How to Infuse Loose Leaf Tea

11 Nov How to Infuse Loose Leaf Tea

One of the most frequent questions we are asked here at Medelco is “what am I supposed to do with loose tea?”  Honestly, when I first started drinking tea a long time ago, the most common form of tea on the market came in pre-packaged tea bags.  However, as the popularity of brewed tea has grown, so has the available assortment of loose leaf teas including green tea, white tea, oolong and herbal to name a few.  Most people have heard of a tea infuser but the idea of steeping loose leaf tea still remains a puzzle to many tea drinkers.  So, allow us to add some clarity!

There are really two basic methods to brewing loose leaf tea.  The first method is to add loose tea leaves directly to your hot water and allow them to steep.  Once the tea has brewed to your liking, the leaves must be removed from the water.  Clearly this is a bit of a chore and I haven’t found anyone yet who likes sipping into a rogue tea leaf!  The second and preferred method (in my humble opinion) is to use a tea infuser.  A tea infuser is a product that holds the loose tea in place during brewing and makes your life easier when removing the leaves from the water.

Tea infusers come in many shapes, sizes and designs but generally they tend to function the same way.  Some questions to consider when choosing your tea infuser include how easy is it to use, is if difficult to clean, is it dishwasher safe and will it last?

Dunkfish Tea Infuser

The Dunkfish Tea Infuser is one of our favorite Café Brew Collection products.  The Dunkfish Tea Infuser is a variation on the common tea ball infuser but it is clearly more creative and frankly a fun discussion piece.  The Dunkfish is very user friendly – simply unhatch the belly, insert the tea leaves, close and place in your mug or kettle to brew!

The ample Dunkfish belly allows plenty of room for the tea leaves to fully expand so you are sure to get the full flavor of your tea.  The stainless steel mesh is also sized appropriately to keep the tea leaves intact while preventing the smaller leaves from getting clogged.

The Dunkfish comes in a variety of vibrant colors, is dishwasher safe and BPA-free!

Basket Tea Infuser

The basket tea infuser is another way to steep your favorite tea.  Basket infusers come in a variety of designs and can be used directly in your tea mug or in a kettle.  In fact, many teapots these days come equipped with basket infusers.  Generally, basket infusers are larger and therefore can hold more tea leaves for brewing larger pots of tea.

The Café Brew Collection personal tea infuser basket is a more traditional design that is perfect for brewing a single cup of tea.  This infuser has a basket that is wrapped in stainless steel mesh that allows water to fully immerse the tea leaves. Simply fill the basket with your favorite loose leaf tea and place in the water to brew.  The basket tea infuser has tabs on the top of the basket that allow it to sit in tea pots, travel mugs and other types of containers.    It also comes with a lid to cover your tea leaves while they are brewing.  The basket infuser is very easy to clean, dishwasher safe and BPA-free.

The type of tea infuser you choose to use will ultimately be based on how easy it is to use, how easy it is to clean, how well it brews your tea and how long it will last.  The Café Brew Collection Dunkfish Tea Infuser and Personal Basket Tea Infuser are great choices that are fun, easy to use and made of long-lasting, quality materials – available at www.cafe-brew.com.  For more information on brewing tea, please be sure to visit our related blog Brewing Tea: 5 Things to Know.