Tools of the Tea Trade: What is a Tea Infuser?
Loose Leaf Tea is an art—delicate and precise, like brewing tea itself. The taste is more pure, less bitter, natural and organic. Loose tea is the way that tea was meant to taste.
But if you, like many tea drinkers, have only made tea with a tea bag, it is time you learned how to make it my way. Tea leaves should have room to expand and swirl around on their own in the water so that their natural flavor can be released. This is the easy part. The difficult part comes when it is time to drink. How will you drink the tea without swallowing the leaves? Ah, there is the riddle.
I will tell you the answer now, my Tea student. The Way of the Tea Master dictates that one must use a tool that will keep the leaves separate. There are several types. I, Master Amanzi, prefer to use a tea infuser, also known as a tea ball or a tea egg. It looks like this:
tea ball (aka tea infuser)
Put the leaves in this meshed device, allowing extra space for the tea leaves to expand in the water. Then, when your tea has steeped enough, remove it. It is very simple.
Other Tea Masters might recommend a different kind of infuser, such as a strainer that goes over the pot.
There are many other ways of removing the loose tea leaves from your pot of tea. But the important thing is that they are pulled away from your mouth, and from the tea itself, so that it does not steep too long and become bitter.
I hope you have learned something today, Tea Student. Tea Masters do not give away Tea Wisdom to just anyone. Use your new wisdom and knowledge well. Go and make the perfect pot of tea.
Tags: infuser, loose leaf, tea, tea bag, tea ball, tea egg
