Whether you are a tea lover or an addict, brewing that perfect cup of tea is not as easy as it may seem. Besides controlling the water temperature, time to steep and using good quality tea, using the right utensils is also a crucial part. The simple decision to use tea infusers or strainers will also make a huge difference in your tea quality. Besides saving you a lot of time and hassle, many tea utensils can be used with a different variety of teas. For example, when you use tea infuser or strainer, you can use them with a myriad of types of cups and teapots and you need not buy tea strainer separately for every type of tea.

Whether you use a tea infuser or strainer, these are all meant to hold dried tea leaves for steeping and removed when the tea is brewed. While all these come with their own pros and cons, the right one to choose depends on the type of tea you are trying to make.

Before we talk about how to tea infuser and strainer, let us take a deeper look and understand what they are!

Tea Infusers

Tea infusers come in a plethora of shapes, designs and sizes. They may also come in different materials like metal, glass, stainless steel, ceramic or wood. These infusers, unlike a strainer, hold a little number of leaves and release flavour from the small holes built in them. A tea infuser is ideal for blended or flavoured tea which you plan to steep only for one person. Many people who use tea infusers complain of the cup getting messy once the tea infuser is removed.

How to use a tea infuser?

Brewing the perfect tea with an infuser is easy. When using a tea infuser, simply place one filled with your choice leaves directly in the cup or teapot which will allow the water to circulate around tea. A teaspoon of leaves is enough for every 150ml of water. The steeping time varies for every different tea, so it is suggested to go with the manufacturer’s instruction or taking a cue from your own taste buds. Once the tea is brewed, remove the tea infuser and let the tea come to a drinkable temperature before you enjoy your favourite brew.

While infusers may come in many sizes, pick one that is right for your tea type. Green and oolong tea require a large infuser as the leaves tend to expand when steeped.

What are tea strainers?

When you use a tea strainer, unlike a tea infuser, a teapot is often used to steep the tea leaves. The tea strainer rests on the rim of your cup and catches the tea leaves when you pour the tea. You must buy a tea strainer if you tend to make a larger quantity of tea to be served. A tea strainer is ideal for tea leaves that need to be infused longer.

Whether you randomly make tea only when you have some guests to be served or you actually love tea, you have to buy a tea strainer.  We strongly recommend this beautiful silver brass tea strainer with handles from Ellementry.

If you are new to the concept of making tea, you would realise it is a fairly easier process to learn. All you need is a cup, some loose leaf tea of your choice, hot water, and a tea strainer.

When the tea brews the traditional way in a teapot, the tea leaves are freely suspended in water. These leaves, when steeped well and have released the flavour, are then filtered out using a tea strainer while pouring the tea in a cup. A strainer fits well on top of the cup to catch tea leaves.

There are some tea strainers that are deep and can help you brew a single cup of tea, much like a tea infuser. You have to keep a strainer full of leaves over the cup of hot water and remove the used leaves when you are ready to drink the tea. This allows the same leaves to be used for brewing multiple cups.

Despite the wide use of tea bags, most tea lovers still prefer to buy tea strainer and prepare their tea in the traditional way. Tea strainers come in sterling silver, china, brass, and stainless steel. Over time, tea strainers have become an essential element in the kitchen and come as beautiful artistic masterpieces. For example, this silver brass tea strainer from Ellementry is trendy and useful.

Some tips before you buy a tea strainer

•       When you brew loose tea leaves, a tea strainer will allow you the steep the tea right into the cup.
•       When you fill the kettle with water, always use cold water instead of hot freshwater. Hot water will have less oxygen and lead to a flat flavour.
•       Always follow the package instructions on brewing time if you are a beginner in tea making.

Whether you use tea infuser and strainer or a simple paper filter, the secret to a perfect cup of tea lies in a myriad of things. Always use good quality tea leaves and learn to make the tea by following the above-mentioned tips.

What do you prefer? A strainer or an infuser? Planning to buy tea strainer? Don’t forget to check out Elementary for their choicest collection of tea strainers to beautify your kitchen and make your tea making experience more stylish.

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