in cup infusions

snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote in news:1163028414.555334.141710 @h48g2000cwc.googlegroups.com:

As toci said, "If you like what you're doing..."

I generally place the loose tea in the (largish) infuser, place it on top of a pint mug, then brew my tea in that combination.

Ozzy

You might be able to get more out of your leaves if your mesh ball is big, or if you have another infuser of some kind that will allow your tea leaves to expand in the water. A common problem for the balls is that they are too small and the tea ends up not realizing their full potential.

But yes, if you like what you're doing, that's good enough ;)

MarshalN

Using a strainer like a mesh ball is a good approach to making tea. I prefer the strainer on the end of a spoon versus a chain. There are strainers that rests across the face of the cup. Almost any strainer will do. If you have access to a Chinatown you can buy the tea cup and lid with infuser which is a removeable basket for brewing for about $5. There are also cheap tea presses aka coffee presses where the strainer is on a plunger. The tea brews in the cylindrical pot with the plunger retracted and you use the plunger when ready to decant into a cup. If you use larger leaf teas you can drink 'off the top' ie tea remains in cup. The last couple of swigs might be a bit much so there is some waste. However usually this type of tea can handle another infusion and you can drink 'off the bottom' at some point. There is no correct place to start or finish when making tea with pots. My pot is a converted tea press. I remove the plunger handle and secure the strainer to the lid. The volume of the pot should equal what you drink in a cup. How the tea behaves in a pot basically determines how it taste in the cup. You'll end up using a 'pot' but the individual cup will work till you get there. The apparatus to make tea is important but in the end all teas taste different. I'd spend more money on different teas than investing in teaware.

Jim

snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote:

The problem is that the infusers pack the tea in too tightly and it does not get a chance for to diffuse out.

For a considerable improvement try a plastic mesh cup-infuser. The Republic of Tea sells something called the People's Brew Basket that you can find at a lot of supermarkets and tea vendors for a couple dollars. Upton's Tea will sell a fancier and slightly more expensive one. These things basically take up the whole cup, but allow you to pull all the leaves out easily.

There are plenty of other methods, but this one is a cheap and convenient one for making a single cup without having to worry about leaves in your cup or have any skill at removing the leaves.

--scott

snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com snipped-for-privacy@h48g2000cwc.googlegroups.com11/8 /06 18: snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com

Hi Andy,

I want to suggest that you invest in a small teapot of porcelain or stoneware, but it can be dirt cheap. Put your pinch of tea directly into the pot and use a small strainer when you pour into your cup to keep out unwanted bits.

Several reasons for this: First, you will have put to rest the problem of the tea bound and gagged in its metal mesh prison, giving it the opportunity to fully impart flavor to the water. Second, the leaves of many teas are quite beautiful swimming around in their teapot pond, but you miss that when you encase them. Personally, I find washing out a small teapot hardly more work than washing out an infuser.

Give it a try and see how you like it. What kind of tea do you normally drink?

BTW, for black teas, a level teaspoon per cup and one for the pot is as good a beginning as any, if this is news to you. And of course good hot water. Green teas are a completely different matter.

Michael

I'm a big fan of the People's brew baskets myself and have them at work and home for when I want a quick cup. They are nylon instead of metal like so many other strainers and that means a lot to me. They can also be washed in the dishwasher or in a bleach solution with no off tastes introduced. I still keep one for each type of tea (green, black, etc.). They are like $3-4 each and easy to find.

Highly recommended.

My other favorite way to enjoy a quick cup with a little more style is a 3-piece ceramic tea mug that includes the mug, a strainer that is also ceramic, and a lid that doubles as a coaster/holder for the strainer. They are quick, cheap, and conveinient. Just make sure the strainer is very large and deep and that it has holes on all sides including the bottom.

- Dominic

The thing is to let the leaves expand and swim about as freely as possible which a ball or spoon infuser won't do. A cup/mug/teapot-sized basket infuser is best if you don't brew loose in a teapot and use a strainer.

To continue brewing in your cup or mug, I recommend something like the Teeli/Finum (same product under different names) because the mesh is fine enough to contain the smallest leaf particles, it has tabs which aid in removal, and a lid that both helps retain the heat while steeping and doubles as a drip tray afterwards. SwissGold and Chatsford basket infusers for cups and mugs are just as good. Chatsford mugs come with mug, lid, and basket or you can get the basket alone from Upton's.

The People's Brew Basket was the first basket infuser I bought. I took an immediate dislike to it and started trying others because it requires prying out of the cup and leaf particles tend to get stuck in the seams. It's harder to clean than my Teeli, Chatsford, and SwissGold baskets. I keep it only because the mesh is fine enough to contain rooibos and because it's the only one that fits into a tumbler that I avoid using for travel anyway, preferring to use a different travel mug with a Teeli basket.

When you decide to invest in a teapot, I suggest a Chatsford or one that comes with a similar basket because it's easier to control the steep, and remove and save the leaves between brews. If you use a standard cup and think it likely you'll get a 2-cup Chatsford pot in the future, consider getting a replacement basket to use as a cup infuser now. That way, you'll save a bit of money and will already have a spare basket on hand when you get the pot - very handy when switching from one tea to another before the leaves are spent. If you use a mug and anticipate getting a 4-cup Chatsford pot (the best size, IMO, for tea-lovers, allowing you to have one pot suitable for you alone as well as to share with a guest), go ahead and get the 4-cup replacement basket to use in your mug, now.

HTH.

But, check first to insure that it will fit into your mug since mugs have various volumes, shapes, and sizes.