Tea infuser ball or basket: which is best for loose leaf?
An infuser is the one bit of kit that turns a mug into a teapot. There are two main types and they suit different teas. Here is the difference, how to use them without a weak cup, and a word on the mesh.
The ball infuser
A stainless steel ball on a chain, usually about the size of a walnut. Open it, add a spoon of leaf, close it, drop it in. It is cheap, ours is £2.40, it goes in a pocket or a drawer, and it lasts years. It suits teas whose leaf is small or stays compact as it brews: Assam CTC, Scottish Breakfast, Earl Grey, Gunpowder, Rooibos, Honeybush, Nettle. Those teas do not need much room.
Its weakness is space. A ball packed with fluffy leaf has no room for the water to move, and the middle of the leaf stays dry. The cup comes out weak and people blame the tea.
The basket infuser
A basket is a wider mesh cylinder that sits in the top of the mug, often with a lid. The leaf has room to swell and unfurl, which is what whole leaf tea needs to do. It is the better choice for Pai Mu Tan, Darjeeling, the oolongs, Sencha, Jasmine, Peppermint, Chamomile and Lavender, all of which expand a lot. A basket is a little dearer and a little bulkier, and most are easier to empty than a ball.
Using either one well
Fill it half way at most. Leaf roughly doubles in size as it wets. Give it a swirl after a minute to get water through the middle. And lift it out when the time is up rather than leaving it in, which is the main reason mug brewed tea gets bitter.
Rinse it straight after use and the mesh stays clean. If it does get stained, a soak in a cup of hot water with a spoon of bicarbonate of soda sorts it.
Mesh size
Fine mesh keeps dust out of the cup, which matters for CTC and for Rooibos, both of which have fine particles. Coarse mesh lets more flavour through but a few bits with it. Ours is a fine mesh ball, which is the right call for the breakfast teas most people start with.
Or skip the infuser
If you drink fluffy herbals, a cafetiere or a fill your own paper bag is less hassle than a ball. If you only drink breakfast tea, the ball is all you will ever need. We put a free infuser in every first order so you can try the mug method before you buy anything else.