Eli5: Why does coffee brew in a French press or coffee machine, but tea steeps in a bag?

Question

Why not a coffee bag? Or a tea press?

EDIT: I stand corrected— they do exist!! Thanks for all the answers!

In: 14

Answer 1

You can get coffee bags. And lose tea will brew perfectly fine in a French press. I have not actually tried brewing tea in a coffee machine but I suspect the leaves will make it hard for the water to soak through well. It is more traditional. Ground coffee needs to be kept away from air as it will go stale while tea can be kept in the open. So coffee bags can be hard to store like tea bags.