What is Reddit's opinion of Finum Reusable Stainless Steel Coffee and Tea Infusing Mesh Brewing Basket, Large, Black?

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Congrats on your first teapot! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000J3JFJU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_xPSxFbNH3ABS8 Finum-type infusers are pretty universal, with a more narrow bottom to fit in smaller openings. You can brew the tea loose and strain it, as you stated, but this can make for a bitter cuppa near the finish.

Te recomiendo que compres una cesta infusora marca Finum. Yo compré una hace diez años ahí en World of Tea, aunque las últimas veces que he ido ya no las he visto, y todavía funciona muy bien. Son de muy buena calidad y bastante resistentes. En promedio bebo diez tazas de té al día y siempre usando esta cestita.

I like this one better. More holes as it is a woven stainless steel "fabric" and not sheet metal with hols punched in it.

Had one for years until I left it on the hood of my truck to dry camping one time, had a new one on order before I even got home.

That one still has a pretty loose mesh, and does not seem like it leaves much room for the tea leaves to expand.

Something like this with a fine mesh that stick deep in the water and has room for the leaves to spread out would be more ideal.

I agree with u/rencg, ceramic infusers tend to be terrible. Buy whichever mug you like, and get this infuser to go with it. It is easy to use and clean, doesn't clog, doesn't allow any debris into your cup and lasts forever. Just check whether you need the large size or the medium depending on the width of your typical cup. Good luck !

Back when I was western style brewing everything I used this extensively

basket

Basket like /u/picklechip5 is quite handy. Depending on the model and size of it, it can be used for single cup, gongfu style brewing, and for huge pot.

I use it with small 2dl cup when I want 1 cup with western style brewing, I also use it with same 2dl cup if I want 2 smalelr cups with gongfu style. It is not has handy to to use in gongfu style as teaware meant for gongfu, but it allows you to experiment and try out it.

If you want basket that fits all kinds of purposes, I would suggest rather tall one.

I have medium version of this one. Medium is sometimes too small, and it does not reach bottom of the cup if I use it for gongfu style. But then again, you couldnt be able to cover the cup with plate or other lid if you use large one.

Also, this kind of basket can be later used as a strainer when you get teapot.

Definitely a (good) cheese plane and a microplane grater, as mentioned below. Also mentioned mandoline and immersion blender (if only for making homemade mayo, but also handy for partly pureeing soups and stews to make them thicker).

few others off the top of my head:
...probe thermometer (for cooking meats primarily in oven)
...instant read thermometer (for cooking meats in skillet or anywhere)
...metal egg slicer (also works for quickly slicing whole mushrooms)
...all-silicone spatulas (for cooking especially)
...pressure cooker--I have regular stovetop type (at least for making homemade chicken stock from bones, but can do much more and cuts cooking time for anything a lot)
...rice cooker (even a cheapie one)
...wire mesh tea brewing basket, like this, e.g.: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000J3JFJU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have 3, two 24 oz and a 45 oz. I love them. The infuser on the 45 oz is too small, so I use a large Finum basket instead.

I like the 24 ounce for teas that can be brewed in volume- blacks and herbals, mainly. I use smaller glass pots for teas that can be resteeped, like oolong. The Forlife pots look great, are easy to pour from, have nice brewing baskets (on the 24 oz), they're durable, and the gasket on the lid keeps it in place both with and without the basket.

Having recently transitioned from bagged to loose tea, I enjoy it. Their Irish Breakfast is great, and their English Breakfast is also very good. The Earl Grey is pretty good, albeit a bit finicky. I've found the spiciness of the bergamot (both aroma and taste) is at its best if steeped for 3.5 minutes using about 1 and 1/3 tsp per 8 oz., which is not how Twinings suggests making it. Their Lady Grey is fantastic.

Also, you may want to invest in a very fine mesh infuser, if you haven't already. British distributors tend to have very small leaves, apparently to maximize the caffeine content of the steeped tea, which does result in some tea dust. I've gotten great use out of this one, which comes in a couple sizes and colors: http://www.amazon.com/Finum-Brewing-Large-Basket-Black/dp/B000J3JFJU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397428756&sr=8-1&keywords=finum+brewing+basket

http://www.amazon.com/Finum-Brewing-Large-Basket-Black/dp/B000J3JFJU/ref=sr_1_2?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1387242970&sr=1-2&keywords=infuser+basket

Others like this will do well too. I highly recommend them. If you can afford the loose leaves you can afford the basket. I actually got mine for about 7 bucks from a local retailer (I was surprised they were 10 on amazon TBH).

