Flat, wide tea steeper

[spelt with a t]

I like tea and have a small container for loose tea and my sugar. I also have an insulated Nalgene flask for a "tipple" on the trail ;) Problem is I have a relatively wide bottom pot. When filled with the appropriate amount of water, my travel steeper* isn't even halfway submerged. Does anyone know of a wide, flat bottomed steeper? The ones I've found are all meant to be used in mugs, and thus are tall and narrow. I'd like something I can drop in my pot to get a good infusion quickly and that is easy to load and empty. I thought maybe something with plastic frame and mesh top and bottom, with a latching swivel top, like on this salt cellar: http://www.amazon.com/Totally-Bamboo-Salt-Box-Medium/dp/B001FOPU0U/ref=sr_1_9?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1300213723&sr=1-9

But I can't seem to find anything like this. What do you tea drinkers use?

* http://www.amazon.com/Swissgold-TF-200-Tea-Ball/dp/B000FQ7KLG/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1300213281&sr=8-4

[Dicentra OPW]

using those fill-them-yourself teabags.

My other thought is to get one of those metal spoon tea infusesers and bend the tea portion of it to a 90* angle. Could you do the same thing with a plastic one if you heated the plastic a bit…? Hmmm…

[Steofan M]

Contact Colin F and see if you two can come up with a roll-up ti steeper.
Until then, I'll keep using my Tuffy Steeper from the Tea Spot. Works great in my ti mug and there's nothing like the jolt from their Blue Mountain Nilgiri tea to get your eyes open first thing in the morning.

[Walter Carrington]

Try this:
http://uptontea.com/shopcart/item.asp?itemID=AI20
Weight 10 grams, $3.04, holds about 2 teaspoons of tea (about 2 cups worth).
or look on that site for infusers under accessories.
In fact, treat yourself and order some good tea!!! Excellent teas, excellent service.

[Walter Carrington]

Actually, Amazon carries a titanium tea ball! It may not suit your purpose, but maybe you can modify it.

[D G]

Does the depth really matter? I use an MSR mugmate with loose tea and notice the tea leaves mostly float at the top anyways. I really don't think that having the leaves down deep gives a better infusion.

Look at those really nice Japanese teapots with a mesh stainless strainer/infuser. It sits at the top of a full pot with most of the water volume below the strainer.

[spelt with a t]

Depth matters b/c the water is so shallow. With my current steeper not all the leaves are even getting wet. Something wide and flat will have more mesh surface area actually in the water.

[spelt with a t]

Walter, I think that Upton strainer may be perfect! And I have had them on my 'order some tea someday' list for quite a while. Excellent! Thank you.

[spelt with a t]

Dicentra,
The teabags are convenient, but I always find myself not knowing exactly what to do with them afterwards. Walter above found a plastic doodad similar to what you're talking about. I doubt I could bend the handle, but I could surely trim it.

Steve,
I just saw the Tuffys for the first time recently. I have a colander that's basically a scaled up version. Nice looking little apparatus.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Spelt…if you have time after you drink your tea, lay the bag or loose leaf tea onto a rock to dry (it dries quickly). Then depending on your view on LNT – either pack all out in your garbage bag (being dry it packs better) or scatter the leaves to the wind. Your choice, depending on how you view it. (The bag of course packs out)

[spelt with a t]

Thanks, Sarah. Is there a consensus on what to do with biodegradable stuff like tea leaves?

[Laurie Ann March]

I use these for the backcountry. http://www.t-sac.com/

If we are with people who have a campfire in an area that permits… we will burn them. Otherwise (and most often) we pack this sort of thing out so that we don't attract curious critters.

[Laurie Ann March]

I forgot to mention… a friend of mine, Deborah, has a great idea for making the tea bags using an iron.

http://www.deborah.ws/?p=283

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Spelt, it really depends on where I am. Dried tea leaves literally will scatter on the wind. I wouldn't do it in a desert or other arid area but have no qualms doing it in a rain forest though, where it will break down quickly.

[Mike –]

I think this might be of interest to you:

Long lasting, go anywhere 'gongfu' style 'teapot': Tuffy tea steeper + L200 Snow Peak "Stacking Mug" Double Wall Titanium(7.0 fl oz, 1.8 oz)

The double wall titanium keeps the tea hot but not the cup! The steam/liquid creates a complete liquid air tight seal while tea is brewing; no heat is lost while brewing in very cold temps! It took a few days for the new silicon smell/flavors to dissipate for the Tuffy tea steeper; initially my taste buds were repulsed and this teapot idea was a failure. But then, wait, the silicone taste went away and only the delicious raw green pu'erh taste remained!

I only mention the silicon taste in the beginning to make any other user aware that it did take 2-3 days for the taste to go away. Like myself, I did not want them to be discouraged.

There has been concern of the silicon as 'impure'. However, it is food grade silicone and from my understanding this is completely safe. I did quite a bit of reading from various sources(including wikipedia, scientific trial data, etc.) regarding food grade silicone; as a mindful person, I am very concerned. But, it appears very innate and safe.

Medical grade silicone has been impregnated into the body for life for many years, needless to mention breast implants.

As for as your concern as to the cost of an extra ounce, that is for you to decide while considering your priorities. I do more 'ultra-light' nomadic living. For me, this is much more feasible than shlepping a Yixing teapot, porcelain teapot, or a gaiwan for my daily tea.

Good luck! Thanks for allowing me to share this little combination with you.

Total cost, minus shipping: ~$25

What do you think?

[Laurie Ann March]

love that tea setup!

[Author]

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