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.
www.Fantes.com, http://fantes.com/tea_infusers.htm#paper#99091

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.
www.Fantes.com, #7615
http://fantes.com/tea_infusers.htm

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.
www.Fantes.com, #4473
http://fantes.com/tea_infusers.htm

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.
www.Fantes.com, #2927
http://fantes.com/tea_infusers.htm

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.
http://www.Fantes.com,#121797http://...a_infusers.htm

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.
www.surlatable.com, #456608
http://www.surlatable.com/common/google/search.cfm