How to Use a Tea Infuser

Some tea drinkers would contend that to brew a proper pot of tea, you must use a tea infuser filled with loose tea leaves or herbs instead of tea bags. Tea infusers are available in sizes suitable for use in an individual cup of tea all the way up to large mesh infusers used to brew an entire pot. They're also easy to use.

Things You'll Need

• Tea infuser
• Loose tea

Instructions

Spoon-style Infusers

1. Fill your teacup or pot with hot water.

2. Open the scoop part of the spoon infuser by pressing on the metal clasp that holds its halves together.

3. Insert loose tea leaves or herbal teas into the scoop and then clasp the two halves together again, securing them.

4. Place the spoon-style tea infuser into the cup or pot and let sit until the tea has brewed to the desired strength.

Using a Tea Ball

1. Unscrew the two halves of the tea ball from each other. This may require aligning the pieces at a certain place to unscrew.

2. Fill half of the tea ball with tea leaves or dried herbs. Keep in mind that some herbs, like fenugreek, may expand when saturated with water, so don't fill the ball completely.

3. Screw the two halves of the tea ball back together. Place it in a pot or cup filled with hot water. The larger the tea ball, the larger a container it should be used in.

4. Pull the tea ball out once your tea has brewed to the desired strength. Most tea balls have a chain you can drape over the side of the pot. This makes retrieving the ball easy. If your tea ball has no chain to retrieve it, use a spoon.

Mesh-style Infusers

1. Fill a pot or cup with hot water.

2. Make sure your mesh-style or drop-in tea infuser fits the container you've chosen for brewing tea. It should sit on or in the rim of the container, with the mesh basket submerged in the hot water. The larger the infuser, the larger the container it's meant for brewing in.

3. Put loose tea leaves or herbs in the infuser. Make sure the tea or herbs are completely submerged in hot water.

4. Let the infuser sit in the hot water until the tea has brewed to the desired strength. Once the tea is ready, remove the infuser to prevent overbrewing.

Tips & Warnings

• If you don't have any loose tea to use but still want to use a tea infuser, you can cut a corner off a tea bag and pour the contents into the tea infuser. Some kitchen spices, like rosemary and mint, might also make interesting tea. A tea made of herbs, without any material from the tea or camellia sinensis plant, is not a tea at all, but should properly be called an "infusion."

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish