Every cup of tea begins with a straightforward choice between loose leaf and tea bags. Because they are quick, convenient, and simple to purchase in the grocery store, many people automatically choose tea bags. However, brewing a cup of loose leaf tea with the suitable tea infuser is just as simple as doing so with bagged tea—and is even tastier. Although most infusers are made of mesh stainless steel, many unusual choices can give each drink a special touch.
Most tea infusers on the market can be classified as either tea balls or tea baskets. Although they appear commonplace, the perfect tea infuser will turn loose-leaf tea into a delicious beverage. In contrast, the incorrect infuser will annoy you with a watery brew packed with chewy chunks of loose tea.
What is Exactly Tea Infuser?
A tea infuser, a tea ball, tea maker, or tea egg is a container in which loose, dried tea leaves are inserted to steep or brew in a cup of hot water or a teapot. In the first part of the 19th century, the tea infuser became more common, and tea infusers made it simple to steep tea from broken leaves and fannings.
A tea infuser serves a similar purpose to the later American development of the tea bag. To steep one or several servings of tea at once, the infuser is typically a small mesh or perforated metal container or covered spoon that holds tea leaves in various sizes. Infusers frequently come in spherical, conical, and cylindrical shapes. A split sphere with tong-like handles to access the mesh container is one type of infuser.
The loose tea leaves are prevented from leaking into the cup or pot using an infuser placed in boiling water. To make removing the infuser from the pool or cup easier, a rod or chain is frequently fastened to the container of the infuser. Large-holed infusers might not collect all the leaves, necessitating a tea strainer to eliminate the uncaught fragments.
Different Types of Tea Infusers
Although there are many different styles and designs of tea infusers, they all function similarly. It helps to be aware of the different kinds of infusers you can encounter when learning how to utilize one. Examine some of the various types of tea infusers that are offered to become acquainted with the tools you’ll need to hone your tea-making abilities:
Tea Ball
A tea ball is usually made of metal and has a small mesh to retain the tea leaves, making it one of the most popular infusers. It will be tied to a short chain so that it is simple to recover from a teapot, cup, or mug. Although you can purchase tea balls separately and connect them to a pot or cup, some teapots are provided with them already attached.
Tea Tong
Tea tongs resemble spoons but have a small mesh pocket to hold tea leaves at one end. The device’s body serves as tongs, making it simple to add and remove loose tea leaves by opening and closing the device. However, if you use a tea tong made of metal, be aware that after being submerged in hot water, the tongs might get quite hot.
Tea-Infuser-Spoon
Even though you may already have several teaspoons, a tea infuser spoon is a little unique. The spoon’s mouth has a compartment that may be opened and shut manually or using an internal mechanism. Before putting the spoon into a cup or mug to steep your tea, add the tea leaves here. Again, use caution while handling metal tea-infuser spoons since they can become hot during usage.
Tea Infuser Cups and Mugs
A tea infuser cup or mug might eliminate the need for a teapot if you often only make one or two servings of tea. These items have built-in infusers that match the shape and size of the cup or mug. You may use the attached infuser while you make your preferred blend of tea instead of using a separate infuser.
Tea Infuser Bottles
Tea infuser bottles are a fantastic portable option for tea enthusiasts who are constantly on the go. You can also get tea infuser bottles with additional compartments for infusing fresh fruit, allowing you to personalize your beverage completely. A tea infuser bottle is very versatile because you can use it to soak iced tea in addition to making a hot beverage.
You won’t be dissatisfied with any tea infuser you choose to use. When used correctly, a tea infuser produces a smooth, delicious serving of tea that may be customized to your personal preferences.
