Stop wasting your time trying to search for the best tea infuser, because I just compiled a list of the top 11 so you don’t have to worry about doing it yourself.
I know... You’re welcome!
You probably landed on this page because you are done using tea bags and you’re ready to move up and experience the superior art of brewing loose leaf tea. And because you now know that loose leaf tea retains more of its natural oils, flavor, and health benefits.
Or maybe you are just ready to reduce your impact on our planet and buy a reusable loose leaf tea infuser or tea infuser mug instead of tea bag tea. Some tea bags are made of plastic mesh, which have been shown to release microplastics in your tea (1).
No matter what the reason is that brings you here, the most important thing is that you’ve made the right decision!
This article will cover and review our selection of the 11 Best Tea Infusers for different budgets, needs and styles, so you can finally buy the one you fancy and move on with your life...
Check out our overviews below and click on "Read More" to jump down to the in-depth reviews:
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Now stick around so you can learn more about each product we mentioned and what you should look for when you're shopping for one!
Best Overall
We have selected this stainless steel tea infuser by Firebelly Tea as our top pick because of its simple yet elegant design, and its extra fine stainless steel filter and its multi-functional resting cup, which provides some elegance to your tea brewing routine.
So if you're looking to level up your tea from crappy teabags, this is it!
This tea strainer (at the time of writing) comes in two colors, black or white. It's a one-size-fits all strainer - we tested on small mugs and extra wide latte mugs, and there were no issues with any of the cup sizes in terms of fitting or messes.
The resulting tea quality was excellent, as the infuser itself provides ample space for water to flow through the tea leaves. It has tiny laser perforated holes that do not let pass even the smallest tea particle.
It's very easy to use. Pour the tea leaves and hot water through the infuser, and once steeping is done, remove by using the strainer handle (which remains cool by the way). Then remove and place the infuser into the resting cup.
Despite not being dishwasher safe, cleaning is easy, just remove the spent tea leaves and rinse with water.
The resting cup has double functionality - it prevents messes but it also is great for storage. There are two slits on the sides of the holding cup to ensure the strainer fits perfectly, and saves precious kitchen space!
This is tea infuser is an excellent choice, and priced at around $20, it's a very good investment. With this infuser, you'll be able to brew delicious tea for many years to come!
Did you know? Firebelly Tea was recently founded by David Segal, THE David from David's Tea!
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Runner Up
This is another great tea infuser for those looking to enhance their tea-making experience.
This tea elegant tea infuser is made of 18/8 food grade stainless steel, with extra-fine holes to prevent tea leaf debris making it into your cup. The perforated holes form a nice abstract wave-like design along the infuser to please your eyes.
This infuser fits most teapots, mugs and cups, while leave lots of space for water to flow through the loose leaf teas for a proper infusion.
It comes with a porcelain lid, which helps keep your tea warm during brewing. Once you're done steeping the tea, the lid can be reversed to serve as a coaster, to minimize any messes.
It's very easy to clean - all you have to do is throw it in the dishwasher. Well, you can through the infuser but be careful with the porcelain lid as it's obviously fragile.
The only con is that its tall design may be an issue for some of the smaller cups - with shorter cups the infuser's bottom hits the cup's bottom, which is not ideal.
However, this is definitely one of the best tea infusers out there, provided you don't use small cups!
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Best Bottom Dispensing
This tea infuser is a teapot with a tea infuser. Made with 100% Tritan plastic material, it is shatterproof, and BPA/lead-free.
It is unusual for an infuser as it is bottom dispensing into your tea mug, but it is very practical. Add your leaves into the teapot, let it steep, then put the loose leaf tea infuser over your tea mug and let it pour out straight into your mug.
Plus, it is transparent so you can see the color of your tea and know when it is strong enough for your liking.
It is easy to clean because the infuser and filter can be removed. There is a long nose pin on the filter which you push down and the filter pops out. It can also be placed in the dishwasher.
P.S:
Brewing Butterfly Pea tea in this steeper would look absolutely amazing!
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Most Beautiful
This next tea infuser could be considered the opposite from the previous one from our list. This one is definitely not utilitarian, instead, it's beautiful infuser than is sure to be a conversation starter and will impress your guests.
