Tea infusers

I prefer loose tea.  The taste is richer and fuller.

But how do you brew it?

You can buy yourself a “tea ball” infuser for brewing a cup.  Here’s a nice picture on a wikipedia article.  Or you can buy a larger infuser (sometimes called a tea basket or tea filter) that fits in the pot.  Some teapots come with their own matching infuser.  These bigger infusers are nice because the whole idea behind loose tea is that the hot water can flow and swirl around the tea leaves so they can unfurl and move around to impart their flavor.  I have a few “workhorse” tea pots that I have for daily use and all come with their own infusers.

The infusers are nice because you can just remove it and the tea leaves once you’re done brewing but if you really want to go true to form put the tea leaves right in the pot and brew.  There are some very lovely strainers made just for tea brewed in the pot that you hold or place over your cup — or just pour slowly.  If you have any tea leaves that escape the pot into your cup, just learn how to read them!  Brewing in the pot is good when you’ve got a large party that will quickly drink the tea or you run the risk of overbrewing your tea.  Another solution is to brew in one pot and then pour it into another pot to serve.

You can find all kinds of strainers and infusers on Amazon.