Most casual tea drinkers are familiar with standard tea-making tools such as teapots and tea mugs and cups. Simply heat up water and add it to your mug accompanied by your teabag of choice. But what about brewing loose leaf tea? That’s where the tea infuser comes into play. We’ve compiled a list of infusers to help you make a high-quality cup of your favourite tea!
What is a Tea Infuser?
A tea infuser is a teaware device designed to hold loose tea leaves for brewing and steeping. They’re placed directly in your cup or teapot. Some infusers have larger holes and need to be followed up with a strainer to remove tea with fine pieces. Tea infusers are typically made of mesh, metal materials, or silicone.
Different Types of Infusers
Tea Infuser Basket
The infuser basket is a convenient way to brew any loose tea or herbal infusion. The depth and width of infuser baskets allow for great flow-through and give the tea leaves the room needed to fully expand. You can expect leaves to expand between two to five times their dry size. The size of an infuser basket will allow the hot water to properly circulate around your tea leaves. Typically, the bigger the basket, the better the flavour of the tea will be. Baskets are a great choice for a tea infuser! The Minima Balance Tea Mug is a great beautiful mug with a removable infuser basket, perfect for brewing loose leaf teas.
Tea Ball Infuser
The Tea Ball Infuser is typically small and compact making them best suited for single-serve cups of tea. If you prefer to make larger batches of tea at once, these may not be for you. If you do choose a tea ball style infuser, look for ones that are oval-shaped, egg-shaped larger to allow the leaves to expand. The VIVA Infusion Tea Egg is a great option.
Silicone Tea Infuser
Silicone infusers are similar to the ball infusers. Keep in mind, the smaller the infuser, the less room for the leaves to expand. These infusers do add a fun twist on brewing tea. You can find these ones in all different colors and interesting shapes, from animals to scuba divers that mimic the look of something swimming in your cup! If you chose this infuser, make sure it’s BPA-free to reduce the risk of harmful chemicals.
Read also: Bodum vs Viva.
Infuser Teapots
Teapots with built-in infusers, like VIVA’s Infusion Teapot, are great for large brews, whether you consume a large amount of tea or enjoy serving tea to your guests. Make sure to look for a pot with a large tea filter to allow your leaves to expand for that perfect flavour! These are also great if you’re planning on making a batch of iced tea. Let the tea brew then, once it’s done brewing, throw it in a pitcher and cool in the fridge.
Travel Mug with Built-in Infuser
Travel mugs with built-in infusers are great for on the go! This option is a popular choice because of its simplicity and ease of use. Simply put your leaves in the infuser, add water, and hit the road. Some tea mugs also include a saucer that doubles as a lid to enhance the brewing process. Most of these travel mugs are dishwasher safe too, making clean-up quick and easy!
The brand new VIVA Recharge travel mug is currently live on Indiegogo. It offers complete steeping control on the go with a patented no-leak lid. It’s currently available in six refreshing colors you can find them in our coffee mugs collection. Check it out!