We present this infuser because in the world of tea, beauty is very important. So some of you, dear readers, may be looking for something than does more than steep tea...
If you are looking to bring beauty to your tea-making routine, then this Exotic Dear Infuser Set by LolaMolaHandCrafts is perfect for you!
It is handmade and hand-painted, so you will know your piece will be unique. The deer is made of ceramic materials, whereas the infuser and teapot are made of glass. We love the glass because it allows you to see the tea color, while each type of tea you brew will give this tea infuser a different character!
The glass infuser can hold 300 mL, and you put directly the tea leaves in there with hot water. This provides ample space for the leaves to release their flavor into the water. At the bottom of the infuser, there is a stainless steel filter to retain the leaves, and stainless steel ball to retain the water. This system is quite ingenious; the teapot handle has a magnet, such that when you place the teapot under the infuser, the magnet attracts the steel ball allowing the tea to flow into the teapot below while the filter ensures no pesky leaves make it into the teapot below.
The main disadvantage of this tea infuser set is that it's obviously fragile and takes a bit of time to clean - it's not something you want to throw in the dishwasher! It's also a bit pricey, but again, you are paying for a beautiful piece of art that will brighten your mornings!
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Best Ceramic
This loose leaf tea infuser is pretty and efficient. At the time of writing, there are twelve different designs from cherry blossoms to deep red poppies, and other colorful patterns.
This infuser is a double-walled ceramic mug with an infuser basket and lid. The double-wall ceramic tea infuser mug means it keeps your tea hot for longer. Though the ceramic mug can be a little fragile compared to other materials.
The lid serves as a handy tray for the infuser, so it won’t make a mess. So you can make a mug of tea and bring it to your desk without having to wait.
This tea infuser mug is suitable for lots of different teas and does not leave residue at the bottom of your mug. Plus it is both dishwasher and microwave safe although it can be hot to touch since there is no handle.
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Most Practical
Although it might not look pretty, this Finum tea infuser is one of the most practical ones in our list.
One of the main advantages of this tea infuser is its size. The basket is very large, meaning you the loose tea leaves will have plenty of room to float around. As you'll see in our guide below, this is important since you want to maximize the leaf surface area that comes into contact with the water.
This tea infuser also comes into two styles, a brewing basket or a floating basket. We recommend the floating basket, as the brewing basket needs to be used with a mug and may not fit all mug sizes. The floating basket can pretty much be dropped into any container that can hold water.
Another nice feature is that the lid, which helps retain heat, can be used as a drip-off tray.
This Finum steeper is made of BPA-free micro-mesh that can also be used as a coffee maker if you are in a pinch!
This infuser comes in a medium and large size, so make sure you get the size you need!
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Best Budget
The House Again infuser has one of the quirkiest design out of all of our picks. It's made with stainless steel fine mesh and a BPA-free silicone lid. Plus it comes in two different designs, a flower, and a leaf.
The flower or leaf pokes above your tea mug when it is placed inside and comes in bright colors.
The filter is suitable for all types of tea because of its fine mesh. It has more holes which means the leaves have more contact with the water, hence the better flavor.
The fun designs act as a handle so it is easy to take them out and they won’t get warm. A silicone drip tray at the bottom means the infuser can be placed on it to avoid making a mess.
Plus the best? It's extremely affordable as each pack contains 4 infusers!
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Best for Travel
Travel tea mugs are not only made for coffee drinkers, and this one is a perfect example of that!
Made with stainless steel, the vacuum tea mug has a nonstick finish inside with a filter. The stainless steel means it will stay warm for longer, up to an impressive six hours. The nonstick finish means it resists odors so it won’t change the taste of your tea.
The filter is easily removable so it can be cleaned and the stopper can be split into three parts, also making it easy to clean.
It can be used for iced tea as well, with a wide mouth so full ice cubes can be placed inside.
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Best Tea Ball
The HIC infuser is a pretty simple infuser that does the job. The shape gives it a large area for the tea leaves to circulate and evenly distribute the flavor. It can be used in a tea mug and a teapot. The chain attached to the infuser can hook inside the mug to easily place it in and remove it from the mug or teapot.
