why isn't coffee packaged the same as tea? how come you need a whole apparatus to make coffee when at the end of the day it's
-hot water
-through grinds
-through a filter so the bits don't come out

which is what you do with tea. hot water, through leaves, through a filter so the bits don't come out

is it just that you don't necessarily steep coffee?

Hmm, might be because ground coffee beans oxidize fairly quickly

^this is definitely part of it. And coffe grounds need a LOT more room to expand than most bagged teas.

Unless you like French press you don't want the grounds soaking in water as long. Differences in grind...and tbh, headaches. Not everyone, even common tea drinkers, throw away the tea bag once it's steeped. The longer coffee grounds are in the fluid the more tannins seep in, making a more bitter and headache inducing brew.

As a user of a French press, I can definitely confirm the change in the taste the longer the coffee in is with the grounds. That last cup is a LOT stronger/more bitter than the first.

Folgers did/does actually make tea bags, but it's coffee. they're single use so you don't resteep and also it's Folgers, so if you don't already have a taste for cheap coffee it won't be Great

plus there's instant coffee, which requires even less apparatus than tea (no bag).

i used the international delight instant coffee exclusively when i did awake overnights

so it's kind of like loose leaf tea except it fully dissolves

and i mean keurig cups are kind of like tea bags only more expensive

If you want the tea of coffee look into pour over, that’s about as close as it gets to being as fuss free as tea??????