Loose Leaf Tea infussers

I have been asked what sort of tea infusers I use to make loose leaf tea.  It is a good question because there are lots of styles out there for todays consumer.
I went to my kitchen gadget drawer to show you the "old" style tea ball infuser.  I realized I did not have one.  I guess that is because I do not like them and do not use them, hahaha.  I called my mom to see if she had one I could photograph for the blog.  She did have one.  She said that she does not use it either, but she keeps it because she thinks it was her mothers, Alma Steiner Lehman.

I am not a fan of the tea ball infuser because the holes are so large, and the tea leaves get out and get in your water.

This cute tea pot infuser is fun, but again it has large holes.  It is nice that it comes with a plate to set the wet tea pot on, so you are not getting your tea water on your table or desk- wherever you are drinking your tea

I found these 2 old ones.  the small one is so cute, but again it has big holes.  the bigger one has small holes, so it may work ok for an infuser.

Here is another style that I am not a huge fan of.  It sits on the cup- but the holes are large and the water can not go over the top of the leaves.  So really the only leaves that are getting steeped are the bottom leaves

now this infuser I like because it sits down in the cup and has mesh so the leaves don't get into your cup

my only warning with is kind of tea infuser is that if you let the water get too high in the cup the leaves will float around

 Here are muslin spice bags.  I got mine at Lehmans Hardware https://www.lehmans.com/p-1961-muslin-spice-bags.aspx.  They are nice and green, because you can run them in the washing machine.  The only draw back is that they are hard to clean out.  I flip the bag inside out and try to wash it all off.  It works, but is not as easy to clean as other infusers.

here is an infuser I like with no complaints.  You squeeze the handle and the ball opens.  You put your loose leaf tea in the ball and it closes.  You then set it in the cup and let the tea steep.  It again has the mesh and the tea is not escaping into your mug

OKAY- this is my all time favorite!!!! I got this from Lehman's Hardware in Kidron.  www.Lehmans.com   This infuser is perfect.  It has two sides, one is mesh and the other has holes.  but the holes are small enough that the tea leaves do not come out.

You open it up and put the loose leaf inside

The grey handle can be pushed to push the "stopper" in the infuser.  It pushes the leaves together and drains the extra water!  How clever is that????

It is my favorite infuser for individual cups.  I have even thought that if I was going out to a restaurant I would carry this in plastic bag in my purse and order hot water in a restaurant. Then I can make my favorite cup of loose leaf tea anywhere I go!!!

I also found this infuser in my kitchen gadgets.  It is nice too. I am not sure where I got it.  You put the loose leaf tea inside, then there is a "knob" on the top that you turn and it closes the  opening.  Again the holes are not so large that you do not get leaves in your cup

As you can see here most tea bag or tins will tell you how much loose leaf to add.  For example for green tea if I were making an 8oz cup of tea I would add 1 tsp of loose leaf tea and steep it for 45 seconds to 1 minute. (although some say to steep green for 4 minutes- so check the label!  It is amazing how steep it too long really does effect the taste.  It can ofter become very bitter.  The only tea that I have found can steep for a long period of time with our getting bitter is herbal tea.  Also, I usually get two cups of tea, sometimes even three cups, from the loose leaf tea before I add new leaves.  Also, on a side note- save you loose leaf tea for your garden.  I will be blogging about composting tea soon!!

STEEP TIMES FOR HOT TEA: (on average)

Black tea: 5 minutes
Green tea: 3-4 minutes
Oolong: 3 minutes
White tea: 4-6 minutes
Flavored White: 2 minutes
Red tea (Pu-erh): 3-7 minutes
Yellow tea: 3 minutes
Rooibos tea: 6-7 minutes
Honeybush Tea:5-8 minutes
Chai tea: 5 minutes
Herbal tea: 5 - 6 minutes
Mate tea: 5-6 minutes
Tisanes tea: 7 - 9 minutes
Blooming tea: 3-4 minutes (until bloomed)
Komucha tea

Now here is my ultimate favorite!!!!  This is Teavana Perfect Teamaker.  This is for the 16oz size, it sells for $19.95.  I love it so much, I have one at work and one at home.

just add your loose leaf tea, add water and let it steep

Then once the water is steeped you put it on your mug and the tea drains down.  So simple and cool!!!!  I then set the teamaker aside and when I want another cup I just add more water.  It is the best!!!!!  I liked it so much I got my 2 sisters each one for Christmas, and my mom just got one.  Also, you can add bagged tea to this as well.  you again just add your water.

There are even tea infusers for those on the go.

This one is nice, but you will have to find a place to put the infuser.  It clicks on to the lid, but once the tea is steeped I find it hard to find a place to put the infuser because I am using this on the go

this is the insurer that slides off.  Once it is off you can just close the lid and drink.

Here is one that I like to use at work.  It like the one above, with one small difference

This one has an infuser cup that pulls out.  Again, you need a place to put the infuser cup, but I like that you can make the tea on the go.  Just remember to bring a plastic bag or be able to dump the loose leaf tea out somewhere to put the cup back in empty so that the tea does not become bitter.

okay, I thought it would fun to see what else is out there.  Mine are pretty basic.  See the cute infusers listed below.  I am sure at most kitchen stores you can find tea infusers.  My only suggestion is to be sure that you have small holes so the leaves do not come out.  Mesh is great!!

This infuser is $9.95 at Crate and Barrel

I think that there would be fun to give as a Christmas gift with a mug and some loose leaf tea!!!

I think that this might be my favorite if I drank out of a glass cup!!!!