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Tea Infusers

With a plethora of infusers on the market, it can be hard to choose which to use to brew loose leaf tea. From mugs and teapots with removable infusers built in, to strainers, tea balls, t-sacs, and who knows what else – I find it’s easy to be confused when trying to come to a decision.

tea infuser
Stainless Steel Tea Infuser in Ball Shape

While the infuser mugs and teapots are convenient, many tend to come with ceramic infusers with larger holes, and when brewing smaller leaf tea, bits of leaf can creep in, and will need to be strained out anyway. If you like this idea, try to find an infuser teapot or mug with a mesh infuser for the best results.

Tea balls seem to present the image of a reusable t-sac – which is eco-friendly and seems fairly simple. However, I find these things awful to clean out. I think one’s intention is to “bang” them on the sink or trash can to remove the bulk of the leaves, and this tends to break either the clasp that holds it shut, or the hinge that holds it together. Either way, now you’ve got no way to infuse your tea – or, hopefully, you have a backup method you can move to.

teabag
T-sacs

Sure, brewing tea in a teapot is the way to go, but consider the necessities – this can be difficult to do at work, or could be a hassle if it’s just for a cup. Either way, once brewed in a teapot, the tea should be strained into a cup or mug. The metal is tight enough to catch the tea, with even the smallest leaves, and the tea leaves have the advantage of having much more room to unfurl and brew, and more room to circulate throughout the pot.

But how convenient are t-sacs? They are the greatest accessory a tea drinker could have! You can have one cup of this, and one cup of that – in any variation that you want. Consider how many more teas you can easily put into your own, personal teabag – rather than searching for appetizing blends already in teabags.

However you choose to go, consider your options – and the pros and cons of each, before deciding on a tea infuser. And, if you’re someone who likes variety, why not switch them up at your own discretion?

[Editor’s note: Our blog is chock full of great articles on this topic. Use our search feature to find them!]

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6 responses to “Tea Infusers”

  1. What are your thoughts on a pincher form mesh infuser ball? Theoretically it sounds great but I wonder if there are any down sides to one compared to one on a chain. I notice that “The English Tea Store” doesn’t carry the pincher form. I wondered if there was a reason for that, such as they aren’t worth trying.

    1. I don’t use either. The pincher form seems harder to fill. Not sure why ETS doesn’t carry them, though. They may not be “British” enough or maybe they didn’t sell well.

  2. Are these t-sacs made with any plastics in the paper?

    1. Not to our knowledge.

  3. I have an infuser that is a stick form. It was really neat at first because you can scoop the tea in with one end, and it falls to the other. But the holes were way too big and certain teas would leak out into the water.

    The mesh malls are the way to go.

    And after trying loose tea, I will never go back to bagged tea which is basically bottom of the barrel scrapings.

  4. Using a tea infuser makes me feel to be in the 18th century and enjoy those table manners that were lost with the time.

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