I use this in my teapot, or the medium one in an individual mug. Works perfectly and solves almost every one of your problems. Taking it out is easy because the top is plastic and the lid acts as a drip tray. This is the most important part for me because it solves the prepared tea storage issue with only one vessel. Also, I've found that the tea does have plenty of room to expand, though I'm sure it has a little bit more freedom in the press.

While some say any tea ball is a bad tea ball... they're not all horrible, and it depends on how much you are brewing. A single 8oz cup would have the leaves nicely fit in the ball and have room to expand.

As far as recommendations, I don't have any, sorry - but I can say that buying an infuser basket is just as convenient and tends to let the leaves open up a bit more, giving a better flavor typically. There are already posts on this, but here is my favorite.

As others are saying, a larger basket type infuser will make better tea. This is the one I use almost daily.

If you're set on something more like a tea ball, I used this one here and it's really nice. It's still small and doesn't allow the leaf to expand as much as a larger basket, but it works well for its size. It never leaked any leaf particles into my cup and the locking mechanism is easy to work and never opened up in my cup.

My daily driver, which I've had for nearly a decade now, is this one here. I love it.

This one is also perfectly adequate.

At work, I brew tea that I don't really care much about; I'm just chasing the caffeine, so I generally dump a scoop of cheap Assam in this guy here and after about 5 ~~minutes~~ customers it's infused microwave-heated water with the strength to tolerate another fusillade of "If It DoEsN't ScAn It MuSt Be FrEe" without choking a senior citizen with a garrote made from a grocery sack.

Harney & Sons is probably your best bet. I would get several samplers: the [traditional],(https://www.harney.com/collections/all/products/harney-sons-sampler-traditional-loose-teas) which includes a black, oolong, green, and white, the best sellers, which are the most popular flavors of black tea, the fruit, and/or the herbal tisanes. That's around 100 bucks with the current 20% sitewide discount. There are also green and oolong samplers if you want to go in that direction.

As for equipment, avoid the tea ball, and get an infuser like this one. It allows the leaves to expand as they brew, and you can use the lid as a coaster when you're done.

My recommendation for those who are in a voyage of discovery is to check out Harney & Sons. They have lots of options, and you can order samples for $4 with free shipping (a sample makes about 5 cups). That way you can start exploring what your tastes are. Black tea? Green? White? Herbal? Flavored blends? The sky is the limit, and they sell both sachets and loose leaf, as do many good tea suppliers. And they still have a 20% discount code on the whole site, so there's that.

If you want to give loose leaf a try (most of us prefer it), all you need to start is the ability to boil water, a cup or mug, and an infuser (I recommend this one, which happens to be $11). If you want to keep it simple with sachets for now, theirs are as good as you're going to get.

I agree that a mug and an infuser are the way to go. I recommend this one. The large size is perfect for a 14oz mug, the medium works best with 10oz cups.

The Finum mesh brewing baskethas always worked well for me

Do you drink shitty bag tea? Get these and start using good loose leaf.

I know a lot of people are knocking the ball infusers, but really just invest in a good basket infuser. You'll notice a big difference.

This is a real good one:

https://www.amazon.com/Reusable-Stainless-Coffee-Infusing-Brewing/dp/B000J3JFJU

I've been using Finum baskets for a long time and love them. Finally settled on the large size for my mugs. I designate the different colors for different teas: Finum Basket Strainer

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000J3JFJU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_6TDgZ8NHSON75

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082T3TJCW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_tDMqjwTIxWwcz

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005YR0F40/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_C4GhWPafBrbqw

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07LGWHNBG?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

This one is my favorite.

Hahaha i totally feel you there -- fortunately i also grow my own weed, so my weekends usually consist of rolling a fat j and sipping on some spring oolong tea (King of Duck Shit is my current favorite -- partially because of its name and partially because its goddamn delightful).As far as comfort is concerned, ive moved away from the traditional way of enjoying chinese tea (Gong Fu Cha style) and bought myself a little Finum Coffee Filter basket because it saves me both time and money. I've had mine for two years now and its still in perfect condition. Heres how i do it...its easy peasy lemon squeezy...Seriously:

