Steeped and Infused

Loose leaf tea is not prepackaged into tea bags, the tea leaves are loose in a bag or container until you decide you want a cup. The most important loose leaf tea accessories to have are tea infusers or tea filters. A tea infuser is a device that holds the tea leaves while they're steeping. When it comes to infusers and filters, it really comes down to preference.

Tea Filters

Filters are essentially make it yourself, single use, tea bags.
The ones that I like to use are from David's Tea. They are made of biodegradable and chlorine free paper and the pull string makes them easy to use. I try to use these when the tea has tiny pieces in it, or I am making tea to go because they are $12.00 for a package of 100 filters. There are cheaper options for filters at Teavana starting at $4.95 for 100 filters, however, they do not have the pull string. They have an open flap which can get tricky.

For my tea infusers, there is the traditional mesh ball infuser, which is not my favourite. I find them hard to clean and they tend to let pieces of tea slip through the holes.

My Favourite Infuser

Traditional Mesh Ball Infuser

My favourite infuser is a stainless steel fine mesh infuser that fits into most mugs. I use it in my tea pots and my mugs and it has never given me trouble. It is also easy to clean.

My Penguin Infuser

There are some fun infusers as well. I got a cute red penguin infuser for Christmas and I love it. It's great for days when you want something cute and different and this one works well. Some others on my list to buy are: the Deep Tea Diver, the Pug in a Mug, and the Tea Rex.

Welcome to the Par-Tea!

As you can tell, I love a good pun. I also have a healthy obsession with loose leaf tea. This blog is my way to express that obsession, while encouraging all those that are skeptical, to jump on the bandwagon - you know you want to!

Throughout this blog you will find:

• recommendations for teas  
• tips on how to avoid getting pieces of tea leaves in your cup
• information on which tea infusers work the best
• the best teas and tea accessories to buy people as gifts 
• many corny tea puns
• and much more

My favourite tea stores right now are David's Tea, Teavana, and Distinctly Tea. So, you will see many tea options from these locations. One of my favourite things about David's Tea, aside from their wonderful tea and tea accessories, is that they draw tea puns on their signs every morning. If you enjoy a good tea pun, I recommend looking up the ones they have done so far.

One of the David's Tea signs at their store 

Tea was discovered by accident - the Emperor Shennong was boiling water under a tree and a rush of wind blew a leaf into his water. When he tried the water he loved the taste and thus began the evolution of tea. If you have happened upon this blog by accident, remember, great things are discovered by accident. Maybe it will revolutionize the way you think about tea. 

I welcome and encourage recommendations for new teas and tea stores. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to email me or post a comment.