Best Tea Infusers
Here are some of the best tea infusers:
Foraineam Extra Fine Mesh Tea Infuser
Features:
- BPA-free food-grade silicone handle and food-grade stainless steel fine mesh tea cup. High-quality materials guarantee your healthy life. Easy to clean, dishwasher safe
- The fine mesh helps filter all types of tea, including super fine tea that may get through other tea balls. Holes allow the water to move through the tea and make it expand and bloom fully in the water; meanwhile, the steeped tea leaves will be kept in the steel cup. So you can enjoy a cup of fresh full flavored tea without unwanted leaves floating in your cup.
- The silicone leaf-shaped top handle and flower-shaped drip tray are beautiful and practical. The shapes and colors will make a lasting impression on your guests! Silicone handle protects you from heating up and burning your fingers due to the hot water. In addition, it flexes lightly, making manipulation in your cup very quickly.
- Pop off the tea infuser and spoon the tea inside the steel cup, then steep with hot water. It comes with a separate silicone drip tray to rest your tea infuser, ensuring everything is kept safe, healthy, and clean.
- Suitable for all kinds of loose tea, including acceptable to large tea leaves and flower tea, it can also be used as a coffee infuser. It comes with a 4-pack (blue, green, purple, orange), different colors of the tea infuser can make you more convenient and have more choices for home, for office, for travel, you can share with your families and friends.
Tea Forte Kati Cup Cherry Blossoms
Features:
- Tea Cup With Infuser includes a double-wall ceramic tumbler, stainless steel loose leaf tea infuser basket, and a lid.
- Steep The Perfect Cup of tea using your favorite loose leaf tea; use the lid to keep your tea hot while steeping, then rest the strainer basket on the top to catch drips.
- Extra Fine Tea Infusermade from stainless steel is sturdy, easy to clean, and keeps tea leaves inside the basket with no residue left in your cup.
- The Insulated Double Wall design keeps tea warmer for longer than a traditional tea mug – pour hot water into the Kati cup and allow it to steep before handling.
- The elegant design and function for an exceptional tea brewing experience make a most welcomed gift for tea lovers and pair perfectly with our Single Steeps collection.
VAHDAM, Classic Tea Infuser Tea Infusers for Loose Tea
Features:
- Everything you need to make the Perfect Cup of Loose Leaf Tea. Highest Quality Tea Accessories for Loose Tea Steeper. Tea Filter/ Mesh Strainer. Tea steeper for Loose Tea. Green Tea Infuser, loose leaf tea infuser, iced tea infuser, black tea infuser, white tea infuser, loose tea infuser, herbal tea infuser, stainless steel infuser, organic tea infuser, sweet tea infuser, leaf infuser, chai tea infuser, leaf tea infuser, tea infuser set
- Gift premium, sturdy, and beneficial teaware & accessories to your loved ones. Stylish design meets daily utility. Gift for him and her. Best as a birthday gift, anniversary gifts, and festive gifting.
- Brew the Perfect Cup of Loose Leaf Teas
- Every time you drink Vahdam Teas, delivered to your doorstep directly from the source without intermediaries, you help a farmer get a better price for their produce. A unique supply chain model is Ethical, Direct & Fair-Trade, and TRULY.
- Vahdam India has joined forces with (RED) to fight against pandemics, including AIDS and COVID. Vahdam India will donate a minimum of $100,000 to the Global Fund to help strengthen healthcare systems and life-saving fund programs in communities most in need.
Features:
- Everybody’s favorite Floridian wants to brew you a nice cup of tea and share a slow, calm, relaxing moment. This charming animal design is sure to make you smile. MANATEA is packed in a colorful box perfect for gifting
- Fill with your favorite loose leaf tea and perch on your cup to enjoy perfectly brewed tea
- When you purchase tea infusers from Genuine Fred, you are an original product constructed from food-safe, BPA-free silicone. This material is soft, non-toxic, and tasteless so that it won’t affect the flavor of your tea
- After use, discard the loose tea leaves and rinse with hot water. Genuine Fred silicone tea infusers are also dishwasher and microwave safe
- The dunk-brew-toss routine of standard tea bags contributes tons of waste to landfills and is not sustainable for our planet. Genuine Fred reusable silicone tea infusers for loose leaf tea are the ideal alternative
- Remember, only authentic MANATEE have the Genuine Fred logo on the back of the fin
AdHoc Teadrop Large Loose Leaf Tea Infuser
Features:
- Suitable for fine teas like Fine rooibos infuser prevents particles from getting into the liquid
- A large filter provides optimal space for tea leaves to unfold
- Easy and one-handed opening and filling
- It fits in a mug or teapot for small or large batches and is easy to remove with a handle
- The included stand collects drops after use
What to Look for When Buying a Tea Infuser?
