Loose leaf tea

[Mo0o]

What kind of tea are you drinking? When I drink loose leaf green tea I never use any kind of bag or strainer. I think many asians do the same

 

[torpid]

I've tried some pots that have glass infusers. It's ok if the pot is glass as long as the infuser isn't. Glass infusers are awful because they generally do not allow for adequate circulation of the water. All the ones I've seen have little slots only at the bottom and as a result make a really weak tea that requires more leaves or longer steeping.

However, I did just pick up a glass pot with a really fine mesh infuser made of gold. That is really nice. It's made by swiss gold I believe.

I have the IngenuiTea, the large sized one, but it is extremely difficult to clean and as such I do not recommend it if, like me, you make about 32oz of tea each day (shared among coworkers).

 

[ch33zw1z]

loose leaf tea is great, i use premade bags for convenience...but that tea brewer on Amazon looks pretty cool.

 

[Coquito]

Originally posted by: blakeatwork
You're welcome

and whatever happened to enjoying a good Earl Grey or Breakfast tea? Green tea this, oolong that... it

Ball infusers are too wide. I just spoon my it in, & filter it out. That's why I was asking about the maker/infuser in my first post.'

Plenty of loose Grey in the cabinet, don't fret.

Originally posted by: biggestmuff
Use a glass teapot with an infuser. My wife uses something similar to this one, but with a plastic infuser.

Ever had any experiece with stress cracks from the heat? Any bit of a plastic taste?

Originally posted by: Mo0o
What kind of tea are you drinking? When I drink loose leaf green tea I never use any kind of bag or strainer. I think many asians do the same

Right now, all loose, & all varieties that I know of, except white, red, & that monkey paw/blood diamond delicacy that Descartes drinks at dinner with his foi gras stuffed bushmeat steaks.

Originally posted by: torpid
I've tried some pots that have glass infusers. It's ok if the pot is glass as long as the infuser isn't. Glass infusers are awful because they generally do not allow for adequate circulation of the water. All the ones I've seen have little slots only at the bottom and as a result make a really weak tea that requires more leaves or longer steeping.

However, I did just pick up a glass pot with a really fine mesh infuser made of gold. That is really nice. It's made by swiss gold I believe.

I have the IngenuiTea, the large sized one, but it is extremely difficult to clean and as such I do not recommend it if, like me, you make about 32oz of tea each day (shared among coworkers).

Does it taste like you've been swirling a metal spoon through it at all? The reason I wanted a glass infuser, was for the neutral taste.

 

[illusion88]

get what's known as a tea ball. It's a mesh ball that you can open up and put loose leaf tea inside. You put the ball inside the mug and go. It brews it just like a bag would.

 

[torpid]

Originally posted by: Coquito
Does it taste like you've been swirling a metal spoon through it at all? The reason I wanted a glass infuser, was for the neutral taste.

I make my tea pretty strong so it would be hard to detect any metal taste. I can experiment with the gold infuser and see, but I find it likely that there isn't an aftertaste like there may be with an infuser made of other metals.

I am not sure if the bodum linked is the one I have, but I do have a bodum with a glass infuser and it has the slot problem I mentioned. It is really pretty noticeable. If you are going to use larger leaves it might not be as big of an issue, but smaller leaves can even get stuck in the slots and clog them, which further reduce the steeping and are also a pain to clean.

The problem with the mesh type infuers is that some of them are basically a flat mesh rolled around and sealed in an edge, and sometimes the tea can sneak out through there. Then you end up with tea in your cup. But I'll take that over the glass infuser anyway. Plus the new gold infuser I got is not make in that fashion as far as I can tell and has been easy to clean and all around excellent.

 

[ch33zw1z]

They do make empty paper tea bags for loose teas. Local coffee shop uses those for it's outstanding selection of fine teas

 

[biggestmuff]

Originally posted by: Coquito

Originally posted by: biggestmuff
Use a glass teapot with an infuser. My wife uses something similar to this one, but with a plastic infuser.

Ever had any experiece with stress cracks from the heat? Any bit of a plastic taste?

No cracks in the glass. It's been used everyday for the past 4 years.

I just checked the brand. It's made by a German company named Jenaer Glas. I cannot find the exact model anywhere online right now. It must've been discontinued, but there are other ones similar to it. Some of their teapots have glass infusers; nice! Check that brand out.

 

[Fayd]

Originally posted by: Coquito
Without some sort of infuser, brewing a big batch of tea to carry around in my Thermos is a pain. Spashing boiling water through a strainer, into a small opening, is asking for trouble.

So I'm looking into getting something like this, to ease the pain of making a few cups of tea. After reading one of the reviews though, it seems stress cracks can develop over a short time. Metal leaves an aftertaste, so I don't want that either.

Any recommendations on a ceramic/non-metal pot & infuser set?

Thanks.

actually, i personally suggest something like this.

 

[sygyzy]

Read the link in my signature.

 

[mercanucaribe]

They invented these things called tea bags. It's a porous bag that holds the tea, so that it can flavor the water without you having to drink it. The whole thing is thrown away when you're done. I was amazed when I first heard of it, and thought "NO WAY WOULD THAT WORK!" But it works great!

 

[Coquito]

Originally posted by: mercanucaribe
They invented these things called tea bags. It's a porous bag that holds the tea, so that it can flavor the water without you having to drink it. The whole thing is thrown away when you're done. I was amazed when I first heard of it, and thought "NO WAY WOULD THAT WORK!" But it works great!

You were already beaten to the punch three times over. Give it a rest.

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: mercanucaribe
They invented these things called tea bags. It's a porous bag that holds the tea, so that it can flavor the water without you having to drink it. The whole thing is thrown away when you're done. I was amazed when I first heard of it, and thought "NO WAY WOULD THAT WORK!" But it works great!

Do you REALLY know what goes into a tea bag?

 

[Alone]

That's like trying to chew fine cut tobacco. It ain't happenin.