A Nice Cuppa

Not too long ago, I was scanning the winter edition of the Donna Hay Magazine when I came upon a feature about tea parties and the accoutrements that accompany a traditional tea. There were some beautiful photos of tea pots and the like, but what caught my eye was a photo of tea strainers, including a lovely antique strainer.

Growing up, the idea of using loose tea was foreign to me. Tea was something we drank when we were sick, and it always came in a little white bag from a box purchased at the grocery store. It wasn’t until my early 20s, when I attended my first formal tea party, that I became familiar with using loose tea, and of course using strainers and infusers. As I looked at my own small collection of strainers, my curiosity was piqued. I wanted to find out a bit more about strainers and how they are best used.

As always the Internet proved an incredible resource, in particular by bringing to my attention to www.coffeetea.about.com where the ins and outs of tea and tea devices, such as strainers, are explained at great length.

In case you???re wondering, a tea strainer is a device that usually rests on the lips of your teacup. The tea leaves are put into the basket and the water poured through. As you fill the cup, the leaves are suspended in the water, but held within the basket of the strainer. Once you???ve allowed the tea to steep according to directions, you remove the strainer and discard the tea leaves. Naturally tea strainers are not the only option. You can use tea balls and bamboo strainers, all of which are just as effective.

Interestingly, I came across an article by Sean Paajanen, called Loose Tea vs. Tea Bag. The article explains that one of the advantages of using loose tea is that you enjoy the flavour of larger tea leaves. Apparently, the tea leaves used in tea bags are generally smaller and therefore do not impart as much flavour into your cup of tea. Another great reason to begin exploring loose tea and all the lovely strainers available out there!

My own collection of tea devices includes two tea balls, a tea basket and a small strainer. As I drink more and more loose tea, I???ve become a fan of these little items and am trying to collect them. The advantage to this is that strainers and infusers are generally inexpensive. My most expensive strainer cost $10. When you consider that a strainer should last for years and years, that???s an excellent investment.

So if you???re still devoted to the tea bag, why not make a small investment and purchase a strainer? It???s for a good cause ??? a better cup of tea!