I'm sick of drinking tea with bits in it, basically the clue is in the question, where can I get a decent and cheap strainer.
Nothing fancy just something that works
Nothing fancy just something that works
Gourd tea strainer / any decent tea strainer
- Thread starter R-James
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- Thread starter
- #3
I'm seeing nothing ray
I use a cafetiere and have bit-free tea...
Stainless steel, $2-$3 at any Asian market. Pick one to fit your cup.
What he said.
I like the baskets - in particular one that is made of perforated metal instead of mesh - both more durable and functional than the mesh.
Here's one I really like - its designed to clip onto the edge of any cup and it even comes with its own saucer - about $10, so a little more money, but works better than the cheapies.
http://www.forlifedesign.com/infusers-strainers/398-color.html
That's really cute, but how do you hook them onto the little 5ml cups everyone seems to be using? 
When I travel and don't feel like packing a nice Teapot, I use Three Styrofoam Cups to strain tea.
I poke small holes in the bottom of one with either a fork or the plastic coffee stirrers you find in any breakroom. I then add the tea leaves to this cup, place it inside another cup, and add hot water.. when it has steeped long enough, I lift the cup with the holes and the tea strains out into the other cup. When it is done straining, I place the strainer cup in to another empty cup so it doesn't get water all over everything.
Cheap, simple, ubiquitous.. to be honest, it makes lousy / barely passable tea, but it gets the job done.
-\Visdom
I poke small holes in the bottom of one with either a fork or the plastic coffee stirrers you find in any breakroom. I then add the tea leaves to this cup, place it inside another cup, and add hot water.. when it has steeped long enough, I lift the cup with the holes and the tea strains out into the other cup. When it is done straining, I place the strainer cup in to another empty cup so it doesn't get water all over everything.
Cheap, simple, ubiquitous.. to be honest, it makes lousy / barely passable tea, but it gets the job done.
-\Visdom
I got's this one
http://www.amazon.com/swissgold%C2%AE-TF-300-Tea-Filter/dp/B000G72D70/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1222717982&sr=1-1
Works pretty good.
Steve
http://www.amazon.com/swissgold%C2%AE-TF-300-Tea-Filter/dp/B000G72D70/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1222717982&sr=1-1
Works pretty good.
Steve
Hmmm, sediment actually doesn't bother me. I think it is part of the character of the tea. Must be a carryover from all those French Presses of coffee. I don't use a strainer.
Sediment is fine by me as well. Reminds me of a good wine.
One of your wife's stockings will do a good job in a pinch, but at the risk of her thinking that she's become incontinent.
One of your wife's stockings will do a good job in a pinch, but at the risk of her thinking that she's become incontinent.
I've got a few of these lying around:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Stainless-Steel...ihZ018QQcategoryZ1238QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem
They've always done a grand job when needed. I don't tend to use strainers very often these days, I brew green tea in an open glass jug so it's fairly necessary for that or if it's particularly dusty tea liu bao or very small leaf aged pu springs to mind.
I think Scott usually chucks in a free one if you buy a pot.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Stainless-Steel...ihZ018QQcategoryZ1238QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem
They've always done a grand job when needed. I don't tend to use strainers very often these days, I brew green tea in an open glass jug so it's fairly necessary for that or if it's particularly dusty tea liu bao or very small leaf aged pu springs to mind.
I think Scott usually chucks in a free one if you buy a pot.
Maybe one of you can tell me the reason why, but I can't abide metal. I really dislike it. Cutlery to eat dinner and a wedding ring are pretty much it for me - I even use a wooden-backed wristwatch. Using a pu'er knife I try to avoid, and a metal strainer for tea is a real no-go. I buy a bunch of $2 "hulu" gourd-filters (i.e., filters carved out of gourd fruits) from Yunnan Sourcing every now and again. I like a clean tea, it's a good indicator of decent processing I think.
Amusingly enough, the UK Jing business sells $2 hulu for £12 sterling. Ho ho ho.
Toodlepip,
Hobbes
Amusingly enough, the UK Jing business sells $2 hulu for £12 sterling. Ho ho ho.
Toodlepip,
Hobbes
Here's the deluxe version ... http://shopstashtea.com/700082.html
You can get a cheap-o at any dollar store.
You can get a cheap-o at any dollar store.
Bamboo razors? Something I have missed?
That's the silver tetsubin crossed off the christmas list then.
True, I do use a Vision + Feathers (fear me). Last time I checked, they were metallic!
I think I could *cough* probably put up with silver *cough*.
Toodlepip,
Hobbes
P.s. For boiling water I'm currently using a "Kamjove" I picked up in Chengdu, but which DTH have started selling (link here). I've used it for years and it's still going strong, just don't use the temperature-control because it's woefully inaccurate. I just take the kettle off the hotplate when the water is getting frisky (before a real full-boil).
The clear downside to this otherwise great system is the cooling fan under the hotplate, which really messes up a nice tea atmosphere. For that reason, it is our intention to buy a spirit-burner-and-clay-kettle arrangement, but I don't want to buy one over the internet, and we're waiting for our next China trip to find a decent one. Given that we will have to use it for every single tea-session, we want to get it right, and internet purchases are so random in their results.
I looked around for silent hotplates once, but couldn't find anything. I also considered removing the fan from the Kamjove (or at least disconnecting it), but figured that Mainland Chinese electronics probably wouldn't withstand much tampering...
I think I could *cough* probably put up with silver *cough*.
Toodlepip,
Hobbes
P.s. For boiling water I'm currently using a "Kamjove" I picked up in Chengdu, but which DTH have started selling (link here). I've used it for years and it's still going strong, just don't use the temperature-control because it's woefully inaccurate. I just take the kettle off the hotplate when the water is getting frisky (before a real full-boil).
The clear downside to this otherwise great system is the cooling fan under the hotplate, which really messes up a nice tea atmosphere. For that reason, it is our intention to buy a spirit-burner-and-clay-kettle arrangement, but I don't want to buy one over the internet, and we're waiting for our next China trip to find a decent one. Given that we will have to use it for every single tea-session, we want to get it right, and internet purchases are so random in their results.
I looked around for silent hotplates once, but couldn't find anything. I also considered removing the fan from the Kamjove (or at least disconnecting it), but figured that Mainland Chinese electronics probably wouldn't withstand much tampering...
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