Turning your loose leaf tea into a delightful cup requires a bit more effort than tea bags, but it’s definitely worth it. In addition to the wide variety of loose leaf teas, which is often even more extensive than tea bags, it also aligns more with the tradition of tea-making in the East, where tea originated. Brewing loose tea also forces you to take your time, making it a meditative process for many people.

When brewing loose leaf tea, a filter, a kind of strainer, is often used. This allows you to easily remove the filter when the tea has steeped long enough to achieve the desired intensity, preventing over-steeping.

A tea filter can be used in multiple ways: you can use a tea filter on both individual teacups or in a teapot to brew a large portion of tea at once. The filter is large enough to hold more tea leaves when you’re using a teapot. It’s easy to fill and easy to clean. The sieve holes are generally very fine, ensuring that no tea leaves escape into your water. The fine structure also makes the tea strainer suitable for herbal tea (finer herbs like rooibos, for example, can escape through coarser strainers).

There are different tea filters, each with their own qualities. When choosing a strainer, it’s best to consider the teacups or teapots you plan to use. If your cups have a large diameter, it’s best to choose a strainer with a wide rim to provide support. If your strainer also needs to fit inside a teapot, consider the teapot’s lid and which strainer easily fits between the pot and the lid. A good choice for this is a strainer with flat edges.

At Thee.be, we aim to offer the widest range of filters. Therefore, we provide various sieves in different materials, each with its unique qualities.

Stainless Steel Tea Filter
This is a durable filter that lasts for years. It can withstand some wear and tear, is dishwasher safe, and looks particularly beautiful. There are various shapes and colors available. The edges are often flat, making this filter suitable for most teapots.

Glass Tea Filter
Glass tea filters have the advantage of not affecting the taste of the tea in any way. While some materials may slightly alter the taste, a glass filter has no effect on the tea’s flavor. Moreover, it is a very durable material. Glass filters often have larger holes, which makes them less suitable for certain herbal teas with very fine particles, such as rooibos, for example.

Nylon Tea Filter
One of the most common filters on the market. It is easy to use and can also be washed in the dishwasher. There are various colors available, making it ideal for those who enjoy different types of tea. Nylon tends to take on the color of the tea, which is why it’s helpful to assign a specific color of the filter to a specific type of tea. For example, black nylon filters are often used for loose black tea, green filters for loose green tea, and red filters for herbal tea, for instance.

Tea Infuser
You can also opt for a tea infuser, which is a metal filter that can be closed and submerged entirely in hot water. Alternatively, you can choose a squeeze clamp. This is a clamp with a small ball at the end where you place the tea. If you often use tea with large leaves, such as white tea, it’s best to choose a large tea infuser to accommodate enough tea leaves.