Reddit reviews The Empress Tea Strainer

I drink looseleaf with an infuser like this one, or in a ceramic teapot (haven't gotten around to shelling out for a clay one yet.) This is my process for making black tea, which is what I usually drink.

1. Put water in the kettle. Bring it to a boil.
   
2. Pour a cup or so of water in the teapot or infuser, put the lid on, and let it sit for a few minutes to warm up.
   
3. Bring the kettle back up to a boil. (If you're using a kettle on the stove, just leave the burner on until the second pour in step 6.)
   
4. Dump the water out of the teapot.
   
5. Put in a few teaspoons (this will vary according to taste and will change as you get more practice) of tea in the teapot.
   
6. Pour boiling water over the leaves, as much as you're planning to make (this, too, will vary, and you'll settle into a usual amount. A few cups, perhaps).
   
7. Wait 3-5 minutes (I set my phone timer for 4).
   
8. Pour into a cup. If you're using a teapot with the loose leaves floating around inside, strain it. I use this strainer, but if you want to go fancy, you can get something like this. They just sit on the rim of the mug.
   
9. Add whatever you want. I usually do a few drops of liquid stevia and a squeeze of lemon juice. Sometimes I'll do a little cream instead of the lemon. Sometimes it's just sweetener. Sometimes I drink it without anything added. Depends on how I feel.
   
10. Enjoy!
    
    I'm not a huge fan of tea bags, because I'm sort of elitist about my tea and because I can't find many bagged teas that are as delicious and full-flavored as looseleaf teas.
    
    When I'm drinking tea, it's usually before or with breakfast, so I'm generally just eating breakfast alongside it. However, for a treat, I like to get some McVitie's digestive biscuits to nibble on with a pot of tea. If you're American, you can often find them in international food stores (or order online!). They go wonderfully with tea, and they're way more appetizing than they sound.
    
    I hope this helped, and that you can forgive my penchant for abusing paretheses! :)

The next step after a ball strainer is giving the leaves room to expand and infuse better. You want a basket infuser or teapot+strainer.

The next step after supermarket tea is loose-leaf tea from a good vendor (see the sidebar). I suggest buying a sampler that includes green, oolong, and black teas.

List of "Promotional" Sample Sets

Curated sample set

Put one of these over your cup and it will catch the loose leaves as you pour.

I have a little strainer (this one) that I put over my cup to catch the leaves when I pour a cup.

Also, note that that style of teapot probably was developed from Western brewing practices in the 18th and 19th century when tea was brewed by pouring 1/3 of a pot of boiling water over the leaves, brewing for 15 minutes or so, and then filling with more boiling water to dilute the strong tea, so it's possible that you're not necessarily supposed to completely empty the pot into the cup (I know with my tea-for-one set if I completely fill the pot, it doesn't fit in the cup) like with other brewing styles.

I use this one. It looks nice and has a drip tray. Common from what ive seen of English tea service.

The Empress Tea Strainer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002Q710ZY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_BztLBb4FA8JQH

Personally I much prefer the method of steeping the tea loose in a teapot and then straining. I use these strainers and absolutely love them.

For single cups I use this basket.

For the pot you should just brew loose and pour through a teacup strainer like this or similar. You get the benefits of a strainer while allowing the tea leaves to fully expand.

maybe this one?
https://amzn.com/B002Q710ZY
Porcelain ones are out there too, but you'd need to find one that coordinates with your pattern.

Gaiwan, Fair cup, strainer :)