There is a hinge in the middle that is easy to open and close. The tea leaves expand when they are steeped so don’t overfill it or the hinge might burst open. It’s made from stainless steel, so it should last a long time and it’s dishwasher safe.
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Honorable Mention
This stainless steel infuser comes with extra fine mesh, which makes it suitable for all types of teas.
This tea infuser basket can fit in a standard cup or in larger teapots making it versatile. Plus it has handles on either side, so it is easy to place in and remove.
It is a large stainless steel infuser basket so it gives the loose leaf teas plenty of room to circulate to create a better-tasting mug of tea. And the lid is made of food-grade silicone which keeps it warm and can be used as a tray for the infuser.
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Quirky Design
Another quirky design, this stainless steel infuser is made with an ultra-fine mesh while the little person is made from silicone, making it easy to handle without burning your fingers.
The mesh is extra fine so no particles will end up in your tea mug, and it fits well in all teapots and cups.
It is easy to clean, just rinse with tap water or place it in the dishwasher, but it is narrower than other infusers so there is not as much space for the tea to circulate.
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Large tea infusers disperse flavors evenly throughout the water because the leaves have more room to circulate. Small tea balls are still better than tea bags as there is more space for them to circulate freely.
The style of a tea infuser can vary from a single cup to a large tea infuser for group or teapot brewing.
When deciding on the best tea infuser for your needs, make sure to factor in your brewing tea style: do you just want to have one mug or do you enjoy drinking multiples from each brew? Is it just for you, or are you using it to entertain guests as well?
It is quick and easy to use most of these tea infusers. Make sure you make your life even simpler by going for the ones that are dishwasher safe and come with drip trays to avoid making a mess.
Loose leaf tea can be a blend of tea leaves and smaller herbs and flowers that can go through larger holes and into the water, which defeats the purpose of a tea infuser. So make sure you are going for the extra fine mesh that will ensure your tea is debris-free for any type of tea you choose to drink!
These can be used for a single cup or for a full teapot. Again, the larger tea infusers are better to allow the tea to swirl around the water and distribute flavor more evenly.
Most have handles that rest on top of the tea mug or teapot, while others can be fully submerged in the water.
Travel mugs have become popular even for use at home as they keep your beverage warmer for longer, and they can be used for hot and iced tea. It is ideal for those who are constantly on the move but don’t want to miss their morning or afternoon perfect cup of tea.
These are made for single cup infusions and they come in different shapes and colors, from beautiful flowers to cute little dinosaurs. Whatever tickles your fancy, you can probably find the best tea infuser for it! Just make sure you get a large tea ball infuser to maximize the water flow between the tea leaves!
Fill the infuser with 1 teaspoon of tea for every 6 to 8 ounces of water. Then place the infuser in your cup or teapot that is prefilled with the right temperature of hot water. Let your tea steep for the desired/recommended time, then remove the loose leaf tea infuser and place it aside on a tray. Now enjoy your delicious tea!
A tea infuser is part of the tea brewing process, it holds the loose leaf tea in a confined area while your tea steeps, then it is used to strain the tea leaves out of the water, leaving you with your steep tea.
A tea strainer is used towards the end of the tea brewing process. The tea leaves are added to the teapot for brewing tea, once done a strainer is used when pouring the tea into a cup, which traps the tea leaves but allows the steeped water to go through.
Just keep in mind that many will use them interchangeably.
Searching for the best tea infuser or tea infuser mug to buy can be time-consuming, so I hope this list that I put together has helped and saved you some time.
Remember to first decide what your style of tea brewing is, then choose one of these 7 tea infusers based on that. Happy Brewing!
This article is intended for informational purposes only. It is not meant to replace professional medical advice, treatment or diagnosis. Do not consume any type of tea if you are allergic to it. The information in this article is not intended to treat serious medical conditions. Please seek professional medical advice before using home remedies.
Thank you for sharing this list of tea infusers with us folks. You actually made the buying process very simple! I look forward to more articles like this from you.
Thanks King! We are glad you enjoyed it and we hope that you enjoy having your tea just the way you like it 🙂
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