Tea strainers - so you don't have to strain your tea with your teeth

Tea strainers come - of course - in a variety of designs. Here we have collected a variety of popular models, so you don't have to strain your tea with your teeth. Traditionally, a tea strainer is used to strain the tea after brewing. The tea leaves are left in the pot and when the brewing is finished, the tea is poured through a tea strainer into a serving pot or directly into the cups. For this purpose, there is also the spout strainer, which you put into the spout of the tea pot and strain it on the way out, so to speak. Some teapots also come with an insert strainer made of metal, glass, porcelain, etc. Then you lift out the strainer when the tea is ready. Below you will also find models that can fit in a teapot, such as tea balls/tea eggs with a chain or tea tongs where the smaller ones are intended for a cup, while the larger ones are intended for a pot.

Sealed tea filters for cups are another practical innovation. These usually come with a combined lid/tray. Used as a lid, it retains heat during brewing. When brewing is finished, it is used as a saucer to avoid spills on the table.

How do I choose the right tea strainer?
It may not be rocket science, but the thing to keep in mind is that the tea leaves should move as freely as possible. By having maximum contact with the water, you get the most flavor out of the tea leaves. You should choose the largest tea strainer that will fit in the cup or jug. Then you may want it to be fine-meshed so that small leaf crumbs do not find their way out. However, a tea strainer with few small holes is not optimal. Not only is it difficult for the water to circulate during brewing, but it can also take a long time to empty the tea strainer when the tea has finished brewing. Also consider whether the tea strainer is easy to clean.