1. Heat water up in a kettle (i have a fancy schmancy gooseneck kettle, but it can really be any kettle) ideally with a digital temp controller.
2. For green / Oolong teas, i find my fav temp is 180F. If you dont have a digital thermometer on your kettle, what you want to look for is tiny little bubbles coming up from your water. If you have big, rolling bubbles -- you've heated it up too much. All good, just wait a bit.
3. grab your tea basket, grab your loose leaf tea... take a little more than a pinch of the leaves and put em in the basket. It should be aboutttt half an inch in height. Yes this is too much tea if you're brewing Western Style, but what we're doing here is an Eastern Style: Easy Mode.
4. Place your basket in a cup and pour a LITTLE BIT of water into the leaves. Give the water a good swirl for a few secs. This will wash off any dust/impurities. Dump that water after a few swirls.
5. Pour yourself your first cup (this is described as the first infusion)! Ideally, you'll be using a standard (if not a bit smaller) mug to drink out of, so the water doesn't get too watered down. Let the basket hang out in the hot water for around 40 secs - 1 min. Take out the basket. The basket comes with a little lid that you can use as a basket-rest while you enjoy your cup.
6. Once you're done with that...repeat the process 3 more times. Thats the best part about this way of brewing -- you can use the same tea leaves multiple times and you get to see how each infusion changes the way the tea tastes. My personal favorite is generally the second infusion.

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Thats it! It may seem like a lot of steps but its only because i really broke it down. In practice, its easy and very calming. I encourage you to try it! Maybe have your dad give you a handful of leaves from his collection -- i personally think that the oolongs from the recent spring season are the most approachable, as they dont have very earth flavors and are generally bright tasting and what people think when they think "tea". Once you start with aged teas and such, you open up brand new flavor profiles that can be a little challenging for newcomers. Best of luck!!

Now sure where you're from so here's a couple of links to Amazon for the type of thing I'd suggest.

In cup /mug brewing baskets These go in your cup and are great for one cup. This one is my favourite from all the ones I own because of the mesh. It's so small I can even use it for coffee. Unfortunately it's made with plastic and metal. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000J3JFJU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_7pyfEbW4KNMC3

Alternative ones like this are all metal https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06XDLL3HC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_UtyfEb7JK0THJ my problem with these is the size of the holes, it really depends on what you drink as to which you'll prefer.if you ever plan to use it for coffee or rooibos tea which is finer then black tea and other tea sometimes a bit of the finer powder gets through.

If you like to go through the whole process and have a teapot or are making the same tea for more than one person a tea pot is great https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01N9ETRPJ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_9xyfEbVX5T1E7 like this with the infuser in side or remove the infuser and just pour through a tea strainer.

You could just get a cafetiere and brew it in there.

Forgot to mention it but you can also buy your own reusable teabags. I'll send you a link to those later. I haven't ever used them tho

Get a brewing basket with super fine mesh such as this.

If you can only own one infuser strainer, it should be this one: https://www.amazon.com/Finum-Brewing-Basket-large-black/dp/B000J3JFJU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1518638240&sr=8-1&keywords=finum+brewing+basket+large

Oh, tea infuser. I have one of those.

Would this work too? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000J3JFJU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I already have this.

I was looking for a new filter, something like This but now I'm really looking into the Perfectea steepers. Thank you!

To brew loose leaf you would need a teapot with an infuser basket or for brewing in a mug you would use a brew basket like this

I've been using Finum Brewing Baskets for the last decade or so for brewing one cup of tea at a time. The fine mesh is easy to clean if you rinse is out right after steeping. The large one is ideal for most mug sizes. I find the medium-sized basket to be a little too small for mugs larger than 10 oz.

EDIT: If you're looking for a decent and affordable tea pot, Hario makes some good ones. Despite the glass looking thin, it's actually quite sturdy.

Ceramic might hold heat better than a glass pot, but I doubt that you would get a noticeable improvement in the quality of the tea just from changing pots.

I don't think you need to upgrade, but if you want to purchase some extra pots to play around with, then that's cool.

I would recommend getting a brewing basket if you're getting another pot, tho. That gives you the flexibility to get any pot instead of restricting yourself to ones with built in baskets. Finum is a popular choice but there are other options. I like mine because now I can use cheap teapots I find at thrift stores for a couple of dollars.

Upton Tea has a decently cheap selection of teapots with infusers. It looks like these are on sale. They have other styles here.

You can also find a lot on Amazon. Just check reviews.

Gravity steeper? Like this?

Sample, sample, sample. You'll find what you like (There's so much to like! Match your mood!).

