Tea is a popular beverage such that today almost every home has a teapot. The teapot is not just a requirement but a necessity. It comes in different types, some with a built-in infuser while some don’t. So, it makes us wonder, is an infuser crucial for a teapot?
Infusers allow steeping of tea leaves, without making the water cloudy. They also keep the tea pot cleaner and slightly reduce staining. While some teapots come with inbuilt infusers, a lot of tea pots come without one. If you are a tea enthusiast who uses loose tea leaves for preparing their tea, a teapot with an infuser is more helpful. However, if you like to prepare your tea in a separate vessel, you would not need an infuser in your teapot.
These days, a huge variety of infusers are available in the market. You can find them in various shapes, sizes and materials. They all serve a different purpose and can enhance an individual’s experience to a huge extent.
Keep on reading to find out more on infusers and how they help in steeping tea.
What is a tea infuser?
A tea infuser is a perforated or mesh based device which allows “infusing” the flavors of tea in hot water. Infusers function as the device that allows the tea leaves to unfurl and brew properly by being completely immersed in water, without spillage of loose leaves into the cup. It practically works similar to tea bags for dry tea leaves. Infusers come in different shapes and styles. Most common ones are ball infusers, snap ball infusers, basket infusers and spoon infusers.
An infuser can hold dry tea leaves, herbs or flowers in it in it. The holes in the mesh allow the water in the pot or mug to come in contact with the tea leaves. At the same time, the mesh holds the leaves or herbs within itself. These days, infusers that can be attached to cups or pots are also available.
Why are infusers used?
Tea infusers are used to brew tea due to the following reasons:
- Allow brewing: The infuser, containing the herbs or tea, can be placed in pots or cups with hot water. It is then allowed to rest for a couple of minutes. This allows the tea or herbs to brew in the hot water.
- Keep leaves out: The infuser can be placed within the cup or teapot while still holding the flavorings and leaves in place.
- Weight helps with the brew: While if you simply add tea leaves and then strain your tea, the leaves will keep floating on the surface, not allowing them to brew effectively. The weight of the infuser “drowns” the leaves to the bottom. This allows the leaves to release their flavor better.
- Help dissolving: The tea infusers can be swirled around in the tea cup or pot. This allows the flavors to distribute evenly in the water. So before you carefully take the infuser out, gently swirl it inside the vessel or cup to get a more even taste.
- Portable: Infusers are normally very small and portable which adds to their utility. This allows tea lovers to enjoy their tea on the move. The infusers can simply be put in a carry on mug or a bottle.
Does a teapot need an infuser?
Not necessarily, teapots may or may not have infusers. Teapots can be accompanied by a removable infuser, though that is not always necessary. It really comes in handy if you have to prepare large amounts of tea at one go. As we know that infusers allow brewing without spilling the leaves, they work really well with teapots. In the end, just take the infuser out.
Infusers are available in all sizes. Based on the size of your teapot and the amount of tea you like making, you may buy bigger infusers. If an infuser is there in your teapot, you can simply add the leaves and allow the tea to brew. So, if your teapot doesn’t have one, you can always use a separate infuser, depending upon the size of the tea leaves, since a smaller one for larger tea leaves would not allow proper seeping of the leaves. It will thus result in lesser flavorsome tea than it should be.
What is the difference between a tea infuser and a tea strainer?
- Tea infuser
Tea infuser is a tool that allows brewing of herbs or leaves in your tea. Generally, a tea infuser is an immersible, a ball or cup-shaped device. The infuser should immerse fully in hot water. It is also allowed to rest in hot water for some time to allow brewing. As the water circulates through the tea leaves, it allows the flavor of the tea to seep into the water. In the end, the infuser is taken out, the leaves come out along with the infuser. However, sometimes, very small leaves or particles may percolate into water.
- Tea strainer
Tea strainers is a tool to clear your tea of the herbs and leaves. It is normally made to sit on the cup’s rim. As one pours brewed tea into the cup, the tea strainer holds onto the loose leaves as retentate. It thus prevents the leaves from making their way into the cup of tea.
Besides, a tea strainer is suitable for situations when there is a requirement to prepare a large quantity of tea and simultaneously serve it. Also, a tea strainer goes well with that tea that doesn’t get bitter if infused in the pot for long.
What does a tea infuser look like?
Tea infusers come in a plethora of materials, shapes and sizes. These days, infusers are available in metal and silicon. You cannot just brew tea, but prepare detox water, or flavored water by simply placing the fruits, vegetables or herbs in the infuser.
