sealant, is it glue or mere compression, you don't want a substance unaffected by hot tea in your spirit, if it is affected by alcohol....
Hope all that helps.

Robert.

Hmmm, I shall have to investigate further.

It doesn't appear to have any adhesive on it and I assumed (always a mistake I know) that the adhesive would be applied in fine lines at the cutting stage rather than across the whole surface.

At any rate, having had a play with it and water, it probably won't work as the liquid goes through it very quickly even when rolled really tight.

Curmudgeon wrote:Hmmm, I shall have to investigate further.

It doesn't appear to have any adhesive on it and I assumed (always a mistake I know) that the adhesive would be applied in fine lines at the cutting stage rather than across the whole surface.

At any rate, having had a play with it and water, it probably won't work as the liquid goes through it very quickly even when rolled really tight.

Not wishing to throw irons on the fire here but having helped build the fastest tea bag machine available in the world in 1978 (4000 bags a minute) the paper comes on rolls as wide as you like (we used 300mm wide) and has a heat sensitive glue sprayed on one side at the paper manufacturer. The crimping/sealing rolls are pressed together trapping paper and the tea and are heated to around 300 degrees C, the contact time is minimal which is why they have to be so hot. Nowadays PG use pyramid bags, I haven't seen the machine that produces them but it will be cracking on a bit. While on about tea bags the older machines folded the paper and sealed the sides, rollers sealed the bottom seam the tea was dropped in and then the top of the bag sealed, cheaper tea blends have lots of dust and this you will find in the seals, so next time you are about to imbibe on your cup of breakfast tea check out the seams...

aha you might say... not a lot of people know that...

gadge

I'm glad I don't drink much tea if all of a bag has a "chemical" adhesive on one side of the paper. It seems shockingly inefficient to me. I certainly imagined a couple of mm each side of the paper cuts.

Curmudgeon wrote:I'm glad I don't drink much tea if all of a bag has a "chemical" adhesive on one side of the paper. It seems shockingly inefficient to me. I certainly imagined a couple of mm each side of the paper cuts.

Something I really enjoy is the processes of food engineering. One thing I have l learnt is that how things are done are far far from the obvious and often very ingenious.


Hope you don't drink coffee instead

Mash wrote:

Curmudgeon wrote:I'm glad I don't drink much tea if all of a bag has a "chemical" adhesive on one side of the paper. It seems shockingly inefficient to me. I certainly imagined a couple of mm each side of the paper cuts.

Something I really enjoy is the processes of food engineering. One thing I have l learnt is that how things are done are far far from the obvious and often very ingenious.


Hope you don't drink coffee instead

Here is a machine that makes non heat sealed bags with tags

http://www.teabagmachine.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=72&Itemid=119




not very fast, only 175 bags a minute..

Heat sealed paper has been found to produce 3-MCPD which is carcinogenic, loose tea in a teapot is the way to go...

You don't filter with paper you polish with paper to remove charcoal particles.

This site is becoming full of crap.

Good point. Not saying which one tho'

My short response here VT is that if you would like to communicate with me, you know how to to do it.

Robert.

vino-tinto wrote:You don't filter with paper you polish with paper to remove charcoal particles.

This site is becoming full of crap.

I did link to polishing in the initial post, but I apologise and have altered the thread title

Sorry guys, just my annual rant. No personal digs or aspersions about the site intended.

vino-tinto wrote:Sorry guys, just my annual rant. No personal digs or aspersions about the site intended.

I only brought the tea bag thing up as I hope we can protect our friends from some of the nasties out there that manufacturers 'forget' to tell us about, unfortunately I tend to go on a bit, my apologies in advance for anything I might say in the future...