Reddit reviews FORLIFE Extra-fine Tea Infuser and Dish Set

Haha! Well that's a new one. I never heard anyone ask for a tea similar to toothpaste.

I doubt you'll be able to find teabags like that, but you might be able to blend something close. Chamomile is very common in herbal infusions, and it has a pretty mild flavor, so I'd suggest using that as the base. Then you could just add a bit of sage and eucalyptus until the flavor is strong enough. Myrrh isn't used to flavor tea that I've ever heard of, so I'd suggest just skipping that. For starters, try 2 tsp of chamomile, with a half teaspoon each of the sage and eucalyptus per cup.

If you're in the US, you can buy the herbs in bulk from a supplier like Mountain Rose Herbs or Monterey Bay Spice Company.

If you're not used to brewing loose tea, you can just throw it in a basket like this which sits in your mug.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

In terms of equipment, to brew western-style, you can buy reusable strainers to brew the tea. You put a teaspoon or so of leaf into the strainer, steep as normal, and set the strainer aside when you're ready to drink. I have this one and I really like it. It's good to get a big strainer so that the tea leaves can unfurl - good tea expands a lot when you steep it.

Quality is up to your personal taste, imo. In my experience, higher-quality tea tends to be smoother, lacks the off-flavors (bitter, acrid) that are found in some cheaper tea, doesn't lose all of its flavor on the first steep (you can usually steep high-quality tea multiple times before it runs out of flavor), and is more complex than cheaper tea. Imo it just smells and tastes better all around. It's like saying "How can I tell when I'm eating good quality pizza/drinking good wine?" You can tell cause you enjoy it more

It seems like what you're saying is that your tea tastes fine, but when you get towards the bottom of the cup, it starts to taste bitter. If that's the case you have a straining problem. Tiny parts of the tea leaves are sitting in your drink the entire time you drink it, which causes it to slowly steep more. You need to either infuse your leaves in a finer strainer, or pour your liquor through some sort of mesh or paper towel, and strain even the tiniest particles out of it.

tl;dr :

• This may be your solution

Have to go basket: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001JP1KPO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I think you're best off getting a stainless steel brew basket like this: http://www.amazon.com/FORLIFE-Extra-fine-Infuser-Porcelain-Dish/dp/B001JP1KPO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1348532288&sr=8-2&keywords=for+life+infuser

This infuser is nice and basic and you can brew by the cup. Plus, it makes resteeping oolongs and puerhs easy, when you get there.

Also, get a strainer to dump your leaves into if your office doesn't have a garbage disposal.

Check out the list of /r/tea retailers for tips on where to buy some great tea. My favorites are the following:

1. Verdant tea (bit expensive, but incredible)
   
2. Teavivre (Great selection, well priced)
   
3. yuuki cha (my go-to for all things japanese)
   
4. Zhi tea (good place for organic)

I have this one which comes with a nice ceramic dish for it to sit in.

Get yourself one of these.

For brewing, you can't go wrong with a simple in-the-mug infuser.

An electric kettle is great, too. It frees you from stoves and microwaves, so you can brew right at your desk.

Oh, and you may wish to check out Mellow Monk's Green Tea -- green tea from independent artisans in Japan. /selfpromotion

Happy brewing!

You can always get cheap steepers from amazon. :) I have this and this. They are both a little small, so the teas can't fully expand, though. My personal favorite is something like this because it has tiny holes that stop anything from escaping, and still plenty of room for larger tea leaves to fully expand.

Skip it. All of it.

Get a fine-mesh strainer like this or this.

Use coarse ground coffee, put it into the strainer, and steep for as long as you normally would.

These strainers are multifunctional (I guess you've already figured out that they can be used for tea as well), dishwashable, and unless you do something crazy with them they will last forever. There are no moving parts to break and no things made of glass or plastic to crack.

You can use it in any mug or cup. It doesn't get better than that.

If you want a nice looking Japanese tea set you can find some authentic Japanese tea pots at Den's tea
. The cheap one's use metal strainers rather than ceramic but they would still be good quality. If you have any Chinese tea shops near by you can find some cheap ceramic cups to go with it and probably not go over budget.

Instead of the tea ball look into a cup with a strainer. It is so much easier and it makes much better tea. (and when you do multiple infusions it makes it easier to save the leaves as they are less likely to roll off)I found this on amazon but there are probably cheaper options. Especially just buying a well made strainer that fits a cup you already have.

I use this one. Chan teas is unfortunately closing but that cup and strainer set works great and it is a good price. The strainer is more than $12 on amazon [by it self] (http://www.amazon.com/FORLIFE-Extra-fine-Infuser-Porcelain-Dish/dp/B001JP1KPO/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top) probably because it is so well made.

I just recently purchased this and it's the best I've ever owned: https://www.amazon.com/FORLIFE-Extra-fine-Infuser-Porcelain-Dish/dp/B001JP1KPO/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1493668319&sr=1-1&keywords=forlife+strainer
It fits into a 6-8 oz tea cup, or a coffee mug if that's your jam. It's extra fine, so not much passes through into the cup.

there's always sediment, I use an extra fine tea strainer similar to THIS and it gets most of it but there is still a bit at the bottom of the cup when I'm done though I don't notice any when I'm drinking.