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We’ve been talking a lot about tea lately, though we’ve yet to discuss a very important part of brewing tea, the tools used to steep it. There are many, many different types of tools out there, some are kind of weird, others are quite interesting, and some are super cute, but not all are very practical. We’ll discuss tea balls and other infusers, disposable tea bags (not my favorite), tea pots, iced tea pitchers, and reusable tea bags.
Tea Balls/Other Infusers
These little things can be super cute, though as mentioned above, not always practical. They work great for black, green and white teas. If these are being used for tea blends, ensure that there are no small pieces. For example, these aren’t great for rooibos or herbal teas as the blend will fall through the holes in the infuser and cause a significant amount of sediment to settle at the bottom of your cup. *Most loose-leaf teas will leave at least a little bit of sediment in your cup though I find tea balls when used with blends leave more than I can appreciate.*
Disposable Tea Bags
These work quite well, though the environmentalist in me feels guilty recommending them. Although you can find eco friendly ones that use natural materials. They do leave a little bit of sediment, however as mentioned above, there will be a small amount of sediment. There really isn’t a way around the issue of sediment when using loose leaf teas, we can only do out best to limit the amount of sediment we do get.
Tea Pots
There are so many beautiful, cute, corny, and interesting tea pots available it would be impossible to describe them all. If the tea is to be shared or you’re planning on having more than one cup, a teapot is highly recommended. Choosing the right teapot for your purposes is important, though there are really only two things to look for.
- Ensure it has a removable infuser/screen so that removing the leaves and cleaning is easier.
- Do you want it to sit on the stove or not? If the teapot is going to be used for black tea you might want one that is able to sit directly on your stove top. If the teapot is going to be used for basically any other tea, I don’t recommend one that sits on the stove.
Reusable Tea Bags
As mentioned above I’m a bit of an environmentalist, so I, personally, highly recommend these. Depending on the material they are made from they also reduce the amount of sediment, a BIG bonus pour moi!
Iced tea pitchers
If you’re an iced tea lover I recommend finding a really good iced tea pitcher. We have two different kinds in our home. One looks like a water pitcher with an infuser in the middle, and the other has a strainer attached to the lid so it strains while you pour.
My favorite method is, steeping in the container with the strainer attached to the lid and then adding it to the pitcher with the infuser in the middle and adding *ice cubes* to the infuser to add an extra pop of flavour.
