Reddit reviews Finum Reusable Stainless Steel Coffee and Tea Infusing Mesh Brewing Basket, Medium, Black

The angle makes it weird-looking but it's actually one of these guys. Probably like 3-4x the volume of a Keurig cup.

This is greenwashing at its finest, they are only compostable in a municipal facility so if your area doesn't collect compostable waste and you try stick them in your compost heap they aren't going to break down. Buy a brewing basket, I've had mine for over 5 years and it's still going strong, one cup at a time.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Finum-Brewing-Basket-Permanent-Filter/dp/B000I68NCS/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=single+cup+coffee+filter&qid=1568014539&s=gateway&sr=8-8

Can't go wrong with a finium brewing basket.

What are you looking for and what does he like? You can get a standard infuser like this one that I use.

Or you could get him a "reverse french press". The reverse french press is one of the best and easiest ways to brew. It lets the leaves float in the water, but allows easy extraction of the water into a mug (it is much harder with a regular french press because pressing down the leaves can cause them to expel a lot of bitter flavor into the water).

Generally speaking, avoid anything that will smash the leaves, or will not let them float easily. If he generally uses a big teapot, make sure to get something for that. If he typically uses just a mug, the two things I listed will work great. I even use my regular infuser in my large tea pitcher/pot.

But, if you give me a price range and a general idea of what you would like him to have, what he already has or what kind of things he likes, I can definitely help you out. I love tea myself, and would hope that my wife would ask someone knowledgeable when she goes to buy something for me.

OH! And if you're looking to get the best bang for your buck, avoid teavanna. They're not bad they're just overpriced.

I've found it a bit difficult to clean, but these Finum basket infusers have a VERY fine mesh, you can't drink your tea while it's in place but they do filter out even the smallest bits of leaf very effectively.

Everyone keeps saying aeropress, but I think that's overkill. Here's a really good review of a lot of the options: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/coffee_beautiful_cup.html#.U1E-2fldWSo

I just started using the MSR filter basket. I just make cowboy coffee and filter out the grounds. It takes a little practice to get it exactly how you like it, but it makes really good coffee for basically no size or weight penalty.

So you might just want to get him one of these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I68NCS/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Looked at the title and was going to say "just don't even," but if she's just getting into it you can probably avoid a faux pas.

You should include a basket-type mug infuser like this unless you're sure she's already got one. It would be a good match for the What-Cha sampler linked below. That sampler has fairly tiny amounts of each tea, about enough for 4 cups of each. The various samplers here have more of each tea (more like about 14 cups) of a smaller number of kinds. The same vendor also has mug infusers, so you can get it all in one order.

A strainer (Preferably one with a very fine mesh so you don't get too much grit at the bottom of your mug/pot), an electric kettle (preferably one with different temperature settings for different teas), and if you want to make two or three mugs of tea at a time, maybe a teapot or two. For storing tea and keeping it fresh long-term, you will either want to get double-lidded tins, or I prefer dark glass jars, such as amber glass or violet glass.

If you want to get into gongfu style brewing, that's a whole other animal in terms of equipment.

Edit: oh, and if you want to be extra fancy about weighing out exactly how much tea you are using, a pocket scale is also a nice thing to have.

I'm not a very interesting person

I use a finum basket to brew in a mug. It provides plenty of space for the tea to expand, and the mesh is fine enough that you won't have any particles to deal with in your tea.

Finium mesh strainer is my favorite

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000I68NCS/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1419017756&sr=8-1

For Life

Finum

For western style brewing (little bit of tea to lots of water for a longer time) a brew basket is a good way to go for a single person. The ones from Finum are great, but theres a bunch of different options out there . I have been using a Davids Tea one for the last while and have no complaints about it at all.

If you want to get into brewing with gongfu parameters (lots of tea, little water, quick infusion times) then I'd recommend picking up a cheap gaiwan in the 100ml range to start out and see if you're into it or not. All you really need is a gaiwan and a cup or mug to pour it into. If you want to you can get little tea cups, strainers, and a fairness pitcher, but none of that is actually "needed". I'd start out simple and cheap then re-evaluate if you find it's something you really enjoy. This was my first gaiwan - its nice looking but simple, affordable and well built. Comes with a saucer too which is a plus for me. After a year or so of use I realized a smaller one would be more suited for me and I picked up a 55ml one from Bitterleaf that I love to death. The size really comes down to how you want to drink and you might not know whats best for you until you just buy something and use it for a while.

