This stainless steel loose tea infuser is ideal if you like a ‘proper pot of tea’ but don’t want the hassle of using a traditional teapot, especially if you travel or work from an office. This little gadget lets you make a perfect cup with loose tea leaves, allowing the water to circulate and infuse flavours. Made from quality steel, the sleek modern design lets you hook the strainer on the end of your mug, with a retractable opening/closing mechanism, so it’s easy to remove and clean.
Tea is the world’s second most popular beverage (after water) and in England we drink more tea than anyone (2 cups a day on average – a third of people in England don’t drink coffee). Avoid brands made with ‘dusty leftovers’ in PLA (bio-plastic bags that mean you drink microplastics when you pour hot water on them). Brew Tea is a good brand.
NHS recommends no more than 2 cups weak tea daily (if any) for pregnancy/nursing or 1 cup mild coffee. Avoid some herb teas (like hibiscus) for pregnancy/nursing. Due to caffeine, just bin leaves after use to avoid harming compost creatures (don’t leave string in gardens).
Choosing organic tea also means workers on plantations don’t have to wear protective clothing in hot weather. Also check teas are elephant-friendly (plantation owners don’t shoot, poison or electrocute herds that trample through plantations, when looking for food due to reduced habitats).
All tea is from the camellia bush; different types are simply due to how much leaves are oxidised. Green and white (the healthiest) hardly at all, and black (most people’s favourite) is stronger but still healthy. Herbal infusions are not ‘teas’ but can be made from locally-grown herbs (peppermint, nettle, chamomile).
The tradition of ‘afternoon tea’ started in 1840 when the Duchess of Bedford would get hungry at 4pm and ordered tea with ‘bread and butter and cake!’
