Nifty loose leaf tea infuser

[Dave .]

I'd never seen one of these before, so I thought I'd post the link.

http://theteaspot.com/tuffy-steeper-steepware.html?catid=251

[Walter Carrington]

More tea infusers, some of them lighter than the above:
http://uptontea.com/shopcart/catalog.asp?begin=0&categoryID=82
Upton tea has a great selection of tea.

[Dave .]

Useful link, Walter. Those non-MSR mug mates are cheaper than the MSR version.

The silicone one that I posted might not be the lightest, but it squishes down to a very compact size. Might be useful for some.

Also, check out the Gamila tea stick infuser. Not UL, but very nice.

[Joseph Reeves]

My wife and I gave up the infuser because it weighed too much and now simply place the leaves in our 450 ml snowpeak mug and let them soak. The leaves sink if the water is boiling when poured. I've made the transition at my office as well, where my colleagues refer to it as Man tea.

[Dave .]

Man tea gets real bitter when it steeps for too long.

I like dainty tea personally. It clashes pleasantly with my manly mountain climbing. And it tastes better.

[Joseph Reeves]

Not bitter, potent. And I do drink the tea with my pinky out from the rest of my hand, which is dainty.

by the way, in the ill-fated and poorly planed Scott south pole expedition, the group dug through the snow on the return trip and boiled their leaves a second time. Not that it helped.

[Dave .]

>>Not bitter, potent.

Ah, you see, I'm pretty sure that's a common misconception.

If you want potent tea, you don't steep the same amount of tea for more time, you steep more tea for the same amount of time. Once you get past a certain point time-wise, the tannins and nasty stuff start leeching into your beverage.

I didn't know that about the Scott expedition, by the way. Did you know that George Mallory's team brought champaign to Everest each trip? Not as SUL as Ghandi, those guys…

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Some of us actually like a 'stiff' tea that is dark enough with tannins to give ones teeth a spring break tan ;-)

Never did get the whole 'dip the tea through the hot water' cup of tea ;-) My mom was one of those.

I drink a lot of tea, black, strong and tannerific. Hehheh!

[Mark McLauchlin]

Im the same as Sarah, I like my tea nice and strong.

This looks like a good lightweight, compact solution.

In saying that…tea bags are still lighter

[Dave .]

Steeping tea for too long allows tannins to overpower the inherently delicate flavor of tea. If you like 'stiff' tea, you may as well save yourself some money and steep tree bark, 'cause you don't actually like tea, you like tannin. And that's disgusting.

Those of us with more discerning taste prefer not to sip astringent swill.

In any case, good luck with your teeth.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Lol…I have to laugh out at that one. Tea drinking is like coffee in one way: everyone thinks their way is the best and that every other way is horrific ;-) (I was a barista for many years and never ran out of people that would tell you exactly how something should be done if only they did it.

Kind of like UL backpacking actually! Everyone has their style, their way. I for one enjoy the deep taste of a dark cup (I also like my coffee very dark and bitter brew as well – it is a taste bud thing)

I won't tell someone though that their way is wrong – in my years doing coffee and tea you did it the customers way and then drank what you liked yourself ;-) Served no point in telling people I thought their drink was gross. Would have been snobbish and boorish to do THAT.

[Michael DiZazzo]

An friend of mine from Ireland used to say that properly brewed tea should be "strong enough for a mouse to run across it".

[Joseph Reeves]

We went out for the night along Gastineau Channel. Our tea this morning was made even better with the view from the camp and the smell of fire boiling water for the second cup.

[two pints]

Still haven't decided on the best methods for backcountry brewing, but an infuser like the MSR will allow the leaves to fully expand.

I haven't tried the pyramid shaped teabags for loose tea yet, but that seems to have some promise as well.

Another option would be something like this:
http://www.adagio.com/teaware/paper_filters.html?SID=ad7f79313af5eea8faa8ffce8044f545

Unlike many so far who have expressed a like for strong tea, I will go to the weaker side of the equation. Formosa oolongs and light Chinese greens are my favorite.

[Anonymous]

"Unlike many so far who have expressed a like for strong tea, I will go to the weaker side of the equation. Formosa oolongs and light Chinese greens are my favorite."

Ahhh, a man of refined tastes.

[Dave .]

>>Formosa oolongs and light Chinese greens are my favorite.

Nice choices. I was liking the Chinese greens, especially gunpowder, but now I'm onto some organic, fair trade herbal mint that is rocking my world.

>>Ahhh, a man of refined tastes.

It's nice to know they're out there, isn't it?

[Anonymous]

"It's nice to know they're out there, isn't it?"

Indeed. They can always be recognized by their taste in tea and single malt scotches. ;)

[Dave .]

Scotch, eh?

Well, wanting to save some good stuff for later in life, I always promised myself I was going to start drinking (good) scotch and learn the upright bass when I turned 30.

So, I have about 5 months to go.

[Anonymous]

"Well, wanting to save some good stuff for later in life, I always promised myself I was going to start drinking (good) scotch and learn the upright bass when I turned 30."

Save the single malts until you turn 40. Delayed gratification builds character. Besides, single malt is an adult drink. ;}

[two pints]

>>I was liking the Chinese greens, especially gunpowder, but now I'm onto some organic, fair trade herbal mint that is rocking my world.

One of the more traditional mixes is that nice smoky gunpowder teamed with mint. Very nice flavor.

I am currently having to make do with some dragonwell and anji teas. My favorite supplier (adagio) is currently out of my favorites. They should have the Oolong #18 and White Monkey teas back in stock by the end of the month though. Ti Kuan Yin is a good replacement for Oolong #18…. but it is just so much more expensive…

[Piotr Pawlowski]

How about using a mesh headnet as a tea diffuser ? Could it lead to any unsafe chemical exposure ? Another issue: sleeping in a tea-permeated headnet in a bear country.
Ahh, too many problems. I'd better get a dedicated "cotton sock" infuser from Upton Tea, it may work for coffee too.

[Eric Blumensaadt]

I like that little Tuffy Steeper. Thanks for the info.

As for my tea, I like it like my women, strong and sweet.
Sorta like the women from Lake Woebegone – strong. Strong women can carry a pack all day without once complaining (unlike me).

Eric

[Jessica B]

Hello All,

I know I'm late joining the conversation. I hope I don't offend anyone, but as a hiker myself and the Product Development person for The Tea Spot, I just wanted to note that the weight of our Tuffy Steeper is 2 oz (57 g). If anyone wants to give it a shot, feel free to use the promo code "backpackinglight" to get 15% off your total order. I'd love to hear what you guys think. Cheers! Jessica

[Jessica B]

I forgot to mention that it works great with coarse ground coffee too. You'll end up with a bit of fine grain sludge in the bottom of your cup, but if you like cowboy coffee like me, you won't mind.

[Jessica B]

sorry to blast, but it will help to know that you need to click the arrow graphic to the right of the promo code box to activate the discount. cheers!

[Author]

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