Tea Infusers
Written: 10/2006
We've previously looked at the best way to strain loose tea brewed in a teapot, (click here), but what about making a quick cup of tea with your favorite loose-leaf tea? One solution is infusers-perforated holders that contain the tea leaves while hot water is poured into the mug. We tested five different infusers and then matched the best against make-your-own teabags, our favorite method of managing loose-leaf tea in a teapot.
Infusers: Our infuser contestants were of various designs : perforated balls attached to a chain with a hook at the end (which holds onto the rim of a mug or pot); long-handled spoons that snap open and shut; a plunger variation of the spoon type (when the plunger is pressed, the two halves of the sphere at the other end slide apart); and a "teastick"-a cylinder with perforated ends that slide apart for loading. After brewing numerous mugs of tea, we discovered the following: a.. Holder size is important. Whatever its shape, the holder must be small enough to comfortably fit into the mug, allowing water to completely surround it. But it must be large enough to allow the tea leaves to fully expand-a crucial step to making a full-bodied cup of tea. As a rule of thumb, the leaves should only fill half of the container. b.. The perforations in the holder must be very small in order to keep leaves from leaking out. We like double-mesh surfaces. c.. The perforations should cover the entire holder surface. If only part of the holder is perforated, some leaves will not be sufficiently exposed to the hot water to expand. d.. The simpler the latch that holds the parts of the container together, the better. Fancy devices that slide apart to load or unload are difficult to clean, often trapping wet leaves between the two sections. Results: The Cha Chai Stainless Steel Double Mesh Snap Spoon Tea Infuser, met all the requirements listed above, winning our infuser matchup. We then tested it against our favorite make-your-own tea bag, the t-sac tea filter. We chose the make-your-own tea bag as the winner. It is the best all-around solution for flexibility and adaptability, as it can be comfortably used in any sized mug and can contain even the tiniest tea particles (which no other infuser did); and since it's disposable, cleaning isn't an issue.
Recommendations: The following list is in order of preference:
Best All-Purpose t-sac Unbleached Paper Tea Filters, $6.29 for 100 These chlorine- and bleach-free make-your-own tea bags can be used in either a mug or a pot (you can buy them in four different sizes). They have a long top flap that can be tucked in (like an envelope) to hold the tea leaves in place without tying, and the bottom of the bag is gusseted, allowing for expansion. The paper is untreated to eliminate any interference with taste.
Recommended: Cha Chai Stainless Steel Double Mesh Snap Spoon Tea Infuser, $3.29 The Cha Chai snap spoon was one of the few infusers that fit every size mug. The double mesh kept all but the tiniest particles out, the leaves expanded fully in the container, and it was easy to clean--just snap it open and shake.
Recommended with Reservations Norpro 2" Mesh Tea Infuser, $2.29 This fine-mesh ball is attached to a chain and hook. The container was big enough for all the leaves to bloom, it contained all but the tiniest residue, and it was easy to clean-the leaves just popped out. But the hook at the end of the chain was too small to catch on any mug edge,allowing the chain to be easily dragged into the mug.
Not Recommended WMF Tee-Ei Small Tea Ball with Screen, $5.99 The ample chain and hook on this round container neatly caught the rim of our mugs, but the container was too big to fit comfortably in some of our smaller (6-ounce) mugs, and the perforations did not extend around the entire surface. Some leaves didn't bloom due to limited water circulation. And the two sides of the container were tricky to lock together.
The Teastick by Gamilly, $15.99 According to the package, this is a "contemplative toy to gently rock as it infuses clouds of flavor before your eyes." Too bad the tea wasn't as flowery as the advertising copy-the tea leaves were so crowded in this cylindrical stick that they didn't fully expand. Some tea leaves also leaked out after the two sliding halves didn't seal correctly due to stuck leaves. The teastick was also hard to clean: The leaves stuck in the top end of the stick.
Bodum Tea Egg, $9.95 This infuser has a plunger at one end of the handle-one push and the two halves of the container slide apart. That worked well, but the sliding halves caused a number of issues. We needed a spoon to pry the wet leaves out of the container (they had stuck in the edges), and the ball was too big to fit in our smaller mugs.