->

->

Strainer & Infuser

A silver metal infuser or strainer with loose leaf black tea

Strainer & Infuser

Tea strainers and infusers are used to separate the leaves from the tea when steeping loose leaf tea. They come in many different options such as tea ball, tea bag, mesh infuser, tea pot with infuser or strainer, tea pot with coiled spout filter and French press.

No items found.

No items found.

Table of Contents

A silver metal infuser or strainer with loose leaf black tea

No items found.

No items found.

No items found.

Tea ball

Tea balls come in different shapes and sizes and are easy to find and use. But even the biggest ones are relatively small and limit the taste of the tea.

For the tea to get its taste the water needs to get in contact with the leaves and the leaves need to unfold. But inside a tea ball the tea is trapped and the water only reaches the outer part of the leaves. This results in a weaker taste and wasted tea on the inside that never got brewed.

A tea ball should be used with small leaf grades and only be filled half-ways.

Tea bag

Empty tea bags usually come in small, medium and large sizes.

These bags are more environmentally friendly than regular tea bags. They are usually made of recycled paper and contain no plastic contrary to most prefilled tea bags, which often contain plastic.

The bigger sized bags are good for brewing large leaf teas or brewing in a big pot. Smaller sizes are used directly in the cup or mug.

Mesh infuser

Mesh infuser are similar to empty tea bags and can be washed and used multiple times. They have a good amount of space for the tea to float around and can be used for multiple steeps.

When used a lot, especially with black tea, it will get stains and discolored.

A mesh infuser with a lid on top prevents a lot of aroma escaping and it can be used to put on the infuser between brews. Mesh infusers are best when used directly in the cup.

Two variants of mesh tea infusers — Two variants of a mesh infuser

Tea pot with infuser or strainer

There are tea pots with built-in infusers or strainers. Some have a strainer built-into the spout and will keep the leaves in the pot while pouring. Other have a built-in infuser that can be removed.

Tea pot with coiled spout filter

Tea pots can also be equipped with a coiled spout filter. This is more common on glass tea pots and also comes in different sizes, from 150-1200 ml. The coiled wire in the spout stops the leaves when pouring and keeps them in the pot.

Glass teapot with coiled spout filter — 200 ml glass tea pot with coiled spout filter

French press

A french press is used for coffee more often but can be used for tea as well. The leaves are put directly into the container and can be used for multiple brews. The container is easy to clean.

Further Reading

Continue learning with related articles

Tea leaf of the camellia sinensis plant

Tea Classification

Classification is the practice of grouping teas by similarities in the production process to understand relations, similarities and differences. Tea can be categorized in many ways, the most prominent way being the six tea types. In the tea world, terms are often used inconsistently and interchangeably which can be confusing. At Steeped we use the following classification terms:

Loose leaves of black tea.

Black tea is a highly oxidized type of tea. It is higher oxidized than Oolong, yellow, white and green tea giving the leaves a dark color and the brew a strong flavor. The tea has its origin in East and Southeast Asia, with both the variety sinensis and assamica being used to make it. The western term black tea refers to the color of the oxidized leaves. Black tea is known as hong cha in Chinese which translates to red tea. It was named red tea because of the color of the liquid. Black tea should not be confused with dark tea which is a post-fermented tea called Hei Cha in Chinese which translates to black tea.

Loose leaves of green tea.

Green tea is a very lowly oxidized type of tea, unlike oolong and black teas which go through an oxidation process. Leaves of Camellia sinensis var. Sinensis are better suited for producing green tea than those from Camellia sinensis var. Assamica which are usually used to make black tea. Originating in China, production spread out into other areas of Eastern Asia. There are many styles of green tea that differ substantially in flavor, leaf look, and production process. Green tea is a type of tea with the highest antioxidant properties. There are many research studies on its health effects, but there is little evidence showing any effects on people's health.

Loose leaves of white tea.

White tea is one of the most recent tea types out there. It is the *least processed* tea type and has only been lightly oxidized. But just because of that, it does not necessarily mean that it is simple in taste. In fact, the processes it goes through are very meticulous and important for its taste development. Its production center is in China, especially in the *Fujian* province. In the last few years the production areas of white tea are increasing thanks to its gaining popularity.

Tie guan yin loose leaf oolong tea balls on bamboo basket

Oolong tea is a semi-oxidized type of tea ranging from approx. 10 to 80% oxidation. Being more oxidized than green tea and less oxidized than black tea it is often describes as an in-between type of tea. Due to the great range of oxidation, oolong teas have a widely varying flavor profile including sweet, fruity, honey, woody, thick, roasted, green and fresh notes. The leaves undergo the most complex production process of all tea types. It includes plucking opened buds, withering under the sun, bruising to start and heating to stop the oxidation, shaping into a strip or half-ball shape, drying and roasting. Originating in China, many oolong styles, especially ones from the Wuyi mountains, hold the Chinese famous tea title.