I make at least five cups of tea daily. Some at home and some at work. Over the years I've learned to appreciate nice loose-leaf teas that brew best in a basket that gives them room to "breath." While I'd love to use a beautiful teapot, it's not always practical. The usual solution is these tiny mesh tea balls, but they don't allow the leaves to really expand. There are also tea tumblers with baskets, but I found most of their baskets tiny and hard to clean.
Luckily, I stumbled upon these Finum Goldton Filters. They are perfect for making a single cup of wonderfully brewed tea in whatever mug or cup is around. They have ample room and the tea infuses really well through the fine gold chamber. It's really easy to just spoon the tea in, no wrangling with stray leaves like with a tea ball.
Unlike traditional mesh, the gold walls are very easy to clean and I hardly ever have to pick stray leaves out. They also come with a cap that can allow a stronger brew as it keeps the temperature more constant. I recommend this simple Adobe Air app Tea-Timer to prevent over-steeping. After brewing the cap doubles as a stand for the filter, which keeps it from dripping all over the place. Another advantage of brewing a single cup at once is that I can serve guests any type of tea they want instead of sharing one single pot of tea. I originally got these for work, but I bought some for home and use mainly these instead of a tea pot.
–Melissa McEwen
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