Agreed. I have two of these - one for home, one at the office. They're the perfect size for a single mug of tea. Finum Brewing Basket

This strainer basket is the cheapest, easiest option. This infuser cup is a little more attractive and also easy. Then you just need tea, there are many great options on the vendor list on the right.
Edit: If you want to invest more, and in my opinion get more out of the experience, you could buy a gongfu tea set. This video explains tea brewing and gongfu. Yunnan Sourcing sells all the pieces of a gongfu set for good prices, but there are many other sources.

First off, water matters. So if you live in a place with really hard water, consider getting a filter or bottled water.

Second, you can use anything to boil water in. Doesn't matter if it's a kettle on a stove or a tempered glass cup in a microwaver.

Third, temperature REALLY matters. Brewing green tea for example at 212F is going to make the tea very bitter.

You can brew the tea in anything really. However, if you're using loose leaf (which I recommend you do; tea bags are low quality mostly) you should get a strainer or a brew basket like this: http://www.amazon.com/Finum-63-421-50-00-Brewing-Basket/dp/B000I68NCS. Do keep in mind that steeping time matters as well. So use a timer or a clock or your phone to keep track of time.

http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-40996-Programmable-1-7-Liter/dp/B0083I7THI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420989185&sr=8-1&keywords=programmable+kettle

your mug is fine just the way it is, but it is better to heat tea in a kettle (electric or stovetop) to avoid superheating it and causing an explosion of water in your face.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_OXM4mr_i0

http://www.amazon.com/Finum-Brewing-Basket-medium-black/dp/B000I68NCS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420989221&sr=8-1&keywords=tea+filter+basket

these are highly recommended.

.

https://www.davidstea.com/

Davids tea has AWESOME "dessert teas" which is what I think you are looking for.

They also have some KICKING tea mugs with stainless steel infusers that are similar to the finium, but they also come with a lid doubling as a coaster for the filter.

I don't typically sweeten teas unless they scream for it, so i can't help you there.

I have two Finum brewing baskets: one for home, one for work.

http://www.amazon.com/Finum-63-421-50-00-Brewing-Basket/dp/B000I68NCS/ref=pd_sim_sbs_k_2

There is a whole world of gadgets you can get to make tea in! Our FAQ is really helpful here If you are just stepping into loose tea an infuser mug like this is a good place to start. They're not super expensive and they make tea just for you and if you decide you are done with tea forever you have a nice mug. This is a good one too.

Teapots come in a ton of shapes and sizes, I'd pick something that 1. Is not too big (cups of tea should be small not big imo) 2. Won't break easily 3. Is easy to clean.

Give this a read while you're at it.


EDIT: Points 2 and 3 mean stay away from glass pots if you're clumsy like me and is made of a material that won't degrade and absorb like plastic. Good old ceramics are your best bet unless you know what you are looking for in a clay pot.

Steeping = leaving your tea leaves in hot water so you can get the flavour (and the caffeine) out of them. Different teas do best with different temperature and times. For green tea, you want around 165°F for 1 minute, or check the instructions your tea comes with. Adjust to your liking.

You can use teabags or "loose leaf", which is when the tea leaves come as they are. Both are easy to use and loose leaf can be cheaper, especially if you know where to look or order online. If you do decide to use loose leaf, you will need some kind of basket strainer or other infuser, to hold the leaf while it steeps so that you don't get bits of tea leaf in your cup. My personal favourite is this Finum Brewing Basket.

You don't need to use a teapot. I just brew and drink my tea out of a mug. The teapot I have is only used if I'm sharing tea with someone else.

