Earlier tea bags were hand sewn around 1903. In around 1904 a tea merchant named Thomas Sullivan of New York marketed and shipped tea bags around the world. Then the machine was invented to replace the hand sewn bags.
A tea bag is used for brewing tea which is made out of small porous paper or nylon or silk bags containing tea leaves in it. Tea bags have an attached string with a paper label on it. They are also available in decorative patterns and in different shapes like square or rectangular shape with the brand name and flavor printed. They are available with different types of tea including herbal tea. The paper which is used in tea bags is found in milk and coffee filters which is made of wood and vegetable fibers.
MAI is the top tea bagging Machine Company in the world. It has its customers in 78 countries. Its machine can envelope around 120 bags per minute. An Italian company"s machine is even faster which can pack 250 bags per minute. A person named Thomas Lipton started his company in 1915 which was named Lipton Tea Company and patented a four sided tea bag called flo-thru in 1952.
Earlier tea bags were square or rectangular in shape but then circular and pyramidal shapes have entered the market. The manufacturers claim that the quality of brew improves. Nowadays empty tea bags are also available which an open ended pouch with a flap is and so the customers can fill their choice of tea leaves in it.