HIC Kitchen Snap Ball Tea Infuser, 18/8 Stainless Steel, For Loose Leaf Tea and Mulling Spices

I purchased this snap mesh tea infuser after I gained a taste for loose leaf tea (everyone should experience tea this way, it is MUCH better tasting than the stuff that comes in teabags)This little mesh ball is big enough to hold about a tablespoon of tea in each side (good luck loading up more than one side at a time!)You can leave the tea submerged as long as you wish to steep it. I will note that sometimes you have to shake the ball a little bit to get the air bubbles to wet out and leg water get to the tea, but that's a function of physics, not really a function of the design of this product.This item claims to be made of stainless steel. I can say that I have used this item 5 days a week for the past 18 months, washing it once a week, and have not yet seen any rust forming.It is fairly easy to clean. I just rinse it out in the sink every day between uses, and wash it in the dishwasher once a week. I have found that this cleans better in the dishwasher if you can keep the infuser ball open during the cycle. I have found the best way to do this is to clamp the infuser down on a fork head, so that the ball is slightly open and facing down. This seems to get the water from the dishwasher in the infuser, and keeps it clean.It is tall enough that I can leave it in a 16oz Tervis cup to steep, and still grab the hook on the top when done. I usually set the item so the rim of the infuser ball is on my cup, and let the water drain out. The only bad thing about a tea infuser is that you need a place to store it when it’s not in use. I suggest something small like a soy sauce dish, or use a disposable cup.I would rank this a 5/5. The price point and the amount of uses I have gotten out of this item make it worth every penny. I would suggest this to anyone looking for a good brew of tea.

Perfect,,, I put peppermint leaves and ginger inside and place into my mug of hot water.

We used to use those cute little tea stirrers that opened the same way but looked like spoons and have holes cut out of the metal. Have you ever tried to drink rooibos, or the loose leaf tea from the bottom of the bag out of those? You end up being to tell your own fortune at the end of the cut with the amount of tea leaves still left at the bottom! he leaves just float out of the holes.With this one, the netting is small enough, it catches *most* of the leaves. Rooibos is just super sneaky, so sometimes I wrap a paper towel around it before the plunge. I've had the first one I purchased for over a year and we always fought over who got this one and who would be the lucky one that didn't end up with embarrassing tea leaf in their teeth. I had to get another just to stop the kitchen battles!THINGS TO BE CAREFUL WITH:1) Make sure all the leaves are INSIDE the rim of the scoop before closing the scoop. If a bit is on the rim, it won't close all the way and the little tea leaf prisoners escape.2) Don't ever dip the scoop in wet (like if you are going for round two!) It makes leaves stick to the outside and it hard to get off back in the bag. You *could* rinse it int he sink, but that would be wasting a very precious commodity!!3) Don't be lazy like me and when you are done, rinse it out right away. If you let it dry on your tea rest, it glues together and the metal hinges are not quite strong enough to break it free. Just rinse it under hot water to loosen it up again then empty.

I really liked this product. I got two of them. I did notice a little bit of resting happening with it, but I drink tea a lot so I mean it’s a lot of use.

I bought this item to use for applying flocking material to my model cars, and it’s absolutely perfect. Highly recommended

This is the item that I didn't know that I needed! Great for loose tea and bulk tea bags!

Just try to scoop up a spoonful of tea from a Twinning loose leaf tea bag. You'll go nuts. I mean, you can't get near enough tea in it without loosing your mind first. After several failed attempts, I got enough in it to steep 8 ounces, but the metal sticking out of the cup cools the tea faster than desired. Funny thing is, I owned one --- the very same product 13 or so years ago, and I loved it then. I can't figure out the nature of how time changes time itself. I just don't have the patience for it. I'd be crazy if I had to use this thing every time I drank a hot tea.

I love this thing. I hate it when my tea bag floats in my teacup. Not anymore. I take the string off my tea bags now, and I wad up the bag inside this infuser (do so at your own risk), and I plop (place, lol) it into my teacup. The weight of the infuser holds the teabag down towards the bottom, and I can also swish the infuser back and forth to get more of the tea out. When I'm done using the infuser, I can leave it in the cup, in the sink, or walk the infuser over to the trash and dump the bag out. This is much better for me than the "slide" infusers, altho I bought 4 of them before I found this one. I don't even use the sliders anymore, even tho they were more expensive and appear to be better constructed. Because this opens like a clam shell, this unit is easier to get the bag in and out. Buy it.