Brewing your tea is a delightful ritual that allows the tea to develop more nuanced and richer flavours. That's why most tea lovers prefer brewing their tea in a strainer, instead of steeping traditional tea bags in a tea mug.
Using a strainer for brewing your tea is easy and convenient and can bring a touch of sophistication to your daily tea ritual. There are many elegant and functional designs to be found to suit different brewing preferences. Explore various designs and find your favourite tea bag strainer to add some fun to your tea ritual.
Types of Tea Strainers
Tea strainers come in various forms, ranging from classic ball infusers to modern teapots with built-in infusers. Choose a tea bag strainer to your taste and enjoy your cup of tea, stress-free.
Ball Infusers
Ball-infusers are small and compact, spherical strainers made typically from stainless steel. Their design is pretty simple and easy to use. They open via a clasp or hinge that allows you to fill one half with loose tea leaves before closing and steeping it in hot water.
When you submerge the strainer in the water, attach the chain or the handle to the edge of the mug so you can easily retrieve it once the brewing time is over. They are your best friend for brewing a single cup at home, at work or while travelling.
Basket Infusers
Basket infusers are larger, cylindrical tea strainers that fit inside a cup or teapot. They have typically fine mesh walls and a sturdy frame. The design provides more space for tea leaves to unfurl and release their flavours.
Most of these infusers come with a handle or hook that rests on the rim of the cup or teapot, which makes them easy to insert and remove. Their spacious design allows the tea leaves to fully expand and bring out the tea-specific flavours and aromas.
Tong Infusers
Tong infusers combine the functionality of ball infusers with the convenience of tongs. To open up the tea leaf strainer, squeeze the handles, and you’ll notice that one end of the infuser opens up. Fill it with tea leaves and then place it in the hot water.
They are so easy to use that preparing your tea is more than an enjoyable experience. Plus, the squeezable handles allow you to easily agitate the leaves for better flavour extraction if that's what you want to get from brewing your tea.
Just keep in mind that these strainers have a somewhat limited space which may not allow for the leaves to fully expand.
Teapots with Built-in Infusers
These teapots come with a built-in infuser that has a removable basket that fits inside the pot. The infuser is often made from stainless steel or fine mesh. This infuser is really an all-in-one solution. Simply fill the basket with loose tea leaves, insert it into the teapot and add hot water. Once the brewing is finished, simply remove the infuser basket and enjoy your tea.
The design of these infusers eliminates the need for separate strainers which simplifies the process of preparing the tea and cleaning afterwards.
Besides these most common types of tea strainers, you can also find strainers with intricate designs and unusual shapes such as novelty designs. They are quite unique strainers that are typically made from good quality materials such as stainless steel or polished zinc and are the perfect addition for those who seek an extra feel of sophistication and elegance.
Find Your Perfect Tea Strainer
Material
Tea strainers are made from different materials such as silicone, stainless steel, mesh or even ceramic. However, the most commonly used material is stainless steel because it’s most durable and highly restaurant to rust and staining. It’s ideal for brewing tea at high temperatures as it can withstand high temperatures without any problem.
Stainless steel is easy to clean by both hand or dishwasher, and it doesn’t retain odours or flavours from previous brews.
You can also notice how most of the strainers have mesh bottoms and that’s for a reason. The mesh provides fine filtration, preventing small tea particles from escaping into your cup. Mesh strainers are lightweight and easy to handle. However, you should know that they require delicate cleaning to avoid damage.
Size and Capacity
What strainer size you choose depends on how often you invite friends to your house for a cup of tea, whether you're a large family who loves to sip tea every day or you’re living solo.
Single-cup or tong strainers are great for individual servings and brewing a quick cup of tea. Consequently, you should buy larger strainers if more people are living in the house or if you simply want to optimise the flavour extraction to enjoy a richer tea experience.
Design and Aesthetic Appeal
It's amazing how much the design and aesthetic appeal of the tea strainer can influence the overall tea-drinking ritual. It’s good to have a practical and functional strainer, but it’s even better when the stranger is looking really beautiful and unique.
If you want unconventional-looking straners, you should definitely check out novelty designs. Their various playful designs allow you to find a strainer that reflects your personality just perfectly. They can surely make your tea time more enjoyable and expressive.