The Delights of Tea Infusers

Tea Infusers

Tea infusers actually consist of almost any container that holds loose tea you can immerse in boiling water. Some of the more recent ones are glass or plastic inserts that fit into the glass container. My daughter Beth gave me one that has small slits in the bottom of the glass insert for the water to seep through into the glass cup.

I’ve been experimenting with tea bags, loose tea, and tea flowers, trying to decide what works best. I’ve enjoyed using some Earl Grey loose tea I had on hand. The tea flowers Beth gave me also are delightful.

Infuser Facts & Suggestions

In my research, I found a few facts about tea infusers.

*Infusers come in many sizes. Some fit tea pots and others are made for individual cups.
*Infusers are made in many materials.
*Infusers should be fairly large for your teapot or cup.
*To make good tea, the tea needs to have space to “swim” and the water to circulate.
*Tiny infusers made in novelty shapes will crowd your tea so the water doesn’t circulate through the tea leaves well.
*You should have at least twice as much space as utilized by a heaping teaspoon of dry loose tea leaves.

Now I wonder about those cute little tea infusers (sometimes called “tea balls”) I’ve been collecting. Some are no larger than a teaspoon of loose tea. One that I have is shaped like a teaspoon with a snap over top and will only hold a teaspoonful of tea.