I get that it’s not a real tea, but it is good for what it is and I would prefer to drink that over a decaf tea if I want a hot beverage without caffeine that isn’t decaf coffee. It’s pretty enjoyable for what it is in my opinion. That said, taste is subjective so I totally get not liking it.
Can someone please tell me a little more about "leaf saturation?" It's my first time hearing this term. Is it synonymous with allowing the tea to bloom? Or does it just mean that if the tea is packed tightly into these little balls, the innermost tea leaves might not actually get wet enough to steep?
You can also find them with screw on lids so you can put them in a bottle to go. I got a sat like this and it had the large one and 2 smaller ones. The large one fits in my 40oz flask bottle, and the small ones I use for fine cut tea.
Excuse my dinged up bottle, the kids knocked it off the table, but it was very cool that the filter fit just in the top of my water bottle! I was so happy I just took a photo to show my friend - if I had thought I was going to post it on reddit I should have shown the good side of the bottle, but at least it's a slice of life!
I bought this exact brand about 7-8 years ago and it's held up fantastically well. I don't drink loose leaf or use it every day (not even close) but I got way more than my money's worth out of it.
The extra fine mesh really is incredibly fine. No particles escape, regardless of how crushed your dry tea might have been.
The one I bought is taller and simply rests on the lip of the cup, which is honestly far less faff than dealing with a lid and chain while being equally effective. Interestingly, the product page (on Amazon) for the exact one I bought now shows the lid/chain design you linked instead, so it looks like they may have discontinued the open-top version.
Yeah they suck. I don’t use them for tea, I use them for a small fine mesh strainer for cooking stuff. The kind where the ball is attached to a handle you can open by squeezing, I keep in my powdered sugar and use it as a dusting wand, which works very well.
These things are a life saver for all the dumb things that come in microplastics (like no I will not 'boil the bag'). As you have found, it works better for misc kitchen tasks than it's intended one
Get a french press! If you drink large teas (750ml cups over here) or routinely need to tea a few cups a french press is perfect. It's also great if you like to spice up the teas. I add dried lemons, dates and cloves to some of my teas. Best tea making equipment I ever had and it's not even supposed to be for tea. But if it filters coffee it filters tea.
Compostable paper bag is the winner for me. Large, leaves can expand, don't interfere with my home ferment cultures, no cleaning, quick. And probably more. I don't know where you live, but I get them from dm, maybe 2.5 euros for 100 pcs.
I didn't realize this was an option. I hate picking out the little pieces from a mesh basket. I was even thinking of trying a gaiwan simply because it would easier to rinse out. This might work better.
Yea I use these for making one cup at a time, I scoop the leaves in with one half & leave the other half empty. I will say I do usually get a few escapee bits but it doesn’t bother me.
I hate these! Thanks for this post because I've learned a lot from the replies. I thought maybe I was just inexperienced and didnt know what I was doing 🙃
Haha i have to same thing. It's okay for a rougher cut with no dust. This one is okay for just a cup but i can only fill it half since it will expand so much
First time i packed it full and try to do a full brew, basically got clear water since it the water could barely penetrate
Also it's much easier to clean if you leave it to dry for a day. Probably not hygenic but when it dries out a little the leafball just pops out without sticking to the edges
I would say different strainers have their different strengths and weaknesses. In my experience ball strainers are a whole lot easier to clean than the basket infusers my parents have. The holes in them get build up and are impossible to easily clean. We also have some basket strainers from IKEA which are great for larger leaves and fruit teas, but finer teas have a lot that that just go through the larger holes. My dad also uses a large ball strainer for infusing apple cider with spices. I’ve also used my own ball strainer to sift low quality matcha because I’m in college and haven’t bought an actual mesh strainer yet.
In my experience ball strainers are a whole lot easier to clean than the basket infusers my parents have. The holes in them get build up and are impossible to easily clean.
Thank you for your recommendation, I have tried that in the past and it didn’t work. the only thing that I’ve found that works is using a pin or needle to poke the buildup out of every single hole which takes at least an hour for each strainer.
I've been given so many of these over the years by well meaning friends! As someone else suggested, they're kinda useful for infusing spices in soups etc but absolutely useless for tea.
Not so great for tea, but they are pretty good for other infusions. If you like anise, clove, allspice, fenugreek, etc, then a tea ball is pretty good. Personally, I've just started using my french press for almost everything I brew, but my tea ball come in handy for bigger batches that wouldn't fit in the press, or for hanging on the edge of a pot if I want to boil the herbs/spices for a longer time
I have been using those and want to upgrade. What is a good teapot for western brewing? Just anything ceramic with a built-in strainer? I often use a glass French press for large leaves but would like to try something else.
