Here's why you should add a tea strainer, infuser or tea ball to your tea habit

Despite the fact that tea strainer use has declined with mass production of the tea bag, it is still preferred amongst tea connoisseurs who claim that keeping the leaves packed in a bag, rather than freely circulating, inhibits diffusion. Many also assert that inferior ingredients, namely dust-quality tea fannings, are often used in tea bags. With tea culture on the rise again, quality loose leaf teas are seen as the only way to truly enjoy a wonderful cup of tea.

A Short History

The Chinese have been brewing tea for millennia. Loose tea leaves are either placed in a cup and filled with hot water then drunk using the lid of the cup to hold back floating tea leaves or when made using the Gong Fu style, brewed tea is poured through a tea strainer. Many modern Chinese tea drinkers use mugs or tea bottles with built in tea infusers wherein the same tea leaves are used and brewed several times throughout the day by adding hot water.

The British, on their end, invented tea infusers, which became very popular towards the latter part of the 19th century leading into the early 20th century. Some were made large enough to prepare a whole pot of tea, others were small one-cup infusers, deliberately designed to fit nicely into a standard sized teacup. With the industrial revolution, mass production became fairly easy. Tea infusers were mass produced till they became a very common household item.

By 1910, the teabag was invented, by accident. A tea merchant named Thomas Sullivan shipped tea in small silk muslin bags. The tea was supposed to be removed from the bags, but customers soon found that it was much simpler to dunk the teabag into boiling water. The result was a no-mess, no-tea leaves beverage which was the beginning of the decline of the tea infuser.

Teabags generally contain tea fannings and not whole tea leaves but rather what is left over after high quality whole leaves are collected and packed. While you can buy some teabags that have whole leaf tea inside, the majority of teabags today are still packed with fannings.

With the current rise in popularity of Oriental teas and their introduction into Western markets, people are once again turning to the infuser. Chinese teas are usually sold as loose, whole leaf teas. The leaves are dried and compressed, but when placed in water they expand rapidly and unfurl as the tea is being brewed.

Tea Strainer

When tea is brewed in a teapot, the tea leaves are freely suspended in the water. As the leaves themselves are not consumed with the tea, it is usual to filter them out, oftentimes with a tea strainer. Strainers catch the leaves as the tea is poured.

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Tea Infuser - Tea Ball - Brew Basket

A tea infuser, on the other hand performs a similar function as a tea bag. The infuser is generally a small mesh or perforated metal container. One style of infuser is a split sphere with tong-like handles to open its mesh container.

Other common shapes for infusers include spherical, conical and cylindrical or fun, fancy shapes, sometimes called tea balls, brew baskets or novelty infusers. Most tea balls have a chain on them, with a clip attached to the chain. You use the clip to clip the tea ball to the side of the tea pot or mug. You use the chain to lower and fish the tea ball out with when the tea is steeped to the desired strength. Most tea balls have matching small shallow saucers that you are supposed to rest them in afterwards, for example at a table.

Modern technology and new materials have also given rise to tea infusers in all shapes, sizes and materials. Discovering the cute, crafty, kitschy and collectible is part of the fun when going tea shopping.

French Press

Another common way to brew loose leaf tea is with a French Press. Most teas are infused only for a limited time and then removed from the water so that the drink does not become too strong or bitter. A French Press does also give you the flexibility to brew tea or coffee using the same pot.