Our favorite tea strainer

For enjoying delicious loose-leaf green tea by the cup, our favorite strainer is a deep, over-the-cup type widely available on the 'Net (but, unfortunately, not at our website) under the name "celestial tea strainer." The name comes from the sun-and-moon cut-out design in the rim of the strainer, as you can see in the photos below.






The nice thing about this strainer is that, unlike most over-the-cup strainer, it's nice and deep, so the tea leaves have plenty of room to swirl around and release their infusion as they brew. And they're a little neater to clean up after than a tea ball. It's nice to have a small cup to set the strainer in between uses. With one of these, a cup, and a means for boiling water, it's easy to enjoy loose-leaf tea by the cup anytime. For brewing at the office, you can heat the water right in the cup in a microwave, or even use an electric kettle.

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