Will the nylon teabag be a cup winner?

Tea-drinking traditionalists may still be coming to terms with the arrival of pyramid-shaped bags.

But now there is a bigger shock in store for them. For the familiar soggy teabag is being upstaged by a revolutionary nylon mesh version.

Asda is replacing the old-style bags made from perforated tissue paper with the nylon version in its upmarket range of brews.

Champions of the new bag say it allows more flavour to seep into a cup of hot water. One expert last night said the nylon bags were like "claret" compared with the "cabbage water" from the traditional bags.

Although the nylon bags have been available at specialised tea shops, it is the first time they have gone on sale in mainstream stores.

Asda has launched its own-label Extra Special nylon range, including English breakfast, Earl Grey, Assam, Darjeeling and organic green tea.

They cost £1.97 for 25 bags - about 8p a bag - compared with normal bags which cost about a quarter of that price.

However, tea enthusiasts say the cost is much lower than a cup of fresh coffee.

Sainsbury's is also stocking a range of upmarket fruit teas in nylon mesh bags.

Advantages of the nylon bags include extra strength so they don't tear, they allow the whole tea leaf to unfurl without damaging the bag, they do not give the tea a "paper" taste and bigger holes allow more flavour to flow out.

Martin Isark, drinks expert and author of the Supermarket Own Brand Guide, said: "These nylon mesh teabags are the next best thing to whole leaf brewed in a teapot. Hopefully, this type of bag will become the norm.

"Compared to other teabags these have the complexity of first growth claret. I've tasted this range of tea bags and for taste quality there is nothing on the supermarket shelves that competes."

Edward Eisler, taster and buyer for importers Jing Tea, said: "Nylon bags are the future for the teabag market."