For brands, check out the User's Choice list from the wiki. I started off buying from Adagio and Upton. Nowadays, I buy from Adagio, Verdant Tea, O-Cha, and Yunnan Sourcing, but all the shops in that list are good ones. As for supermarket brands... I don't really like any of them, because I don't like flavoured tea, and those non-flavoured teas tend to have been on the shelf long enough that they're a little stale. (Also I have a huge backlog >_>)

Some green teas worth trying out:

• Chinese Dragonwell a.k.a. Longjing
  
• Chinese Jasmine Green Tea
  
• Japanese Sencha
  
• Japanese Genmaicha (this is green tea with toasted rice added, great when it's cold out)
  
  Hope this helps.

This looks identical to the Finum basket which is five bucks cheaper on amazon. I highly recommend it. It's the best infuser I've tried and I make loose tea every day.

Edit: Just weighed mine. 1 oz. with the top, 0.65 oz. without.

I would recommend getting a single cup strainer like this one. I personally don't like grandpa style as I want more control over steeping times. I would buy that strainer, throw about 1 tablespoon of leaf per 8 oz of water into it, and pour water over it, then take out the basket once you're done steeping.

First a tea clamp is not very good, you should get an infuser like this the clamp will not let leaves properly infuse. You can use that in a teapot just make sure you use enough tea (usually one teaspoon for one cup).Also a lot of teapot come with an infuser if you don't already have a teapot.

As other people said keep exploring what you already like so more green you could try more Japanese green or some Chinese green like Longjing (Dragon Well) and more Oolong but without knowing what Oolong you tried its hard to recommend anything.

Matcha is usually not bitter at all so my guess would be that your water was too hot you should try again with colder water (around 70°c)

I use a Finum brewing basket and get virtually no dust. Even with yerba mate, much of which is finely powdered, I don't get too much residue. (On the other hand, the mesh is fine enough that it gets a bit clogged when I drink a lot of mate.)

We use these and they are great.

There are a lot of very long comments here. To summarize:

It's good that you bought some loose leaf.

First, though, depending on the size of your tee ei, you should probably look into an upgrade, even for western-style brewing (lots of people love Finum: https://www.amazon.de/gp/aw/d/B000I68NCS/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?__mk_de_DE=%C3%85M%C3%85Z%C3%95%C3%91&qid=1504620481&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=finum)

Second, keep trying new tea. Green teas are great, but there are many great prolongs, blacks, whites, puerh, and herbal tisanes.

Third, consider trying gongfu style (Chinese-style) brewing. For many of us, it was a revelation. In terms of convenience, o often don't have time for gongfu brewing, but it is a special treat when I do.

Rooibus, Chamomile, Peppermint, Honeybush, Hibiscus - these are all caffeine-free teas and they come in many different blends. Check out Adagio Teas and order some samplers. You'll need a tea infuser/strainer as this is loose tea. I don't think any of these taste terribly "herbal" other than maybe chamomile. Their Foxtrot blend is pretty interesting.

Finum basket and loose tea. Like so:

https://www.amazon.com/Finum-63-421-50-00-Brewing-Basket/dp/B000I68NCS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1527093077&sr=8-1&keywords=finum+brew+basket

When I started with loose tea I got one of these and eventually got one of these. I mostly use the IngenuiTEA, but still use the Finum filter occasionally.

First:

Dance bracelet

Maybe some bath products for relaxing/soaking her feet? Philosophy bubble bath, bath salts, arnica pain relief

Gift card for a pedi

​

Second:

Mug and some of her favorite teas

Tea mug

Mini tea packs

Book about tea

Tea infusing basket

China cup and saucer

​

Third:

Succulent garden

This planter and purchase a succulent for it

This planter

​

Boss:

GoT cutting board

GoT tumbler

I'd stick with loose leaf and one of these guys.

Like johnsgunn said, it's a decent way to get the right amount of hot water but Keurig is expensive, mediocre quality stuff.

While there is some high quality bagged tea out there, you really need to try out loose leaf. I'd even be willing to send you some of mine just to convince you! I use my kettle and one of these. It works for making one cup quickly and easily. I also happened to find a 4 cup teapot for $8. It's cheap, but it works for my current needs. I haven't tried Gaiwans yet so I can't tell you anything about them, though I believe you brew with them a bit differently.