Here's a sampling of high-mountain oolong:

http://www.sports-hoop.com/product.php?pid=85

(Yeah, weird name but great tea)

Think about getting a variable-temperature kettle or an inexpensive thermometer. Stay away from tea balls and other tea-making stuff you find in grandma's kitchen; none of them are large enough to allow proper steeping. I use an Ingenuitea from Adagio or a gold-mesh infuser like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Finum-Brewing-Basket-large-black/dp/B000J3JFJU/

The medium size fits into most mugs.

Good luck, and welcome!

I've had both. I'd go with the Green...it's a good introduction to teas in general, though it won't last beyond two rebrews. Though if you had it already, what do you like about them so we could give you better recommendations on what else to get?

For greens, 170 degrees, 1 minute or so in an infuser is good. At the store, they give you little chemistry-like sets if you want gaiwan (gongfu's typically for black teas), or a Finum infuser (I prefer and use ForLIFE's one) if you want to brew easily. Blacks brew at 190 or higher, and can be resteeped multiple times if it's good enough quality and a strong enough flavor.

Assuming for Western style brewing -

Finum is larger (even though it says pot sized it works best in a single cup or mug) and the mesh is finer, keeping more particles out of your tea. Buy the large size. Only downside is it contains plastic, but that doesn't seem to affect the taste.

ForLife is a little smaller (which means less room for the tea leaves to expand) and the holes are larger. The size is still acceptable, though, and this filter is entirely metal. Buy this infuser if you are set against having plastic in contact with your tea.

I'm a big fan of this one. Well priced, easy to clean, and a very fine mesh.

These ones are pretty widely recommended.

Bags are a lot more convenient than loose leaf teas, but I've found that the right setup makes it very easy to brew loose leaf at the office.

For a while, I was using the Finum brewing basket, and that worked very well, but it sat on the drip tray on my desk after I was done brewing, and could cause a mess if knocked over.

Last week, my gf got me this Aladdin tea infuser mug, and it is awesome. it has a basket inside, so you just fill that up with loose leaf tea, fill the container with water, and put the lid on / drop the basket and your tea brews. When it's done, just flip a lever and the basket goes up into the lid so your tea doesn't over steep. When you're ready to make another cup, just dup the tea from the basket into the trash and refill it.

The only problem is if you're going from two very different tasting teas, you might want to rinse the basket out. I have access to a sink at work, so it's not a huge deal for me, but it might be for some.

EDIT: fixed links

For that amount of tea drinking, perhaps consider just an infuser.

This one or this one are both nice.

The reason I suggest the infuser is because for 2-3 cups of tea, you can resteep. Instead of brewing it all at once, boil a kettle, put enough for the cup you are using into the infuser, and brew. Remove the infuser and use it again for the next cup or two.

I bought a 4 cup pot initially, but I use my infuser a lot more frequently because I can reuse the tea and have a hot cup each time. I can't tell from the link what size the infuser in that pot is, but it might work in a cup and make everything I just said moot.

Sorry if this came across as one of those replies that says 'don't do what said you want to do', I just know that I bought a pot and use it a lot less often than the infuser- I have the second one linked.

My vote goes to a gaiwan, but really it depends. Do you want to make a pot of tea and constantly pour yourself more as you go about your day, or do you mind taking the time to steep your tea fresh for each cup?

For instance, I use a 2.5 cup teapot when I'm making black tea to have with sweets and savories, or jasmine tea to have with sushi, etc. I would never put a really good tea in a large teapot like that, though, because no matter how well it's strained, hot tea will continue to change and strengthen after it is done brewing. Your last cup will never be the same as your first.

A one-cup teapot would be a better bet, but if you're going to make one cup at a time, you might as well just use a large gaiwan. A gaiwan is flexible - you can use it to brew gongfu style or Western style; you'll just end up with less tea from each infusion.

I guess after rambling for a minute, I think you should buy a gaiwan and an in-cup infuser like a large Finum brew basket or a ForLife infuser. That way you'll have the best of both worlds, provided you aren't wanting large quantities of tea to drink off of while you're doing something else.

Some of them are like that. I use ones like this because I find them easier to clean.

I really recommend Rishi's Earl Grey (Ancient Tree series). It's not terribly expensive and is by far the best Earl Grey that I've had. If this is her first venture into loose leaf teas, I recommend you also add in a brewing basket, I have this Finum brewing basket and I love it (there are different sizes so you'll have to figure that out). Throw in a nice mug and possibly another tea (like a green for variety) and you'll have a nice gift set.

Rishi also has a gift set that includes two teas and a brewing basket but it's out of stock at the moment.