Loose leaf tea is always recommended when you want a good quality cup of tea. After reports about teabags containing plastic more tea drinkers are looking into alternatives. The best way to steep tea and not leave any plastic behind is to use loose leaf tea. This can seem intimidating at first but you really only need one extra device for steeping and that is a reusable tea infuser. There are a variety but I personally think the best tea infuser for tea time are the basket style infusers. They can be used for making a single cup of tea or even a pot of tea.
What is a Tea Infuser?
A tea infuser is a steeping tool for loose leaf tea. The tea leaves are inserted into the infuser then immersed in hot water to extract flavours from the tea directly into a cup.
Tea infusers are fine mesh style or perforated. This is perfect for making tea without having any leaves escape.
When your tea is done steeping you will need to remove the loose leaves from the hot water so it doesn’t become bitter. Using an infuser allows you to easily remove tea leaves from your cup or teapot.
You can discard of the tea leaves or set them aside to steep again shortly. Simply reinsert the infuser in your vessel and steep again. Easy!
Benefits of Tea Infuser Baskets
As mentioned earlier, there are a variety of reusable tea infusers available. Tea infuser baskets are my favourite infuser style for several reasons.
They give the tea leaves room to expand, easy to clean and very versatile. They are great for all tea types and also the best single cup tea infuser.
Novelty tea infusers are fun but some are not practical. Same for tea balls (pictured above). Most do not give the tea leaves enough room to steep and will not extract properly. Some also can be finicky and release tea leaves into your cup while steeping.
The best tea infuser basket will be the only infuser you need. Tea balls and novelty infusers are okay to have and sometimes use for a personal cup. However, this just means you will need an additional infuser for other tea times.
If you want a reusable infuser that will be your go-to, tea infuser baskets are the best investment.
Best Tea Infuser Key Features
When you’re looking for the best tea infuser basket to invest, these are some things you should look for:
Infuser Size
It needs to be wide enough that it will let even the largest of tea leaves unfurl. If tea leaves do not have enough room to expand while steeping it will be difficult to extract the full flavours.
Amount of Holes and Size
Small and more holes are better than large and less. The holes on a tea infuser need to be small enough that tea leaves won’t fall into the cup.
There also needs to be enough holes so the water remains in the cup and doesn’t just flood the infuser.
There are some infuser baskets that are solid with only a few slits on the bottom. While no tea leaves can escape, it takes a while for all of the liquid to leave the infuser when straining.
Lid
A lid is ideal as a cup or pot of tea should be covered when steeping so it retains the heat. As a bonus, some can double as a drip tray or coaster to set on after steeping to reduce mess.
Fit
If you have mugs or teapots in various shapes and sizes looking for an infuser basket that will fit nicely inside most of them would be ideal. Online listings should have dimensions.
Easy to Clean
The last thing tea drinkers want is an infuser that tiny tea leaf particles get stuck in and make it difficult to clean for the next tea time!
5 of the Best Tea Infusers I Recommend
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1. Tielka Tea Infuser-Strainer
This infuser basket from Tielka is very versatile! The majority of it is stainless steel. The lid that also doubles as a coaster for the basket to catch drips has some silicon material.
This makes it more gentle on your fingers/hands when you want to remove it from a steaming cup of tea. The holes are very fine, therefore it’s perfect for many different loose leaf tea styles.
One of my favourite things is the foldable handles. The handles are great to have so that it can balance properly on a variety of shaped mugs and teacups but it’s nice to be able to fold them down to the sides when you want to store it. It takes up less room! Plus, it stores nicely in the the packaging that doubles as a great travel case.
*Easy to clean and dishwasher safe.
2. OXO BREW Tea Infuser Basket
This infuser basket from OXO was one of the first I had for my loose leaf tea journey as it was a common find in stores back then. Similar to the option above, the lid also has a silicon layer on it and doubles as a coaster.
The handles are long enough that it fits great in teacups, small and large mugs or even teapots. However, they do not fold down for storing.
The basket is wide enough for many tea leaves to unfurl while steeping. The number of holes and placement make it a great design for straining and very little tea leaves can escape.
*Easy to clean and dishwasher safe.
3. VAHDAM Classic Tea Infuser
This infuser basket from VAHDAM is somewhat similar to the two options above but is entirely stainless steel and has shorter handles.
The 100% stainless steel is high grade that makes it rust-resistant and durable. This is a great option for someone who may not want any other material on their infuser (ie. silicon).
It’s also best for those who may use teacups or smaller mugs most often. Since the handles are shorter it doesn’t balance too well in wider mugs and will not cover your tea completely while it steeps. So, keep your mug collection in mind if you’re interested in this one.
The basket is large enough to steep 4-5 cups of tea at a time and the mesh is fine enough to filter small tea leaves or spices from blends.
4. Finum Reusable Tea Brewing Basket
While the frame and lid of this infuser from Finum is made from heat-resistant BPA-free material, the basket is stainless-steel micro-mesh. This makes it one of the best tea infuser baskets for steeping even the tiniest of particles.
If you drink a lot of rooibos, you probably know how easily those fine leaves get through infusers. They don’t get through this one though!
The handles on this infuser are shorter, but still fit quite a few mugs and teapots. They do not fold down for storage. However, since the handles are not stainless steel, they do not get too hot to touch.
The nice thing about this infuser option is that it is available in two different sizes: medium and large. If you have some taller mugs or deeper teapots, this might interest you.
As a bonus, these infusers come in a variety of colours, too.
*Easy to clean and dishwasher safe.
5. FORLIFE Stainless Steel Infuser with Carrying Case
The actual tea infuser basket from FORLIFE is entirely stainless steel material. The neat feature for this infuser basket is the carrying case it comes with. The carrying case and dish is made from BPA-free plastic.
A carrying case for a tea infuser is not necessary but definitely handy as it makes it easier for traveling with loose leaf tea. The handles on this infuser do fold down, so it fits well in the case.
The shape of this infuser gives plenty of room for tea leaves to steep and the holes are decently sized. Tea leaves don’t pass through but some fine particles from tea blends might.
The bottom of the carrying case (the dish) doubles as a drip tray for the infuser as well. The one downside is that it doesn’t really double as a lid though. It can be placed on top to act like one. However, it does not fit like a proper lid, especially when compared to the tea infuser recommendations above.
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Do you have a tea infuser basket? Let me know which one you use often in the comments below!
Thanks for the tips! I used to have a tea infuser ball and I also had issues with the tea leaves getting through !
I want one made to use in the microwave for one cup at a time in my ceramic mug.
Hi Susan, I don’t use the microwave to make tea. However, if you do, I would recommend not putting the tea and infuser directly in the microwave. You can still use one of the infusers listed here, but only place it in your ceramic mug with the tea to steep after you use the microwave.