Extremely fine wire mesh steeper, they are as fine as a piece of cloth and bend similar. If you don't powder your tea very fine nothing will escape. I got mine at the local tea store for a few bucks.

https://www.amazon.com/Finum-63-421-50-00-Brewing-Basket/dp/B000I68NCS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1520780228&sr=8-2&keywords=Finum

Here is one at amazon

First of all, if you're concerned about getting all of the flavor out of tea, you need to be brewing loose leaf, not bagged. Bagged teas are fine sometimes, but they have a fraction of the flavor of a good loose leaf tea. All you need to brew loose tea is hot water and a strainer to get the leaves out of the water. I use a brewing basket from Finum. you can buy it on Amazon, and Upton Tea sells it for a few dollars cheaper, but they charge shipping, so if you're not getting tea too, it's about the same. A lot of other tea shops also sell infusers, so you can probably add one to your order and get it all at once!

If you're shopping from Adagio, as /u/saltyteabag recommended, I suggest their Spiced Apple Chai, if you like apple cider type flavors. Brew that up and add some milk and a touch of honey and that's one of the most delicious drinks there is.

For regular tea (no flavors), I usually prefer Oolongs. Adagio has a good selection of those as well.

For a cold, what I like is some gunpowder green tea with peppermint and honey.

I just throw a spoon of tea and a spoon of peppermint leaves in a cup, drizzle with honey, and add hot water. Most of the leaves will sink to the bottom, and those that don't aren't bad to drink. That's one of my favorite ways to drink tea and relax. It's called "grandpa style" and it's mentioned in the FAQ in the sidebar (which I definitely recommend reading). It's easy and there's not a lot to mess up.

I get my peppermint leaves from Mountain Rose Herbs, as it's cheaper than buying it from some tea places, but Adagio has peppermint tea, and that would work fine.

The gunpowder green tea I used to get from Twinnings, but my local grocery store stopped carrying it. I got my last batch from Upton Tea, but Adagio also has gunpowder green tea.

So all you really need is a brew basket and a cup (and the brew basket is optional if you're willing to drink around the leaves). Also you'll need some tea.

I imagine you have a mug. As for a brew basket, something like [this] (http://www.amazon.com/Finum-Brewing-Basket-medium-black/dp/B000I68NCS) should be good. Just put leaves in a basket and add hot (usually not boiling) water.

When I started out, I bought a bunch of tea and samples from adagio.com. It's good to find what kinds of tea you like (there is black, green, white, oolong, puerh, yellow, but tons of subvarieties). It's been a while since I've purchased from adagio, so I'm not sure how they are now.

I like buying from verdant tea now. It's pricey and has a smaller selection, but it's delicious.

Best of luck!

Agreed on the Finum. It's great.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000I68NCS/ref=twister_B07F4K3HXJ?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.amazon.com/Finum-Brewing-Basket-medium-black/dp/B000I68NCS ?

In my experience, flavored tea almost always smells better than it tastes unless you load it with sugar. On the other hand, high quality straight tea almost always tastes better than it smells. I've never heard this from anyone else, so it might just be me.

My first foray into the world of tea involved a microwave and a Bigelow variety pack. I can still remember how disgusting the green tea was. A microwave can get the job done, but I'd strongly recommend getting an electric kettle and a cheap thermometer (unless you get a variable temperature kettle). After a while, you'll get a feel for it and won't need the thermometer, but it's really helpful in the beginning to eliminate any doubt.

There are so many different ways to brew tea, and a lot of it comes down to personal preference. There's really no "best" method. The most important things are that the leaves have lots of room to expand, that the water isn't too hot, and that you don't leave the tea in for too long. Based on your post, I'd recommend this for now.

It sounds like your water temperature and steep time are alright, so the problem is likely the water or the tea. I'd experiment with bottled spring water. If it still tastes bad, the problem is the tea itself. I'd recommend getting a bunch of samples from a place like Adagio or Upton. Make sure to get black and oolong in addition to green, because no matter how well you brew plain green tea, it's still going to taste like grass (but without the feet), and maybe that's just not your thing. If you'd like some advice on which samples to get, just send me a message and I'd be happy to help.

