For infuser baskets, I prefer wings on each side. An unbalanced handle is a safety and spill hazard. 6 Best Loose Leaf Tea Infusers Reviewed Best Tea Infuser Basket: OXO Brew Tea Infuser Basket For this test I opted for straight-forward basket, ball, and disposable bag steepers. Basket steepers fit into a cup, mug, or pot and often come with a lid, which helps keep tea hot and aromatic as it brews. They’re a great reusable option. Ball steepers, also reusable, generally employ two sides that open for filling and are then secured with a screw or latch. Disposable bag steepers are a single-use product, which are often, but not always, compostable and biodegradable. They tend to come in a variety of material types, including chlorine and chlorine-free bleached, as well as natural papers. Some bags are made of other materials, like polyester, and some employ glue, staples, string, or other non-compostable and/or non-biodegradable materials. Depending on your preferences, one may be better than the other. The chain-type infuser can be quite messy if you don’t know how to use it carefully, but it’s more compatible with a wider range of cups and mugs. On the other hand, the arm-type infuser is better for a simple and clean way of infusing, but you have limited compatibility. Accessories Its innovative design, with removable lids on both sides, allows you to use the infuser either at the top or bottom of the bottle. This makes it useful for both short brews (with the infuser at the top) and longer, cold brews (with the infuser at the bottom) — or you can remove it altogether for a bottle of fruit-infused water. And its glass walls take the guesswork out of how much water you can add, preventing any unintentional spills. Although it won't keep your tea warm (or cold) as long as some stainless steel models, its versatility and functionality more than make up for it. Some people prefer steeping tea in a teapot, but it can be a lot of hassle if you only want one or two servings. This infuser teapot fixes all those problems effortlessly with its simple and innovative design. Unlike a traditional teapot, this one sits directly on top of your mug for easy pouring when your tea is done, and it efficiently filters out the leaves with its stainless steel strainer as it goes.

This tea ball has a dreamy nighttime-themed teapot charmed attached to it, making it a great way to wind down, perhaps with a cup of caffeine-free herbal tea. The charm has a functional purpose too, as it lets users remove the tea ball easily and without burning their fingers. After testing it ourselves, the infuser surpassed all expectations. It was one of the easiest to use and the best at retaining tea leaves. All we had to do was scoop tea into the basket, place the basket into a mug, pour hot water, and wait. The Brewing Basket is also dishwasher safe for simple post-tea cleaning. The item is available in multiple sizes and colors, and the lid functions as a drip tray for added convenience. While it leans toward the more expensive end for an infuser, we think it's reasonably priced and an excellent value for money considering the quality.Think of a tea infuser as having the same basic functionality as a standard tea bag, except that tea infusers are not discarded after use. A tea infuser also provides the leaves more room to expand than traditional tea bags, which can mean a stronger flavor. And since tea infusers are sized for single-person use, users can steep their cup to their individual preferences in a way that making a whole pot of tea for the group wouldn’t allow. Tea brewing has never been so easy. How Do You Use a Tea Infuser? What makes Firebelly Tea's Stop-Infusion Travel Mug so unique is that it allows users to brew delicious tea without an infuser. Instead, tea leaves steep openly inside the mug, which is much better for diffusion, and a tea press is inserted to stop the infusion process. It works more like a French press than a traditional infuser bottle, and the difference shines through in the flavor, whether you're making hot tea or iced. OXO BREW Twisting Tea Ball Infuser: While we didn't mind the cool twist-to-open feature of this ball infuser, the number of leaves that escaped during steeping made it not worth it. Using a finer grind will result in an over-extraction of your coffee beans, and you will be left behind with a sour-tasting cup of joe. Coffee beans that have been coarsely ground look like this: Make sure you don't fill your mug to the brim, though, as the infuser will cause the water level to rise when you dunk it in for steeping. In fact, the best way to brew is by placing the infuser in an empty mug and pouring hot water directly over it. The long, flexible handle then lets you stir the infuser until the tea reaches your desired strength.

The capacity you should go for depends on how many tea leaves you typically like in each cup. Always find an appropriately sized tea infuser so as not to overfill or underfill your mug whenever you brew tea. DurabilityGenuine Fred Manatea Tea Infuser: The Genuine Fred Manatea Infuser fell just short of being included on our list, mainly because its performance was inconsistent depending on the type of tea used. A green tea that we brewed had a lot of leaves slip through the filter and into the mug. The tea was drinkable and overall enjoyable, but the last few sips had too much sediment for our liking. Another minor shortcoming of the Manatea infuser is that its two silicone pieces are somewhat inconvenient to attach. While we can't fully recommend this infuser, some customers may enjoy its novelty aspect and could consider it as a gift idea. It just can't be counted on with every type of loose leaf tea.

If you enjoy the entire tea ceremony and drink copious amounts of tea, a tea pot with an infuser gives you several cups at one go. (Though remove the infuser after five minutes or so, depending on your taste, otherwise the tea can taste bitter.) Another option is to dunk an infuser/reusable tea bag in your cup and you’re good to sip. Extra-fine, the mesh is suitable for making tea and cooking. The chain is nearly five inches long for optimal submersion in deep cups and pots. Attached by a ring on the screw-top lid, it’s less likely to break than models connected by cheap rivets. Whether it’s for a cup, tumbler, or kettle, look for an infuser with heat-resistant wings or handles that stay cool and are easy to grasp. While there are some cultures that appreciate a little bit of the leaf left over, many people simply have their tea clean with no particles at all. This ensures that you get the full taste of the tea without any nasty aftertaste or texture in your mouth. There are many ways to infuse tea, but to make a clean cup requires a specific set of tools, and tea infusers are one of them. You can experiment with your infusions

With its extensive collection of teas and teaware, Vahdam is a go-to brand for many tea drinkers. One affordable accessory from the company we recommend is its Classic Tea Infuser. The basket-style infuser is large enough for a single serving of tea or a full teapot's worth, and we confirmed that it's dependable for keeping leaves out of your drink. Perhaps our only criticism is one that affects most basket infusers: depending on the type of tea and amount of water you use, the tea leaves can float toward the top of the infuser and may not fully submerge. This is one difference between a basket infuser and tea ball infuser; although, the former has the benefit of providing more space for tea leaves diffuse throughout the cup.

Despite the item's durability and quality stainless steel, it has a design flaw that we encountered during the testing process and saw multiple online reviewers mention: the lid, which also functions as a drip tray, doesn't perfectly fit onto the basket. This has no effect on the steeping process—the infuser still brews delicious tea, especially when you follow steps to enhance your tea tasting experience—but it's a curious and frustrating shortcoming. Aside from that, we gave the item a sparkling review. It's easy to use, the two little wings on either side of the basket stay cool to touch, and it's dishwasher safe, so cleaning is simple too.

A note on basket steepers vs. ball steepers vs. paper steepers

Tea infusers usually come with accessories that will heighten your experience. Sometimes, they come with tools such as spoons to easily transfer tea leaves into the infuser. Other accessories come in the form of improved and upgraded parts, such as silicone lids. Silicone lids don’t heat up and are easy to remove without protection. Ball infusers have a perforated metal shell with an open bottom, allowing loose tea leaves to be added directly into the cup or pot of hot water. Basket tea infusers I think that the flavors of coffee made with a tea infuser get close to the flavor profile of French press coffee. It has the same full-bodied mouthfeel because French press coffee is made almost the same way by steeping ground coffee into the water.