Some of the commonly available ones are:
- Ball Infusers: Ball tea infusers are usually round, available in the shape of a ball, fastened with a chain or a long handle.
- Basket Infusers: Basket infusers are similar to ball infusers, in the sense that they come with a handle or a chain attached for retrieval. They are in the shape of a basket, instead of a ball and are usually bigger in size.
- Teapot Infuser: Teapots with inbuilt infusers are pretty common. The infuser can be permanently attached or detachable from the teapot.
- Spoon Infuser: They are normally used for small amounts of tea as they cannot hold large amounts of herbs or tea leaves. Primarily made in metal where the mesh is attached to a handle.
- Mug Infusers: Travel mugs are available with inbuilt and detachable infusers. They allow tea lovers to brew or prepare flavored water on the move.
How do you use an infusion teapot?
A tea infuser is used in a manner similar to a tea bag. The difference being, you need to add tea leaves or herbs and you also need to clean the strainer. Rest of the process is quite similar. Let’s look at it.
- Ensure that the teapot and tea infuser are clean
The infuser must be clean. It should not have any residue from previous uses. Otherwise, the taste may be impacted. Even worse, it can be a health hazard under certain circumstances.
- Go for the right type of water
The type of water will impact the flavor of your tea. Don’t use distilled or hard tap water. Distilled water can make your tea flat while, hard water will ruin its delicate taste. So, always choose bottled spring water for your tea.
- Set the water temperature
A proper water temperature is quintessential for your tea. Too hot water will ultimately ruin the taste and make it bitter. If colder than required, the tea leaves won’t steep as they should, resulting in a lesser infusion. Thus, ensuring that the temperature of water is in accordance with the kind of tea you are making is crucial.
- Warm your teapot
Warm or preheat your teapot so that it will retain the temperature while steeping.
- Put the tea leaves into the infuser
Choose an appropriate infuser and pour the tea leaves into it. For those with large broken tea leaves like black tea, a tea ball will be good. While, for unbroken leaves like that white tea or Ti Kwan Yin, infusing baskets will serve the best.
Place the infuser into the preheated teapot and add hot water. Cover the teapot with a saucer.
- Let the tea steep
Steeping time decides how strong your tea will be. It is different for different types of tea and varies from 1-5 min. While some need longer time to steep, some become bitter when allowed to steep for longer durations.
Enjoy your tea! Later, clean the infuser.
Note: If you were using a spoon, ball or basket infuser and steeping in your cup instead of a teapot, you must take it out before having your tea. Be careful when you do that, because just like with tea bags, water drips out of infusers.
How do you clean an infuser?
It is not very difficult to clean an infuser. Just follow the below steps:
- Ensure that the infuser is empty: Clear the contents of the infuser into a bin or into your compost bin. Make sure it is empty. Since the infusers have numerous holes, tea may get stuck in these small holes. For your infuser to be clean, it is key to inspect it thoroughly and ensure that nothing is stuck in it. While this may sound like a task, it usually takes a few seconds.
- Allow water to run through it: Simply allow some water to run through it to clear off any deposits it may have on the surface or around the pores.
- Throw it in the dishwasher: Majority of the infusers available in the market are dishwasher safe. If your infuser is also dishwasher safe, simply allow your dishwasher to do the rest of the job for you.
- Use a dishwashing liquid: If your infuser is not dishwasher safe, use dishwashing liquid and a sponge to clean any deposits that are present on it.
- Baking soda and vinegar: If your infuser has a lot of hard deposit that dishwashing liquid is not able to clean, you can use a mixture of baking soda and vinegar. Mix one part of vinegar with one part baking soda. Using a sponge, apply this on the mesh and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. Then scrub using a scrubber. The deposit should come out.
- Rinse thoroughly: After you have rinsed, no amount of cleaning agent or or deposit should be left on the the infuser.
- Let it air dry: Leave it out on your drying rack or any suitable clean and dry place to air dry.
How can you steep loose tea without an infuser?
There are numerous ways by which you can seep your favorite tea without an infuser.
Try the Gaiwan method
- It involves a large ceramic bowl with a lid, a top and a saucer at the base. Since a Gaiwan is a traditional Chinese vessel for steeping tea, it is not something one can readily have at home. However, we can replicate its functioning.
- All you need is a small bowl or a mug with a wide top and a saucer.
- Pour the tea leaves into the bowl, add water into it, and allow it to steep.