For a teaware splurge, I'd suggest a Zojirushi instant hot water heater. I've yet to see anyone unhappy with that purchase.

A good water filter, if you need one.

As for teapots, cups, etc: there's the practical answer and the fanciful answer.

The practical answer is: if you're new, you don't know what teas you'll enjoy, much less how you'd like to prepare them. A good, solid bet would be a basic mug infuser like this or [this] (https://www.amazon.com/Extra-Loose-Infuser-House-Again/dp/B01N1OTXHW), or a gaiwan, or a simple medium-size ceramic teapot. From there, you can figure out if you prefer a certain variety, then get the best type of gear to maximize the brew for that variety.

The fanciful answer is: really, you can brew any tea in any set up. So, if you really love the look of a Japanese kyusu, you can still use it to brew a strong western breakfast blend. Go for it.

I did see a good suggestion here, that a lot of people who like yixing teapots really just like the aesthetic of them (guilty as charged!), in which case you can find ceramic pots that can work for any style of brewing for any type of tea. You can find these at vendors like: teaware.house, Dazzle Deer, Taiwan Tea Crafts.

I'm not big on tea balls, I prefer a nice tea basket.

Adagio is a pretty solid tea site. I used to get Mighty Leaf (a local place sells it) until I read about Adagio on Reddit.

Hario Mini Mill and an MSR MugMate or equivalent will be an excellent office set up. I use the Kyocera CM-45 which I love but tends to be more expensive and harder to find - and the MSR mugmate every day in my office. It's essentially french press coffee. Coarse grind, brew for 4 minutes, enjoy!

Really I'd recommend getting a filter like this one and an electric kettle. They have some cheap ones (like ~$15) that you should be able to use in your dorm room. Just put water in and hit the button, it shuts off when it's done. There are more expensive ones that allow you to set the temperature which is nice for some of the more delicate green and white teas but in a dorm setting, I'd just go for something like this.

As for tea, I highly recommend anything from adagio. They also have some kettles but they are Stainless Steel and more expensive. They are also the makers of the IngenuiTea which you can get from them or elsewhere. My coworker has one and it's nice. I prefer the strainer I originally linked to because I can just store it in my mug and it doesn't take up that much space.

As someone who has enjoyed the pleasures of his lovely above the tree line many times, I suggest the following:

1. A condom is a pain in the arse. If that is not your normal BC don't worry about it. See below.
   
   
2. Bring some hypoallergenic (fragrance free and flushable) baby wipes. Have both of you clean up BEFORE and AFTER. Advantages to this:
   
   A. You can enjoy the oral manifestations of the situation
   B. Baby wipes can be used to clean up in general, clean the face, hands etc.
   C. To get rid of them you just throw them in the fire or bury them like toilet paper.
   
   
3. Other than that, just make sure you are in a remote camp site.
   
   If you are camping (as in car camping) just bring blankets and forget the sleeping bag. Blankets will absorb the moisture without getting gross and you can just wash them. If you are hiking in and camping, e.g; backpacking then bring some lightweight camp towells and just wipe down when done.
   
   Coffee while camping is easy just get one of these:
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Finum-63-421-50-00-Brewing-Basket/dp/B000I68NCS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1368721513&sr=8-3&keywords=tea+filter
   
   Morning meal? Bring some freeze dried peppers, eggs, onions and potato slices and make a kick ass omelette.

> ingenuitea tea maker

I had one of those, and the same thing made by Teavana, and they fell out of use in favor of a simple Finum tea strainer: Amazon link

I use this tea strainer everyday now. Works perfectly for mugs. I even brew for 2 people each time, just gotta steep the leaves twice. Currently $9, though every time I've bought it, it's been between $6-$7. I'll use teapots still too sometimes - but I find myself using this 98% of the time

Finum Brewing Basket, medium , black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000I68NCS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_1Nakyb6X68Z5F

Some like having the tea leaves float, others use an infuser. It's really your preference. I would suggest this. I use it quite a bit when making tea for myself. Word of advice, tea places like Teavana (while having some fantastic tasting stuff) are incredibly expensive/overpriced. There are much smaller shops that sell loose leaf at perfectly reasonable prices. Davids TEA and Adagio are my personal favorite online tea shops.

