Loose leaf tea Steeper

The tea infuser (often called a teaball or tea maker, and sometimes a tea egg) gained popularity in the first half of the 19th century. By the time of Queen Victoria, no respectable British household would be without one.

However, some argue that when you use a tea infuser, tea cannot flow freely as it traps much of the flavor between and in the leaves. So you should only fill an infuser half full leaving some spaces for the leaves to swell.

Common shapes for infusers include spherical, conical and cylindrical, but usual things doesn’t interest pandas. That’s why we’ve picked 15 unique and creative tea infusers!

Which one do you like most?

1. Mr. Tea Infuser

“Mr. Tea is an ideal tea-time companion. Just load his little silicone pants, perch him in your cup, relax for a minute as he does the work, and savor your perfect orange pekoe.” (Designer: Fred&Friends)

2. Robot Tea Infuser

“Use this charming robot stainless steel tea infuser to prepare your favorite loose tea. His arms and hands move to create a custom fit to your favorite tea mug.” (buy)

3. Duckie Tea Infuser

“Add whimsy and mirth to your teacup with the DCI Tea Duckie Tea Infuser. Fill the 18/8 stainless steel mesh infuser with loose tea and let Duckie float around in the hot water until the desired brew strength has been achieved.” (buy)

4. Arta Tea Leaf Infuser

“With a design inspired by flower pots, the unique Arta Tea Leaf Infuser is a stylish choice for brewing your favorite loose leaf tea, with its brown lid features a green plastic stem that looks like its growing out of ground.” (buy)

5. Water Lily Floating Tea Infuser

“The Water Lily serenely floats on the surface while the stainless steel mesh infuser below steeps your tea. The Floating Water Lily Tea Infuser works great with all types of loose tea and herbals. It’s a cinch to clean and very well constructed for years of joy.” (buy)

6. Candy Cane Tea Infuser

“Have a delightful cup of tea at the Holidays with this Candy Cane Tea Infuser. This red and white striped infuser will hold your favorite tea leaves and brew you the perfect cup of tea.” (buy)

7. Deep Tea Diver Infuser

“Come explore the vast underwater world of loose-leaf tea with Deep Tea Diver. He’s dishwasher-safe, food-safe, and the stainless-steel ‘air tank’ serves as a handy counterweight so you can immerse him to any depth from cups to pots.” (buy)

8. Yeti Tea Infuser

“A Ye-TEA infuser for all of your hot drink needs. The yeti separates in the center. Simply fill with tea, hang on the edge of a cup, and allow to steep.Made of food-safe sillicone, non-staining.” (Designer: Kristin Noell)

9. Tea Sub – Yellow Submarine Tea Infuser

“This Yellow Submarine should be filled with loose tea or herbs, not Beatles (or beetles for that matter). Simply fill your cup or teapot with boiling water and immerse the submarine!The Yellow Submarine Tea Infuser is really effective when using a glass mug or teapot.” (buy)

12. Camellia – Floating Tea Infuser

“The leaves and leaf buds of Camellia are widely used to produce tea such as white tea, green tea, and black tea, each with different levels of oxidation. The Camellia tea infuser floats on the tea, mimicking most fresh tea leaves. The heat-resistant silicone body of the infuser has two compartments for holding tea leaves and air.” (buy)

14. Sharky Tea Infuser

“Sharky is a floating tea-infuser that looks like a shark fin marauding through the dangerous waters of your tea mug that simultaneously releases streamers of steeped tea that look suspiciously like the detritus after a nasty shark attack.” (Designer: Pablo Matteoda)

15. The Alessi Tea Matter Melodic Tea Strainer

“For the bird lover, tea lover, great design lover.The Alessi Tea Matter Melodic Tea Strainer Set incorporates the beauty of nature with contemporary art in a fashionable stainless steel tea strainer set perfect for the modern kitchen.” (buy)