- Then, strain the tea using the lid by nudging the saucer to the side to have a small opening between the bowl and the teapot or mug and pour it into the pitcher.
- If you believe that the leaves can be reused, repeat the process. The reuse would depend on the type, quantity and quality of the tea leaves.
Use a coffee filter
- Place the coffee filter in a sieve and place it into the mug.
- Add loose tea leaves and very slowly pour water in a circular motion onto them.
- Let it brew as per the taste requirement.
Try with a sieve
- Add loose tea leaves into a mug or any other suitable vessle and pour hot water into it.
- Let it brew. Then pour the tea through a sieve for filtering into another mug.
The French press method
- Open the top of the French press and add the loose tea leaves into the container.
- Pour hot water and put its top back, ensuring the plunger is right at the top.
- Let it brew. Then slowly press the plunger, ensuring no tea leaves are on the top of the jug.
- Then pour the tea into a mug.
Get your teabag ready
- Cut out a muslin cloth into a square of around 3×3 inches.
- Add the loose tea leaves into the tea bag and tie or sew the corners to close its mouth.
- Attach a cord or cotton thread to it which will allow you to pull the teabag out when the steeping is done.
- Pur the hot water in a cup and immerse the teabag
- Let it brew and enjoy the tea when ready.
Can you put teabags in tea infusers?
Yes, you can put a tea bag or multiple tea bags into a tea infuser. Though, it may not be a good idea. While a tea bag and an infuser work on a similar principals, you may not get the right results using a tea bag. Let’s look at the possibilities:
- Putting a tea bag directly: For effective steeping, it is always better to have some room for the water to flow around your tea. Putting a tea bag into an infuser brings the tea granules or leaves inside the bag much closer than they initially are. This reduces the rate of steeping, offering a much milder taste and strength to your tea. If your infuser is smaller, or if you are putting multiple tea bags, the results only worsen.
- Emptying a tea bag into an infuser: If you choose to pour out the contents by emptying it into the tea infusers, it may cloud your tea. This is because the holes of tea infusers are not small enough to contain the tea grit. Thus, your tea will be quite dusty and powdery. The filter paper of a tea bag is capable enough of holding its grit inside it.
What are the best tea infusers?
Since all individuals have different needs and preferences, different types of tea infuser can be the best for different people. However, most people prefer infusers made in metal over the ones made using silicon. This is because they can easily withstand high temperatures and do not pose a risk of leeching Here are some types of tea infusers with their features.
- Tea infuser basket
- Primarily available in stainless steel.
- It is quite spacious and allows the leaves to expand and release their flavor.
- Work well when tea is to be prepared in large quantities.
- It is the most common choice among tea masters.
- Tea ball infuser
- Primarily available in stainless steel.
- These are compact and ideal for single cups.
- They either have a long handle or a chain.
- Silicone tea infuser
- They come in distinct shapes and sizes owing to silicone’s malleable nature.
- Food grade silicon infusers are easily available.
- They stain relatively easy.
- Infuser tea mug
- It is a mug with a built-in infuser.
- The infuser is normally metal while the mugs can be made in stainless steel or ceramic
- Infuser teapot
- It is a teapot with a built-in infuser.
- Suitable for preparation of large quantities of tea.
- Some tea infusers also have stainless extra-fine mesh.
Various types of tea infusers, brands manufacturing them, their properties, features, and average price.
| Types of tea infusers | Popular Brands | Features | Price Range* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tea ball infuser | -Fu Store -Oxo -Wonderchef -Numola | -Small and compact. -Ideal for a single cup -It comes with a chain or long handle | $5-$10 |
| Tea infuser basket | -Fdit -Hexyard -Maqqet -Fenshine | -Spacious -Most common of all | $9-$15 |
| Silicone tea infuser | -Genuine Fred -OTOTO -SUMAJU -Kakeah | -Comes in distinct shapes and sizes -Lighter in weight -Leave an aftertaste sometimes -May develop stains | $10-$25 |
| Tea mug with infuser | -Sweese -SWEEJAR -Suyika -ZENS | Tea mug with a built-in infuser | $15-$20 |
| Infuser Teapot | -Tealwyra -HIWARE -Primula -Teabloom | Teapot with a built-in infuser. | $15-$35 |
* This is the general price range of infusers. You may find products that are cheaper or more expensive than the range mentioned.
Final words
Making the right choice with the myriad of options available in the market can be a mind boggling mission. I hope that the above information allows you to make the right choice for yourself.
Use an infuser yourself, or gift it to a tea lover around you.
Happy steeping!
