Scott_R said

strainer: use or don't use?

I commonly use a clay teapot to make 12 oz of tea at a time for two people. The teapot I have comes with a mesh strainer insert, about 2" in diameter by 2.25" high.
Obviously, the amount of tea leaves I use varies depending on the tea, but it’ll range from 4-7 grams.

I’ve taken to not using the strainer. My thought/observation is that the mesh constrains the leaves, preventing the hot water from getting to the leaves inside the mass that has become packed due to the leaves expanding with rehydration and crowding the strainer. Further, it looks to me like the topmost leaves get pushed above the waterline.

So, I’ve been brewing the tea in the teapot without using the strainer, then pouring the brewed tea through the strainer and into the cups (using a chopstick to unclog the spout, if necessary).

Obviously this means more work cleaning up. Am I making too much of an issue out of this whole packed-leaves thing?

5 Replies

onjinone said

I tend not to use strainers for the reasons you mentioned but yeah, the extra work is a trade off. Have you considered using a gaiwan? No strainer or other equipment required. With practice, you already strain everything by holding the lid properly.

Dr Jim said

I use a gaiwan, but need a strainer unless the leaves are really clean. Most teas seem to have smaller chunks and/or powder.

mrmopar said

Strain as it goes in the cup. There is usually char on most teas and just about always on puerh.

Matu said

I used a strainer almost all the time when I was first starting out. Now I’ve gotten pretty adept at just leaving the last drops in the cup with whatever debris might have been in them. I still use a strainer for shou quite often, because the thought of ingesting shou leaf repulses me :P

Psyck said

With many good quality loose leaf teas, after the initial rinse of the leaves, you do not require further straining, and for those that still need it, it is a more effective brewing method to do so before pouring into the drinking vessel than in the pot.

strainer: use or don't use?

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