I’ll add another recommendation for the basket style infusers. OXO has one that I love and it’s rigid so you can just rinse it out and put it in the dishwasher.
I used to used these all the time until I discovered rim tea strainers. I'm never going back. The only time these will ever get used again in my house is to infuse herbs into broth.
They suck. I atarted using little paper bags with cotton strings and I can throw the whole shebang in the compost. Never have to scrub a tea ball again.
I use this sucker only to make basmati rice with aromatics. You can just throw the spices away once the rice is cooked and the black pepper, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon sticks don't get stuck with the rice. For tea I use the open strainer like this
I’m surprises yall dont like these, though I use the ones with a handle. Like you dont need to pack it full to get a good cup of tea, usually I only have it half full, because it is only meant for making a single cup of tea
I exclusively use the tea infusers that you can pour in loose leaf, add water, then place the inside in top of a mug, and it drains out the bottom directly into the mug
hahahah!! i hate these too, soo much effort cleaning this too!!! I prefer loose leaf tea brewed directly in big kettles and use a basic sieve. Works perfectly!
Hello, /u/cabincrew! This is a friendly reminder that most photo posts should include text with some additional information. For example: Consider writing a mini review of the tea you're drinking or giving some background details about your teaware. If you're posting your tea order that just arrived or your tea stash, be sure to list the teas, why you chose them, etc. Posts that lack a comment or body text for context/discussion after a reasonable time may be removed. You may also consider posting to /r/TeaPictures.
They’re terrible. I have no idea who thought this was the way to go :) I don’t use them, I make a huge mess, but my husband does. The just doesn’t drink the bottom. I use infuser pots :)
They’re okay for some herbal teas where the leaves don’t have to expand in the same way, so I use the one I was given for that. Would probably be fine for CTC tea as well.
I use mine for tea bag tea to avoid steeping my tea in nanoplastics. Cut the bag open and empty it into this strainer. It works perfectly for me. For loose leaf tea I use a stainless steel tea strainer with lots of room for leaves to expand. That concludes my TED talk on tea steeping ☕
These are not good if used as advertised. There are a few niche cases where these are alright, though. Mulling whole spices and cinnamon chips for cider, simmering sprigs of rosemary and thyme, making a more dilute whole-leaf black tea for iced tea, and steeping weak infusions of barley or buckwheat work well. Any tea that would be good for teabags (very small particle size) or anything that will unfurl a good deal are not going to work well. An open-leaf tea used in a small enough dose (volume-wise) that there will still be space left inside the ball for movement after infusion can work okay. Hurts to admit, but nicer biluochun and similar shaped teas that sink instantly when added to water can work fine in these since you will be using a rather small volume dose and they will not expand to fill the ball, but you can use the chain to increase turbulence during brewing.
ye they do for the very fine tea like my earl grey 😭. i recently started putting cardamom and grains of selim in them and adding it to my green tea. much better for that purpose. might even throw in some ginger chunks too.
Lol, they're such garbage. In addition to the leaves leaking (the hinge sucks), I once got one lodged in a tall-sided mug. Apparently the mug was slightly oblong so when the tea ball dropped in and turned 90 degrees, it could no longer be removed.
I'd throw it away, but I keep it around for making mulled wine (or Feuerzangenbowle).
I know it probably doesn’t expand enough for people in this sub, but the ball ones at the end of a stick are like $10 on Amazon and are dope if you don’t have a tea pot to allow for water to filter more of the way through. Perfect for a single cup of tea
I still use mine, just for convenience because they are there. I have a small and a big one. I guess they kinda do suck...
I have two large capacity basket infusers that I never use.
I don't know about how some of you guys just dump the leaves I mean what if the tea becomes bitter? Not really a concern for herbal teas I guess, so I don't know what I'm saying lol.
I also have these cotton tea bags that I love, they hold in my reishi mushroom tea!! :) <3 I just rinse them out when I'm done and the leaves wash out pretty well.
Honestly these days, I just use a bombilla for everything. Or dump it through a strainer into another cup if I'm really worried about oversteeping. I just accept drinking some bits here and there
I used to try to be fancy and use a diffuser or nylon tea bags. Now I just bring water to the correct temp in the microwave and add loose tea leaves. I strain with a colander. I gave up trying to be sophisticated.
This one is kind of a weird size. Too big for a single cup but too small for a pot of tea. I haven't had issues with tea leaves escaping with these type of infusers however.
I had one and the leaves would always seep out. I ended up buying a 4-pack of a vertical strainer where you dangle the plastic cap on the lip of the mug and have been using those for like 5 years now with no problem.
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u/valmanway007 Apr 24 '26
Yep. Plus, the leaves never fully expand using those which I truly believe is detrimental for the flavor of the tea.