Why We Don’t Recommend Tea Balls (And What to Use Instead)

While tea balls may seem like a convenient option, we don’t recommend them for loose leaf tea. Tea needs room to breathe—its leaves need space to fully unfurl and release their flavor and aroma. Unfortunately, the tight confines of a tea ball often prevent this, leading to a flat or underwhelming cup.

Instead, we recommend using a basket-style infuser like our stainless steel infuser, available on our website. These roomy baskets fit a wide variety of mugs and teapots, allow the leaves to steep fully, and are a breeze to clean thanks to their open design. If you’ve never tried one, you’ll be amazed at how much better your tea can taste with just a little extra room to bloom.