My mother used to save her used tea bags in a small glass cup. I don’t think that she ever used one twice. Having grown up during the Great Depression, the thought of throwing the bag away after only one use was probably disturbing to her—much too extravagant. I watched the saved tea bags dry, shrink, curl, turn brown, and stick to the bottom of the cup—a monument to good intentions. The full Tea Bags by David Margolin can be found at Memoir Magazine.
