Growing fond of using herbal leaves for concoctions, the ancient Chinese devised a modified process by adding a simple accessory: the tea strainer. Thus, an incredibly useful tea making tool began its history alongside, of course, the birth of traditional loose leaf tea drinking.
Many people, especially health enthusiasts, across the globe have adopted the practice of tea drinking owing to its relaxing effects and to its deemed health benefits. As a result, many different ways to enjoy the beverage have evolved. Commercially-prepared tea bags have become common since they provided people the convenience of purchasing tea from grocery stores, and allowed the easy preparation of a pot of tea.
Despite the widespread use of teabags the majority of people would still state that the loose leaf version of the drink, which is the use of whole or large-cut leaves, is still the best. It therefore follows that for many, making a cup of tea will not be proper tea unless they have used a proper strainer.
A tea strainer is, of course, a tool to prevent large tea leaves from mixing with the liquid infusion when it comes to drinking your brew. Spherical in form and perforated, it is usually placed on top or inside of the cup to catch the leaves while the beverage is being poured. There also exists a type of strainer that can be placed inside the teapot as it is brewed and then removed when it is ready to be drunk.
It is believed that the bamboo tea strainer was the first of its kind. Nowadays, sterling silver, stainless steel and china are the commonly used materials for making them. The sold product is either coupled with a teapot or with a cup. Seeing that it has cultural value, many collectors have surfaced and antique or vintage tea strainers have popped up online.
It is without a doubt that the pleasure of drinking loose leaf tea simply wouldn't be as great as it is now if the large leaves remained and if the tea strainer had not been made.
