Make sure you don't fill your mug to the brim, though, as the infuser will cause the water level to rise when you dunk it in for steeping. In fact, the best way to brew is by placing the infuser in an empty mug and pouring hot water directly over it. The long, flexible handle then lets you stir the infuser until the tea reaches your desired strength. Tea drinkers are geniuses. The latest infusers come with lids that keep loose leaf secure and can be used as a tray to avoid messy drips removing the leaves. Wings Our only complaint is that extra-fine tea leaves can clog the tiny holes — it’s rare, but it happens. Dishwasher-safe, however, it’s a cinch to clean. Design: We rated the overall design of these tea infusers on a one to five scale, with five being the best. Some aspects we considered were: the size of the infuser; how easily it opened and closed; how easily it could be placed in and taken out of a mug; the fineness of the mesh; and its aesthetic. Ease of use and reliability were prioritized over the way the infuser looked, but all of these details affected its design score. Tea infusers come in several types : balls, baskets, mugs, and spoons. Below, we’ve broken them down for you: Ball tea infusers

Another cool thing about tea infusers is the fact that you get to experiment with them and try out different things. You can buy different types of tea leaves and mix and match to your heart’s content. You can then record your results so you can find out new exciting infusions on your own. For instance, many people enjoy mixing herbs such as basil into their tea. Things to Consider When Buying a Tea Infuser Material quality Whether it’s for a cup, tumbler, or kettle, look for an infuser with heat-resistant wings or handles that stay cool and are easy to grasp. If you enjoy the entire tea ceremony and drink copious amounts of tea, a tea pot with an infuser gives you several cups at one go. (Though remove the infuser after five minutes or so, depending on your taste, otherwise the tea can taste bitter.) Another option is to dunk an infuser/reusable tea bag in your cup and you’re good to sip. OXO BREW Twisting Tea Ball Infuser: While we didn't mind the cool twist-to-open feature of this ball infuser, the number of leaves that escaped during steeping made it not worth it.The more space that tea leaves have to roam around inside the cup or pot while steeping, the better. This means large infusers are superior to small ones, as they disperse the flavors more evenly throughout the water. If possible, look for an infuser with a basket shape that fills up your entire mug. Does this mean tea balls are too small be effective? Nope! Even small tea balls produce a better result than most tea bags, since bagged tea is all too often filled with low-quality dust, fannings, and broken leaves. Those looking for a teapot with a built-in infuser can follow the same rule of thumb: a larger infuser likely means more flavor. Of course, the best way to brew tea would be for the leaves to swirl around freely and then be strained after steeping, but that is a messier and more time-consuming process than using an infuser. But, the tea ball never goes out of style. For this technique, use as much coarsely ground coffee that fits into your tea ball. There are multiple sizes out there. If you have a big tea ball for the brewing of a teapot, you will want to steep your coffee a bit longer. What makes Firebelly Tea's Stop-Infusion Travel Mug so unique is that it allows users to brew delicious tea without an infuser. Instead, tea leaves steep openly inside the mug, which is much better for diffusion, and a tea press is inserted to stop the infusion process. It works more like a French press than a traditional infuser bottle, and the difference shines through in the flavor, whether you're making hot tea or iced.

Using this technique of cold brew making will be great for a single serving of cold brew coffee. You will need to fill your tea filter bag with 20 grams of coarsely ground coffee beans for this technique.Whether they are meant for a single cup or a full teapot, infuser baskets are a simple and efficient brewing method. Look for ones that take up as much space as possible, as this will allow the tea to diffuse evenly throughout the water. Most have handles or arms that help them rest on top of your mug, while others fully submerge into the water. Another small difference to pay attention to is if it has a lid that also functions as a drip tray, as this is an especially handy feature. Expect infuser baskets to be more expensive than tea balls but still extremely affordable. While there are some cultures that appreciate a little bit of the leaf left over, many people simply have their tea clean with no particles at all. This ensures that you get the full taste of the tea without any nasty aftertaste or texture in your mouth. There are many ways to infuse tea, but to make a clean cup requires a specific set of tools, and tea infusers are one of them. You can experiment with your infusions That being said, I was less excited to use the Chefast infuser itself. I tested using a big mug, so I opted for the large infuser. While it held a good amount of tea and kept leaves from getting into the water, it took a while (and plenty of dipping it up and down on my end) to get it to steep enough. Next up is tapping 200 grams of cold water into a nice cup and adding your tea filter bag with your ground coffee. Leave the teabag in the cup for up to 12 hours. You now have a great-tasting cold brew coffee. Genuine Fred Manatea Tea Infuser: The Genuine Fred Manatea Infuser fell just short of being included on our list, mainly because its performance was inconsistent depending on the type of tea used. A green tea that we brewed had a lot of leaves slip through the filter and into the mug. The tea was drinkable and overall enjoyable, but the last few sips had too much sediment for our liking. Another minor shortcoming of the Manatea infuser is that its two silicone pieces are somewhat inconvenient to attach. While we can't fully recommend this infuser, some customers may enjoy its novelty aspect and could consider it as a gift idea. It just can't be counted on with every type of loose leaf tea.

Ball infusers have a perforated metal shell with an open bottom, allowing loose tea leaves to be added directly into the cup or pot of hot water. Basket tea infusersThat said, some experts suggest brewing herbal teas for five to seven minutes. A study points out that steep time directly influences the total polyphenol content (antioxidants such as catechins, theaflavins, tannins, and flavonoids) in a tea, and recommends that tea should be steeped for at least five minutes. Perhaps our only criticism is one that affects most basket infusers: depending on the type of tea and amount of water you use, the tea leaves can float toward the top of the infuser and may not fully submerge. This is one difference between a basket infuser and tea ball infuser; although, the former has the benefit of providing more space for tea leaves diffuse throughout the cup.