I just tried using tea sacs for the first time this weekend. This has
got to be the easiest way yet that I have found to prepare loose tea.
I paid $6 for 100 pot-size sacs at a local tea shop. I've seen them
cheaper on a few websites, but the postage would offset the savings.
Does anyone know of a good source to get them at a better price? I'd
be willing to buy them in bulk if necessary. $6 for 100 is not an
unreasonable price, but I am using them for my Lipton Yellow Label, the
only loose tea I have onhand right now. I hate to sound like a
cheapskate, but it does bother me slightly that the sacs cost as much
as the tea did. So if anyone knows where I can get a good deal, I'd be
most appreciative.

Seems like a pretty good deal. I use cup sized unbleached filters from
somebody or other that I get at the local co-op. Maybe 3 bucks for 40.
Since I resteep a couple times, I don't think I've ever needed more
than 40 in a month. Not a big deal to me.

Pat wrote:
I just tried using tea sacs for the first time this weekend. This has
got to be the easiest way yet that I have found to prepare loose tea.

While they are not overpriced or that costly, you would be much better
off with an in-mug infuser basket. I bought mine from a local bookstore
for about $3.00. It is a nylon mesh basket that fits inside your cup
and rests around the rim of the cup, and I believe it is made by
Republic of Tea. It allows the tea to fully expand with no restriction
and can be used over and over. I use them at home and at work and they
are IMO the best option. Might want to check it out... If I find a link
online I'll post it.

- Dominic
Drinking: Getting ready to brew some Oolong

Dominic T. wrote:
Dominic T. wrote:
If I find a link online I'll post it.

Finally! I found it! It is called "The People's Brew Basket" it is made
out of "Polymesh" (which is why all my searches for nylon/plastic
turned up nothing.) I'm not promoting this online store/seller, they
were just the first link I found with a good picture and description.

http://www.herbalremedies.com/brew-basket.html

For $3-4 it really can't be beat.

- Dominic
Hi Dominic,
I absolutely think the easiest most money saving way (especially if you
drink just a cup of some particular tea,) is this little mesh basket
you are talking about. I love it!!! I found it at Whole foods and some
places they sell ROC.I actually have 2 and keep tea leaves in each so I
can change around brew many times or just toss the used tea when your
done. Clean Easy. Thats my 2 cents for then day!
Jenn

Dominic T. wrote:
Dominic T. wrote:
If I find a link online I'll post it.

Finally! I found it! It is called "The People's Brew Basket" it is made
out of "Polymesh" (which is why all my searches for nylon/plastic
turned up nothing.) I'm not promoting this online store/seller, they
were just the first link I found with a good picture and description.

http://www.herbalremedies.com/brew-basket.html

For $3-4 it really can't be beat.

- Dominic

If I could find something like that for my teapot, I would get one. I
have a Bodum Assam press, which I don't use much anymore because it's a
bit cumbersome to clean. My favorite teapot - the only one that
doesn't drip - has a very wide mouth - the lid is the width of the
entire pot, if that makes sense. So it would be hard to find an
infuser that would fit into it.

Pat wrote:

If I could find something like that for my teapot, I would get one. I
have a Bodum Assam press, which I don't use much anymore because it's a
bit cumbersome to clean. My favorite teapot - the only one that
doesn't drip - has a very wide mouth - the lid is the width of the
entire pot, if that makes sense. So it would be hard to find an
infuser that would fit into it.

Two comments:

1. The Chatsworth pots don't drip, and are available with internal
infusers. I highly recommend them. I use a vitrified hotelware
Chatsworth and have had it for twenty years now. It's hard to damage,
does what a teapot should, and is easy to clean.

2. If you take one of the standard baskets and you cement two bamboo
rods to it (say, cut off chopstick ends), it will fit nicely in a
wide-mouth pot.
--scott


--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Scott Dorsey wrote:
It CAN be beat, because the one that Upton's sells for about the same
price seems to be more rugged.

But the People's Brew Basket is available from anyone who carries
Republic of Tea products. In the southeast, that means if you need
one on short notice, you can get it off the shelf at a Fresh Market.
This is very handy.

Sure, there are others... just that this one works well and is easy to
get a hold of inexpensively. As for ruggedness... it is just a tea
infuser. Mine goes through the microwave daily at work, gets abused as
much as a tea infuser can I guess, and it has not failed me.

As for the Teapot, I'm not sure, how wide is the mouth of it? The brew
basket is exactly as wide as a standard coffee mug. I'm sure some quick
addition could make it work, such as the chopstic suggestion or even
just gluing three "tabs" in a triangle pattern that would extend the
lip of the basket.

- Dominic

Pat wrote:
I just tried using tea sacs for the first time this weekend. This has
got to be the easiest way yet that I have found to prepare loose tea.
I paid $6 for 100 pot-size sacs at a local tea shop. I've seen them
cheaper on a few websites, but the postage would offset the savings.
Does anyone know of a good source to get them at a better price? I'd
be willing to buy them in bulk if necessary. $6 for 100 is not an
unreasonable price, but I am using them for my Lipton Yellow Label, the
only loose tea I have onhand right now. I hate to sound like a
cheapskate, but it does bother me slightly that the sacs cost as much
as the tea did. So if anyone knows where I can get a good deal, I'd be
most appreciative.


I would highly recommend a permanent filter, there's a few that filter
very well with little to no sediment passing through (and enough room
for the leaves to unfurl at the bottom of the cup/pot, depending on how
much tea you're using). SpecialTeas sells a couple of sizes, the bigger
goes in my larger 16oz mug (it says it's designed for pots):

http://www.specialteas.com/Permanent...ct_detail.html

Or there's a size for smaller mugs and pots:

http://www.specialteas.com/Permanent...ct_detail.html

I've had 2 of them for about 2-3 years, and they're still in great shape.

Justin

Justin wrote:
I would highly recommend a permanent filter, there's a few that filter
very well with little to no sediment passing through (and enough room
for the leaves to unfurl at the bottom of the cup/pot, depending on how
much tea you're using). SpecialTeas sells a couple of sizes, the bigger
goes in my larger 16oz mug (it says it's designed for pots):

While I agree on the permanent filter, I personally don't like metal of
any sort to come in contact with my tea or water. That's the reason I
choose the polymesh basket over the metal filters. I'm sure they work
fine though and more sturdy.

- Dominic

T-Sac products are available at Sur la Table, for about $4.95 per box
of 100.

I prefer them to reusable infusers in office situations because I can
just throw the whole bag away and get on with things, and don't have to
deal with going from my desk back to the office kitchen to rinse out
the infuser.

--Blair

My teapot is similar to this one, except that mine is a larger, 6-cup
pot. You can see why it would be difficult to find an infusion basket
to fit:

http://tinyurl.com/7ezvp

As for the metal issue, my teapot is stainless steel and so is my
kettle I have never noticed a metallic taste to my tea. All of my
relatives in Ireland use stainless steel teapots, and believe me, there
is nobody more fussy about their tea than the Irish. I've never heard
of anyone not using a metal teaspoon for fear of tainting the taste of
the tea. I actually like the stainless steel pot because it keeps the
tea hot longer, and because I don't have to worry about breaking it
when I clean it. I have an entire collection of ceramic teapots with
no lids.

The only time I've ever noticed a metallic taste to my tea was several
years ago when I tried using one of those perforated tea eggs. That
left a very distinct metallic taste. It also did not allow for
sufficient water circulation around the leaves, so I only used it a
couple of times.