Here are some factors to consider while buying a tea infuser:
Size
The more room inside the cup or pot for the tea leaves to move about while steeping, the better. As a result, larger infusers are preferable to smaller ones since they distribute the flavors in the water more evenly. If at all feasible, search for an infuser with a basket design that fills your mug. Does this indicate that tea balls are too little to be helpful?
Nope! Since most tea bags frequently include low-quality dust, fannings, and broken leaves, even little tea balls yield better results than most tea bags. The same logic applies to teapots with built-in infusers: a larger infuser probably equals more excellent taste. The ideal approach to brew tea would be to allow the leaves to float freely and then strain them after steeping, but doing so is messier and takes longer than using an infuser.
Style
When looking for tea infusers, you will quickly see many distinct styles available. Everyone has advantages and disadvantages. Below is a brief explanation of this subject before it is addressed in more detail. The most prevalent type is tea balls, and they are often made of mesh stainless steel and coupled to a handle or chain for convenience. The filter basket, a larger variant that may be created for a single cup or a full teapot, is another well-liked design. Tea sticks, novelty infusers, portable infusers, and more are examples of additional methods.
Ease of Use
Because tea bags are so practical, some tea drinkers might be hesitant to move to infusers. Everyone wants their coffee without spending extra time making it or cleaning up, especially if they consume several cups daily. However, many tea infusers are dishwasher-safe and incredibly simple to use. Examine how something opens, closes, and seals to understand how simple it is to operate. As a brief note, silicone infusers are frequently more challenging to assemble than straightforward tea balls and filter baskets.
Hole Size
In addition to an infuser’s physical size, it’s essential to consider the size of its holes. Some loose leaf teas are so little that they can squeeze through the infuser’s bigger holes, blocking up every drink and making it completely unusable. Choosing the ideal infuser if you enjoy a particular type of tea will be simpler by considering whether the pieces are on the larger or more delicate side. While red and herbal teas frequently have smaller portions, green, oolong and black teas typically have larger leaves. When it comes to infusers, tea balls often feature smaller mesh holes compared to silicone infusers and infuser eggs.
Are Infusers Different from Strainers?
Yes, tea strainers and infusers have different functions and are remarkable tools. Tea infusers are brewing tools that are used during the entire process of brewing a cup of tea. Contrarily, strainers are used after the tea has finished brewing. Their sole function is to remove tea leaves from the tea, which is typically done by pouring a teapot into a mug or another teapot before moving on to the filter. Even though strainers and infusers have different purposes, many websites and businesses use the phrases interchangeably.
Conclusion
A tool used to brew loose leaf tea is called a tea infuser. Tea infusers are relatively simple to use and contribute to making tea of higher quality. The flavor of the tea is released once you steep your preferred loose tea leaves in a tea infuser. A tea infuser can also stop loose tea leaves from floating around in your cup by serving as a strainer or filter.
Loose leaf tea is preferred by many health-conscious people and tea connoisseurs over traditional tea bags. Tea made from the loose leaf is of higher quality, tastes more affluent, and typically comes in a broader range of flavors. Also, a loose leaf tea is not made up of leftover tea crumbs or “tea dust,” which are both frequently found in bagged tea and steeped in a paper bag. You may make a cup of tea that tastes better and is much healthier by using a tea infuser to brew loose leaf.
