Why is Choosing How to Brew Your Tea Such a 'Strain' in the Butt?!

Loose leaf tea is delicious, it comes in so many varieties and often more than what you can normally find in tea bags! Furthermore, loose leaf tea is often a better quality too, but many people are put off by the complicated process that using this variety entails. Whereas you can just throw a tea bag into a cup and then throw it straight into the bin, no mess - tea leaves often leave your sink, mug and strainer messy and coated!! So today I'm going to show you all of the tea straining devices I use, which teas they are best for, and what the best ways to maintain the quality of your products - including how best to clean them.

1.Stainless Steel Ball-Shaped Tea Strainer

This strainer is perfect for a small/medium leaf blend tea, such as @theteaeperienceuk's Japanese Cherry Green Tea. The fine mesh of the sieve means that large leaves won't pass through, although smaller leaves may make it into the mug. However, if you don't like your tea too strong this is super easy to remove with the long handle.

Clean up is super easy with this device, due to the easy-squeeze handle, the ball aspect opens up wide enough to release the majority of the tea leaves inside. With a hard bash against the rim of a waste bin, the contents will practically empty itself! Any remaining leaves in the mesh will wash out under a tap if the ball is left open.

Tea Type: Medium/Small Leaf - Ease of Use: 9/10 - Ease of Cleaning: 8/10

2. Glass 3 Piece Teapot

This is ideal for the smallest blends of tea, due to the double protective strainers, the metal mesh 'first barrier' to catch larger fragments, and the glass 'second barrier' to catch the smaller fragments. Also, a metal coil in the spout of the teapot is the final, absolute barrier to stop any and all tea from reaching your mug - perfect for the complete tea neat-freak.

Cleaning the mesh aspect of this vessel is the easiest part, it washes out under the tap and any large fragments can be shaken into a bin. The glass strainer is difficult to remove leaves from, due to the fine slits, but inserting a paper towel should remove them easily. The vessel itself is easy to wash out with cold water, but specialist cleaning tools will be needed to ensure a thorough clean.

Tea Type: Small Leaf - Ease of Use: 10/10 - Ease of Cleaning: 4/10

3. Baby Nessie Silicone Tea Infuser

Silicone tea infusers aren't great for smaller tea leaves, the large holes and loose material mean that they can slip through into your mug with ease. However, large leaf tea such as @wudongtea's speciality blends, which are large enough that they expand and no not escape the holes of this infuser.

Due to the flexible nature of the material and the non-staining element, this means that the infuser can be turned inside out for thorough 360-degree cleaning. Also, the fact that these are dishwasher safe means that you're guaranteed to get a good clean on these. However, for me, I find that these often get your hands messy and are harder to brew for a short period.

Tea Type: Large Leaf - Ease of Use: 8/10 - Ease of Cleaning: 7/10