Personally, I use one of these when brewing my tea.

I have 2 "favorites" (read: can't afford to try past what I already own) teas that I typically drink, which is Irish Breakfast and Cocomint (which is a rooibos, so I'm not sure if it can actually be called tea). For what teas you should go for, it would help to know what your tastes are (this can be considered a catch-22 as you can't really know what you like/don't like until you've tried it).

Are you looking for earthier teas, caffeinated teas, black tea, green tea, red tea, etc?

One suggestion I can offer is to find a local tea house. The one near me offers really cheap cups of tea which allows you to sample many teas in a relatively short amount of time. Plus, if you do find one tea you really like, they will most likely be able to offer up other flavors that are similar (kinda like the Pandora of teas!).

We have a few that are great but aren't made anymore. I think this is sort of the successor:

http://www.amazon.com/Finum-Brewing-Basket-medium-black/dp/B000I68NCS

I wish they made it with a metal rather than plastic frame, though.

I'm curious about this one--if you try it let me know how well it works:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CO5KQ4O

Here's something I wrote in a similar post from the day after this one:

I'm lazy and don't use as many spices in my black tea "chai" as you do, but I have several versions of "Pumpkin Pie Spice" that have many of the same spices. I just sprinkle in one of the PPS's, and use a milk frother to mix the very dry powdered spices pretty easily. Sometimes I'll add another spice if not in the PPS, like cardamom, more ginger, etc.

Before I went low carb, I'd add milk and sugar to each strongly brewed cup of black tea. Now I sometimes use milk or cream, sometimes not, and add only a tad of sugar (unfortunately can't tolerate any of the alternative sweeteners), and also add coconut oil sometimes (don't particularly like butter in this as I would in BPC).

Great flavors, and has always made me feel almost like I'd "eaten" a snack!

I steep a fair amt of tea leaves in a mesh tea basket, for about 5 min with 3/4 cup of very hot water:
http://amazon.com/Finum-Brewing-Basket-medium-black/dp/B000I68NCS (I have the "large" one)

Ok, that provides a great starting point. Either get a basic, unflavored, tea sampler with classic black teas and maybe a jasmine green tea or go with the herbal sampler.

Since they both consume plenty of coffee, they'll be used to bolder flavors and are fine with higher caffeine (like in those breakfast blends). They also probably already have favorite cups. lol

If you and your family want to venture into loose leaf teas eventually, this finum infuser with any mug is about as hassle free as one can get.

Use this. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000I68NCS/ref=twister_B002WB12XE?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 Finum brewing basket. I use it at work and when I am out and about and have a limited space for storing things in my backpack. Combined with an alcohol or propane stove for heating water when camping, you should be pretty much good to go.

I have used this infuser with konacha, and it works quite well. Just lift slowly when removing from your cup.

These Finum infusers are popular too, and I'd imagine they would also work pretty well.

Coffee is best if you grind and brew it fresh. An Aeropress, a burr grinder, and a decent bean will make an amazing cup of coffee. You won't even want to put sugared shit in it because it tastes so good. Go to Starbucks and get a reserve coffee on the Clover machine if you want to try this brewing method.

Tea is best if you use loose leaf tea. Buy a single-cup, basket-style, tea strainer and some tea. I'd suggest Gunpowder Green Tea to start.

Before you go out and buy a lot of tea, only to find out it's not to your liking, explore your options a bit by trying out sampler packs.
A bunch of good samplers where linked to over here, but that's mostly for straight unblended teas.

I hardly drink flavoured teas myself, so I can't really give you any good recommendations on that, but perhaps someone else will chime in.
Adagio carries a lot of samplers, many of them containing fruity tea blends, so you might want to check that out.

If you don't have anything to steep your loose leaf in, I recommend picking up an infuser basket that allows you to brew directly in your cup/mug. If you end up liking hot tea, you can always invest in teapots and whatnot later. (And so begin the hopeless teaware addiction many of us suffer from!)

