Photo By: Rob Chant
If you look at the variety of different glass teapots, ceramic teapots or metal teapots available you will find many come with an infuser. Oftentimes the teapot is designed so that the infuser can actually lift out of the teapot if you like. Why would you want to invest in a teapot with infuser and when would you use it?
What the Tea Infuser Teapot Is Useful For
Many people prefer not to have tea leaves swirling around in their cup of tea. This is especially true for those who drink loose leaf tea as the leaves, when unfurled, can oftentimes take up a lot of space inside the teapot. It is also quite a bother if they get stuck in the spout of a teapot as, unless you have the right accessories, they can be quite difficult to dislodge. This is where the teapot infuser comes in very handy.
Photo By: Lucius Kwok -- Loose Leaf Tea in a Teapot Without An Infuser
How To Use The Teapot With Infuser
They are very simple to use. All you need do it put the same amount of tea leaves in the actual infuser that you would have placed directly into the teapot. Pour boiling or just boiled water–depending on the type of tea you are drinking–over the tea leaves and allow it to brew as you normally would. The water will mingle freely with the tea leaves and you will have a nicely brewed pot of tea usually within minutes.
One thing that some people can tend to do is pack the infuser too tightly with tea leaves. This will not make for a better cup of tea. Instead, the water will not be able to freely mix around the tea leaves and you may well end up with a weaker tea than you would have had you packed the tea leaves less tightly. In summary, usually you need to place the same amount of tea that you normally would for the amount of cups you will be pouring.
Another thing to determine before buying your infuser teapot is that the infuser is actually large enough for the teapot. This is not normally a problem when the teapot is sold with the infuser, but I have seen problems when people buy an infuser to use with their teapot and they end up buying one that is too small. For this reason, unless you are sure what you are doing, you may want to opt for the teapots with infusers rather than buying a separate loose tea infuser for your pot.
Cleaning Your Loose Leaf Tea Infuser
They are really very simple to clean. Once you have finished serving tea you should be able to detach the infuser unit from the pot. From there you simply tap the infuser on the side of the trashcan or food disposal unit till the leaves come out. Some people don’t mind pulling the leaves out with their fingers; others prefer to use some sort of tongs or other accessory so they don’t have to touch the limp and usually cold tea leaves. After that, rinse the infuser out under the faucet and pop it back into the teapot.
If the infuser does not come out of the teapot you’ll have to resort to using either fingers or tongs to get the tea leaves out. Again, rinse the infuser and teapot under the tap and set it aside to dry.
It is not recommended to leave the tea leaves in the infuser as tea can be a great thriving ground for mould–now, getting mouldy tea leaves out of an infuser is much more unpleasant. Believe me, I’ve experienced it!
I hope your journey into the fascinating world of tea is as rewarding for you as it has been for me. I have lived in Asian countries for almost thirty years-spending twenty five in Thailand, and almost five years in Taiwan. I recently relocated to Australia, where I hope to continue to promote and sell Chinese and herbal teas.