Customer Reviews

Stainless Steel Mesh Tea Ball

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

I have used many things for brewing tea and have found that this Mesh Tea Ball is the best. I have used the loose tea spoons, which have a closed metal design with little holes all around. The problem with those, is the smaller loose tea pieces escape leaving unpleasant floaties in my drink. I really like the mesh design. Loose tea bits do not escape and it is much easier to fill. I cannot believe I waitied so long before getting one. Now my tea is free from floaties. This mesh design allows more of the tea to be infused by the water....leaving a much more natural and pure taste as opposed to tea bags or metal spoons. Tea bags seem to filter too much sometimes.....metal spoons almost taste metallic at times.

This " Stainless Steel " tea ball is a very unique design, but after having it for only about a month with minimal usage, it's showing signs of rust.

After the premature loss of my old teaball (I accidentally dropped it down the garbage disposal while I was rinsing it out..oops), I decided it was time I got serious and bought a new one.

I highly recommend this teaball, because it allows for full infilteration of the loose tea, as it is mesh (rather than a metal ball with some holes poked in it, like my old one). It is key in remebering that you do not need a fistfull of loose tea in order to make a good cup, as it expands and such while the water gets into it.

While putting loose tea in, you must remember not to completely fill up the tea ball with it, as it expands (as I earlier stated), and that by allowing the water to infilterate, you make a stronger tea. Also, the longer you allow the tea to steep, the stronger the tea is.

This teaball is also useful, because there is a bendable bit of metal on the end of the chain to prevent you from 'losing' the teaball into the hot water. It is flexable enough so that you can put it on a mug, a traveling cup, or whever you please! One final use, that makes me think that it is a superior teaball, is the fact that there is enough room in this teaball to allow the user to make either one cup of tea, or to make multiple cups of tea

I drink quite a bit of tea and I was sick of removing hot tea bags and detaching tea bag strings. I figured this was also a way to make the tea more flavorful and easily "shake out" the remaining liquid from the tea bag after I'm done seeping my tea. Yes, this tea ball serves its purpose and does all of the above.

A few warnings, however (and reasons why I only give it four stars). Since it is mesh, this thing gets crushed and bent pretty easily. I was storing it in my "heavy utensil" drawer and I had to move it. I also bring mine to work every so often and it really doesn't handle the trip well, sometimes it gets smooshed. One other reviewer discussed it rusting, I haven't had this experience yet (been using it pretty often for about two months now) but it may depend how often you wash it and whether or not you put it in the dishwasher (I wash mine by hand).

I recommend tea balls in general and this one in particular (clasp stays firm after repeated uses, mesh easy to clean, hook adjustable for rims of varying sizes). I like using a larger tea ball like this one for even just a cup or two. The leaves have room to move around and be fully saturated during the steeping process resulting in fuller flavor. However, if you're going to use a tea ball for soup herbs or other non-tea uses, please think about having a ball dedicated just to tea-making. You don't want to wash it in soap (leaves an unpleasant undertaste in your next cuppa), but you also wouldn't want your delicate jasmine flavored with a hint of beef barley from your stockpot.

Loose tea is really the only way to go if you're a die-hard tea drinker. I find that tea bags tend to loose their freshness much more quickly than loose tea does. I prefer the tea ball to other gadgets for the preparation of loose tea because it tends to clamp just a wee bit tighter than, say, the the ball with the spring handle mechanism, which allows too many tea leaves to escape. Like the reviewer below, I find the larger tea ball better for brewing tea by the cup, and I love this particular ball because of the hook, which can be used to hang the tea ball from the side of the teapot or even your cup. The only problem I have with this item is that occasionally, the clamp which holds the ball together gets stuck; I always manage to get it unstuck, though, so it's only a minor problem.

Over the years, I've used many products to brew loose leaf tea, and most have had serious design flaws -- this is not one of them. I've been using mine for over 6 months, several times a week, and have had neither rust nor loose tea in my brew. I was surprised, when I went to buy another for use in stocks, etc. to see negative reviews. It is a good size for one cup, the latch holds well and, as I said, I've had no rust problems -- just dump out the wet leaves as soon as it's cooled and leave it out to air dry.

I think this is a fine product.

This tea ball is horrible. It's so cheap, that when it's closed it doesn't close flush so there is a huge gap and the leaves fall out and get all in your tea. I understand you get what you pay for, but the product should at least work. And its not like it did that after a couple times of using it. It was shipped to me like that. Do not buy this tea ball.

I purchased one of these tea balls from Eatons last year, and it is a fine product. The hinge and clasp appear sturdy enough to last. Even the mesh, if you dent it, looks as though it can simply be bent back into shape. I previously bought a Martha Stewart tea ball, and it was of unusably poor quality. The two halves were supposed to screw together, but you couldn't get them to hold... The only downside with this tea ball is that it is sometimes a fussy task to clean the mesh of any grit lodged in it.

I would like this tea ball if the tea actually stayed in the ball. Because there isn't a latch on both sides the side that doesn't have a latch has a huge gap and the tea leaves escape the ball. I don't like having to strain my tea or eat it while I'm trying to drink and enjoy it. :-(