Using a tea infuser travel mug is not hard.
But it does vary a bit depending on the type and the parts that are included.
They will always include the cup, an strainer and a lid. Some also include a second lid. This is common with ceramic tea infuser mugs.
The reason for this is that the included ceramic lid is great for brewing tea, but it does not seal shut, making it useless for taking on the road. That’s where the second silicon lid comes in.
Cups made from metal or plastic usually only have one lid, because that lid seals tightly already.
There are also some sets that include a teapot, two cups and an infuser, like this one. These are great for using on trips, but not during the actual journey. In other words, you would use them at a hotel on your vacation, but not during the car ride there.
We won’t talk about these sets here, since they are not what we generally mean when we are speaking of tea strainer cups for the road.
How Do You Use A Tea Strainer Travel Mug?
Here are the steps you should follow for the best results. Naturally, you can cut out some of the steps to speed things up, like the first one, for example.
- Rinse the cup and strainer with hot water to warm them up
- Fill the infuser basket with the desired amount of tea leaves: generally you want to use around 1 tablespoon per 8 ounces of water, but this varies from one type of tea to the other and also according to your tastes (see instructions on your tea for a good starting point for the first brew and then adjust from there according to personal preference)
- Fill the cup with hot water (boiling for black tea or herbal, 90° C for oolong, 85° C for green and 80° C for white)
- Place the lid on the cup (the ceramic lid, if you have two)
- Steep the tea for the length of time indicated on the package (go with 2 minutes if you do not have any packaging) and adjust the time for future steepings according to your taste (longer for stronger tea and shorter for weaker)
- Remove the lid and the filter; set the filter aside to reuse the leaves for another steeping )you can usually get 3-5 steeps out of tea leaves)
- Replace the lid to get the mug ready for travel. If you have two lids, use the silicone one now.
See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?
The most difficult part of preparing tea is getting the amount of leaves to use and the steeping time correct. These vary quite a bit from one tea to the next and according to personal preference. They also vary for subsequent steepings of the same leaves.
I always begin with the recommendations on the packaging and then adjust from there for future brewings. If I want it stronger, I use more leaves and/or increase steeping time. If I want it weaker, I do the opposite.