Confused About Infusers?

This article first appeared in the March-April 2020 issue of The Tea Life Style newsletter.

Tea infusers come in many shapes and sizes

Back in 2007, when I first began selling loose-leaf tea, I spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out what types of infusers I should offer for sale.  There are tons of different infusers on the market.  Some are quite utilitarian in shape and function, while others are humorous, whimsical or works of art—you might even have a vintage infuser handed down from a tea-drinking relative. 

The one thing that many tea infusers have in common is that they don’t work particularly well.

So, what makes an infuser "good"?

A good infuser should: 

• Contain tea leaves, spices, herbs, dried fruit etc., while still allowing water to reach them.  Most tea balls and novelty infusers fall short here, especially with Rooibos and some small-cut teas.  Some have holes too large to contain the tea leaves.  Others don’t have enough holes to allow water to circulate freely between the infuser and the teapot.

• Be large enough to allow the tea leaves to expand as they absorb the water.  Just as an over-loaded washing machine doesn’t do a very good job of washing clothes, an over-filled infuser doesn’t allow water to extract all of the flavor from the tea leaves.  Dry tea should not fill the infuser more than 1/3 full (and more space is even better), to allow for expansion as water is absorbed into the tea leaves.

• Be a good fit for the steeping vessel.  A tiny tea ball won’t hold enough tea leaves for a large pot of tea, and an infuser that is so large that it can’t fully submerge the loose tea is no good either.

• Be easy to handle.  Fine threads, tiny clasps, parts that don’t fit together well, and pincers that require strong hands to open and close-- all are frustrating for people with limited mobility, failing eyesight or painful joints.  And they’re not so great for people who are still half-asleep and grumpy, trying to make a morning cup of tea either.  Who wants to risk spilling their precious tea leaves?  It’s no wonder so many people choose tea bags.

• Be easy to empty and clean.  The same things that make it difficult to fill the infuser will make it difficult to empty and clean too. 

• Not impart any unwanted flavors to the tea.  I know many people who can tell when their tea came from a tea bag, and it isn’t necessarily because of the quality of the tea leaf.

Finum medium tea infuser

I’m not here to sell you a tea infuser, but I do want to share my favorite:  The Finum infuser baskets have been serving me daily, with countless trips through the dishwasher, for over 10 years.

There are alternatives to infusers and teabags: 

Some people prefer to steep the tea leaves loose in the teapot, and then pour the tea through a tea strainer into the teacup.  That works just fine if the tea will be poured as soon as it’s done steeping.  Any tea left in the teapot with the tea leaves will continue to steep, and can become bitter.

Disposable, fill-able tea bags are also an option. I like to use these to bring my favorite loose-leaf tea with me when traveling. These tea bags can be folded over or sealed using a clothes iron or a food saver bag sealer.

One option that I've not tried is a reusable cloth tea bag. The idea is that once the tea leaves are steeped, the bag can be removed from the cup or teapot, the leaves are dumped into the compost bin, the bag is washed and dried, and then it can be used again. Please let me know if you've used cloth tea bags, and what you think of them.

Some teapots have built-in strainer holes between the bowl and spout, which are intended to hold back the tea leaves when pouring.  I really don't like this feature, for a couple of reasons:

1. I don’t find those holes to be very effective, especially with rooibos or CTC tea, and depending on the teapot, it can be a bit of a nuisance to remove all of the tea leaves when cleaning.  I have purchased more than one used teapot that still had dried tea leaves stuck in the spout!

   
   

2. If all of the tea isn't decanted right away, meaning that you're going to drink the whole pot of tea, one cup at a time, the tea leaves will continue steeping in the pot while you drink your first cup of tea. Eventually, the tannin will leach out, creating a pot of bitter tea. Life is too short to drink bitter tea!

While many tea infusers are not particularly good at their intended purpose, I have an interesting collection of them. They may be silly, pretty, elegant, or very old. I keep them because they are good examples of art, even if they are lacking in engineering.