Tea Infusers | What I have Learned

Tea Infusers | What I have Learned

I feel like a tea hoarder sometimes. I just buy a lot of tea, make a lot of tea, and store a lot of tea. But over the years I have acquired a lot of other tea accessories as well. Particularly, tea infusers. Currently, I have 3 large teapots with infusers built in, some metal infusers, silicon animal infusers, cloth bag infusers, disposable bag infusers…the works. But with trying out so many strainers, I really have seen what works and what doesn’t. So, in this post I am explaining what I like about the infusers, maybe what I would change, and anything that just did not work. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links which means I might get compensated for posting such links (but I only put links to the infusers I really like or have a very small and specific problem).

The Best Infusers: Top 3

By far, my favorite is the teapot infuser. I generally will make a large pot of tea and then keep returning to the pot throughout the day and make a double or triple steeping. In our house, we have the 24-ounce and a 45-ounce version of the FORLIFE Curve Teapot with Infuser. My sister got each of her bridesmaids one of these teapots as a thank you for being in the wedding party! The reason I like it more than my other glass teapot infuser is because of its insulated top and the actual infuser part can come out without affecting how the top will go on the teapot. That way I do not have to worry about oversteeping the tea and the tea actually stays warm for longer!

My next favorite is a certain type of metal infuser, the Yoassi Tea Infuser. I rarely run into problems with these infusers, the only one is usually regarding its size. This infuser has enough capacity to actually allow you to make a large teapot of tea if the teapot does not have its own infuser. I use it also for making tea in Tervis or Yeti cups when I am making tea on the go and need to make some loose-leaf fast. It is pretty easy to just pour a teaspoon of leaves in the infuser instead of trying to jam it into a sealed, smaller infuser.

The last favorite infuser that I own is the Tovolo TeaGo Tea Infuser. I must seem like I just make pot after pot of tea each day, but I use this one in my smaller teapots. I have one that has a smaller opening that the Yoassi infuser is not able to fit into, but this infuser fits perfectly well and the pores are small enough that the leaves do not end up floating around when I am done steeping. You also can press down the leaves after steeping so you get all of the beautiful colors and flavors.

My Thoughts on Other Infusers I Own:

So those are my top three, but what about the other infusers I own? I honestly have a lot of opinions on many of them. For instance, the silicon Manatee and Umbrella infuser. Cute? Yes. Practical? Not at all. I found that they did not infuse the teas well at all, I had to try and squeeze out the flavor of the leaves (which resulted in me burning my hands). For whatever reason, the pores of the infuser did not allow the color or flavor of the leaves to really mix into the water. It left a lot to be desired really, I have given away most of them that I had bought on Amazon. They would be fine for someone who just needs an infuser and doesn’t necessarily care. However, it did not work for me and I was sad.

But others are somewhat practical based on what tea leaves you are using. Both the cloth bags and disposable infuser bags work just like normal tea sachets which could make traveling easier if you have a commute in the morning or just for general use. Many loose leaf tea companies will include infuser bags with their teas. What are your guys’ thoughts on them? Do you like them? Love them? Let me know!

My last genre includes the rest of my metal infusers. They work, but I find that I personally do not use them as much. I have a Heart-Shaped Tea Infuser. I like using it because of its long handle, but I can only use fine or small tea leaves with it. This is due to the leaves expanding. This is the same problem I encounter with the Teapot Shaped Tea Infuser. Works fine with small leaves, but larger tea leaves would be more difficult. Both infuse well with the right-shaped leaves.

I find that most metal infusers work really well, but there are always the few that just do not meet expectations. This is the case with the ball-shaped and the cylinder infuser. Both have flaws that do not make them the best. The ball-shaped one has space where it connects which makes the tea leaves float out and the cylinder one has huge pores which make the teas also float out.

Alright! That was a rundown of my personal stash of infusers. Some are good, some are mostly good, and some just are not practical. What is your favorite infuser? Let me know in the comments! Do you use one? Have you ever had the same experiences with some infusers?

Happy Brewing!

-Danielle

7 thoughts on “Tea Infusers | What I have Learned

  1. As a rule of thumb, I think the more room the leaves have to expand, the better the tea infuser or the teapot. I personally can’t go back to disposable tea bags after using a Japanese teapot (kyusu) with a wide built-in infuser. Best of all infusers is… no infuser! Simply using a strainer to remove the leaves from the tea.

    1. I should try using no infuser more often, but many times I am making tea a few minutes before leaving so an infuser is more practical in my case! And I agree that tea leaves need more room to expand for the full potential of the leaves. That is why I like the Yoassi infuser, it just really allows the leaves to fully infuse! Thank you for your comment!

  2. If I’m not steeping directly in a teapot or gaiwan, I use basket infusers the most. But if I’m steeping something small like rooibos (or if I’m feeling lazy, truthfully lol) I’ll use tea filters so leaves don’t go through!

  3. I have to admit I have one of those balls and end up with bits of tea in the bottom of my cup. Usually I don’t mind too much but if I used a very fine tea I find myself refiltering the tea to get rid of the bits before serving.

  4. I find that methods of Brewing tea is such a personal choice. I find that people always try to correct others on what is the right or wrong way to brew tea- most of those people saying that using infusers is wrong- but at the end of the day- it depends on what you like. I don’t have the time to appreciate Gaiwans or Japanese teapots. For me, since I’m always on the go I will use metal tea balls or disposable bags. I appreciate more traditional ways, but in reality it’s kind of hard to find time to grew with gaiwans and teapots… that’s why I’ll always be found using metal infusers. Love your thoughts and opinions.

Leave a Reply to Michelle Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *