Customer Reviews

Bodum New YoYo Stainless Steel Tea Infuser with Lid

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I wanted an infuser that would allow me to make a single mug of loose leaf tea at home. This item pretty much works as expected. But the holes in the side of the infuser are rather large--about 1mm. For whole leaf loose teas, that is not a problem. But for many other teas, it allows quite a bit of tea through.

For example, when I make sencha or bancha green tea, I end up with a lot of sediment at the bottom of my mug. Also, rooibos tea is small enough to slip through the holes. And a few of the rooibos tea particles will actually get stuck in the holes, which becomes a slight hassle when cleaning the unit.

I use this unit at home but at work I have a different tea maker which works better. It has a finer mesh screen so very little tea gets through. On Amazon, it is ASIN # B0000VLMQK, but is not currently available. However, the same item can be found at Teavana as "2 cup perfect teamaker" or at Adagio Teas as "ingenuiTEA", and sells for less than $20.

I've discovered if I wet the infuser just before adding the tea the smaller particles expand and less tea "dust" falls through. This infuser is easy to clean and has a nice appearance. It can be used in either a single cup or in any teapot (of course you need to adjust the quantity of tea leaves).

Flawless "tea-steeping" device. Probability of unplanned release of leaves into liquid medium during normal steeping processes is approximately zero, in contrast to failure-prone clasp of device "tea ball." High reliability values are obtained through the omission of moving parts and fabrication from corrosion-resistant metal, therefore it is probable that optimal item operation will persist beyond the cessation of original purchaser's biological functions. Omitting aesthetic considerations, the device possesses obvious heirloom suitability.

Several other reviewers have complained about fine tea being washed through the infuser and into your mug. I had the same experience until I figured out this trick. If you pour your water into the infuser, it washes the fine leaves through the screen. Instead, put your hot water in the mug FIRST. Then put the infuser with the tea into the mug. This works very well, with only a few stray leaves passing through.

Amazon also sells this with a matching mug for just a few dollars more. Consider buying the set.

I've used several tea infusers/filters and by far this is the worst one. The holes are just simply too big. Too many particles get through. After having a cup of tea from any competitor where the holes are smaller, you would notice the little to no particles getting thru compared to this filter. I'm throwing this filter out and purchasing another Swiss Gold. The Swiss Gold may not be as cool looking because part of the construction is plastic but, it does what it was made for... filtering tea.

This revolutionized, streamlined, and improved my tea options: no more paper waste, paper bleaching, and packaging from teabags (not to mention poor flavor), and no more need to make a pot if I want only a cup and vice versa: this infuser makes a whole pot as easily as a single cup, with no mess or fuss.

It also enables me to make decaf tea from the same leaves, without worrying about chemical processes, because caffeine is very water-soluble, so most of the caffeine goes into the first batch of tea, and if you don't oversteep, there will be enough flavor left for a second cup or pot! So a comforting evening cuppa without it keeping me up all night, from the same leaves. Frugal, healthy, and no waste. This has really made it possible to make excellent tea with such ease, that I look forward to it daily, instead of wrestling with tea bags, tea balls, infusers and strainers, and always having a mess on my hands with the leaves. Best of all, after using my leaves twice, once for the morning lift, and once for the afternoon or evening lull, a light tap sends the used leaves over my hydrangeas to keep them blue, or else into the composter for next year's fertilizer.

Also makes coffee and herbal with ease. In fact one reason I wanted this was to enjoy roship tea, raspberry leaf tea, and other teas from herbs and flowers I already grow. No more dependence on expensive boxes of paper-and-cardboard-packaged commercial herbal blends! This infuser makes all of it easy. I can literally keep myself in yummy healthy hot beverages year round without buying a thing! Rosehips, mint, anise seed, raspberry leaf, and much more, all organic and free for the plucking in the garden.

This item is also great to simplify life for the casual or occasional coffee drinker. Makes coffee every bit as good as that made in a French Press, but a cup (or two) at a time, and cleanup is a matter of tapping it out and one rinse. Tastes as good as coffee made with the French Press I owned until the glass carafe broke. No more glass carafes to clean, store, and break. Hubby can brew great coffee right inside his all-stainless travel cup from the same boiling kettle I put on the stove for my tea. No more counter-hogging appliances. Again our lives are streamlined and all we need do in the morning is put on one kettle for everyone's needs. For that, it is good to have two of these infusers.

I will agree that the tag on the bottom is a pain to remove, and wonder why they had to use such a powerful adhesive, but it was easily overcome by steeping the infuser in a cup of boiling water to soften, then scrubbing with a stiff brush and vegetable oil (grease overcomes most adhesives), then removing the residue and oil with soap. Well worth the hassle to get a paper label off, to have hassle-free tea thereafter. And I haven't found that the holes are too large as some have stated in reviews. The holes in mine are quite tiny, and to be any smaller would require a mesh, which would be nice for powdered teas such as matcha, but if the mesh infusers all have plastic bits that steep in my drink, I will pass. No more drinking plasticizer in every sip.

Mine did not come with the lid, but I don't mind because a lid would be a piece to keep up with. If I had the lid I might see the point in having one, but I am happy without it. I set the infuser after a quick light press with a finger, on the counter or on a spoonrest.

This item gets a place in my "most useful kitchen tools" list.

This works beautifully and allows the tea leaves plenty of room to steep. I use the little dish to put the strainer in when I pull it out of my mug, and it catches all the drips perfectly. Extremely well made and should last many lifetimes.

I was looking for a stainless steel infuser for loose tea. This is perfect, fits nicely
inside a 10-16 ounce mug, and it has no plastic parts. It is made in China
so I wonder about purity of materials, but otherwise it's great. I like eliminating all the
extra paper, string etc with bagged tea. It is thin metal and can dent slightly, but that's
not a problem and they can be straightened out easily. Also, very fine tea can escape a
bit, but again, no big deal to me. Overall, I'm very pleased with this and after much looking,
this was the only all metal infuser that I could find.

I bought some loose teas online and needed a infuser. I bought this one and the holes are too large for tea that is loose and cut up. When you add the water, the tea goes through the little holes and you are left with a cup full of tea pieces. I recommend any of the kind that looks like a coffee-mesh type filter. Kind of gold in color. I don't remember the name, but that is the kind I now use as thye work the best. Steel/aluminium, whatever it is, cannot work without a disposable filter.

Pros:
- fits well in mugs
- easy to lift out of mug
- tea turns out fine

Cons:
- mine didn't come with the lid (a fluke?)
- sticker on the bottom ... very difficult to remove. The gunk/glue left after I pulled off the tag took forever to clean. I don't want that stuff in my tea!

Overall:
It's a great little device, and $10.00 isn't a terrible price, but don't be surprised if there are some hassles at first.