This, and this should do well. Avoid smaller infusers such as this, as your leaf needs the room to expand and interact with the water while steeping. A cramped infuser will not allow your leaf to do so, and may lead to an inferior brew.

> I think I will start with some fruity tea, is it acceptable to put honey/sugar into that?

It's your tea, you're free to drink it however you like it best. I do recommend steering away from your usual preferences every now and then to experiment a bit. There's a lot of different flavours to be found in straight tea, and it'd be a shame not to give it a shot. If you like it better with sweetener though, by all means drink it with sweetener.

> I had some tea bags but wasnt a huge fan, not very strong of a taste, would loose leaf tea be better?

You betcha!

I use this https://smile.amazon.com/Finum-Brewing-Basket-medium-black/dp/B000I68NCS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493589365&sr=8-1&keywords=finum+tea+strainer

I have the medium size at home (perfect for a single coffee-mug size)

and the large size at work (perfect for a travel mug)

Thanks for the reply! She isn’t as into tea as myself and for whatever reason prefers bags. I actually have a really nice Basket Infuser from when I first started exploring tea more seriously a few years back, and I still use it occasionally (especially when a tea has a good amount of tea-dust or is particularly small). The mesh is quite fine and leaves next to no sediment, and it really gives a great amount of room for the leaves to expand. I offered it to her before but she didn’t seem that interested. I can’t knock it too much, everyone has their own preference.

Thanks for the reply!

Just checked the FORLIFE infuser, and here in Germany it's ridiculously overpriced. I quickly skimmed amazon.de and found for example this or this. Would they work? Is there anything that I should pay extra for? The first one seems to have slightly better ratings, but it's made out of plastic (if that makes a difference?).

Thanks again! :)

Just get a Finum tea basket and you can use it in a mug. If the neck of a pot is not too wide, you can use it in a tea pot, should you decide to get one. https://www.amazon.com/Finum-63-421-50-00-Brewing-Basket/dp/B000I68NCS You can probably find this at your local tea shop, if you have one. Buy it from them along with all that loose tea you are about to try. :-)

Finum one cup stainless filter

These are awesome. $10. No waste at all. Boil water, add coffee and filter to mug, wait 5 mins. Way cheaper than a french press and smaller. There are bigger filters out there if you need to make a pot.
I reuse the grounds 1-2 more times, sometimes adding a little if I really want it stronger.

Apparently not using paper allows more of the coffee oils to remain (you can see them on top). Good coffee has great flavor.

Also works for tea.

It's funny, I didn't even realize Finum made coffee filters, although that should have been obvious.

Instead I was referring to their very popular Finum basket infuser tea filter, which works perfectly for even very fine tea fragments.

THIS Finum brewing basket is decent (similar to the MSR version).

Teasource is a great company you can order loose leaf tea from. Their basic stuff (earl grey, breakfast teas, simple oolongs) is like $6-10/4oz and the nice stuff goes to like $20/4oz.

I like very black teas like some Assam blends for mornings, and greener-oolongs in the afternoons with honey.

And also Harvey and Son’s “Paris” is my favorite bagged tea. Only floral black tea blend I like

Idk if you have a strainer for loose leaf already but they are cheap online and can take you to new places tea-wise. Nice metal ones with really small holes are best

Finum (63/421.50.00) Brewing Basket, medium , black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000I68NCS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_EeXWAbHYC1EG4


Tea Infuser,Tea Strainer,2 PACK 304 Stainless Steel Water Filter with Double Handles for Hanging on Teapots, Mugs, Cups to steep Loose Leaf Tea and Coffee,Cold Brew Coffee Maker. FDA Approved. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075KK731Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_TfXWAb6P870HT

LoL. Tea bags...

This is what you should be using. Head to your local tea emporium and get some fresh, loose tea leaves. You'll never want to drink tea from tea bags again.

Something like this?
https://www.amazon.ca/Finum-Brewing-Filter-Basket-Medium/dp/B000I68NCS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1518708960&sr=8-1&keywords=finum+brewing+basket