On August 30th, 2010 02:59 a visitor came here looking for "difference between steel and glass tea infuser" and that person was viewing the following page:

RSVP Mesh Tea Infuser, 2-1/2" Ball - Coffee, Tea & Espresso - Tea Strainers
Wrong brand sold by LUCCA. LUCCA shipped a Norpro brand to me and the infuser was squeezed during shipment. It does not look nice although this may not alter its function. For ...

If somehow that page does not seem relevant to you here are some products with the description/reviews matching your search term :

1. Functional glass tea mug with a style of its own
2. Made of Borosilicate glass that is stronger and more heat resistant than conventional glass
3. Mug includes a removable infuser and lid so you can steep tea in the cup
4. Holds 12oz.

Editorial Review :

This contemporary infuser mug is completely made of glass, so you can watch the tea leaves unfurl during steeping and enjoy the color of your tea as you drink it. Composed of Borosilicate glass that is stronger and more heat resistant than conventional glassware. You can steep tea completely in this mug, then simply remove the infuser to enjoy your hot tea. 12oz capacity. Top rack dishwasher safe.

Customer Review :

Almost perfect

Great mug, the only thing I didn't like is the infuser allows some smaller leaves through. Some small floating tea leaves will be present. This is the only negative though as other infuser mugs hide the leaves as they are steeping so you don't get to watch them. The glass infuser makes watching the process more fun.

Rating :

Wonderful glass mug

This mug is made out of Borosilicate glass, "which tends to be stronger and more durable, and more heat resistant than conventional glassware, yet appears more delicate." This mug is not thick and heavy, it is light and almost delicate in appearance. The glass is quite clear, so for those of us who like to see our tea leaves unfurl and the tea swirl in the water, this is your mug. The infuser is also glass, and on the bottom there are narrow slots that allow the tea to infuse into the mug. While the slots are narrow, there are some very small tea leaf bits that will travel through the slots into your cup. It is difficult to get a perfect infuser, and since this one is glass and allows you to watch the beauty of your tea steeping, a few tiny leaves at the bottom of the cup seems like a small price to pay.

I also really like the glass lid that fits on top of the cup both with the infuser in place and with it removed. The glass lid can also be used as a place to store the wet infuser safely. Really, I couldn't be more pleased.

Rating :

1. Allows you to prepare loose leaf tea as neatly and easily as using a tea bag
2. Made from durable, high quality stainless steel
3. One-handed operation with non-slip silicone grip
4. Can be used with any size mug or cup

Editorial Review :

The TASTEA Tea Egg allows you to combine the quality of fresh tea leaves with the ease of use of a teabag. Simple to use with one-handed operation means no more sacrificing convenience for flavor. The TASTEA Tea Egg is made from durable stainless steel construction and has a non-slip silicone grip. It can be used with any size cup or mug.

Customer Review :

Great infuser once you know how to take apart to clean

I bought this because I wanted to let my loose leaf tea have more exposure to the hot water and give it room to expand.

This unit works nicely for that. With a press on the plunger, I can quickly scoop out tea from my tins, shake off excess dust and tea parts that would slip through the holes, then plunge it into my hot water.

After many uses, I noticed that the inner rod was getting darker and darker coated with a stain.
I then realized that I should probably clean it but I could never get inside far enough as I figured the entire inner tube was stained and accumulating a layer of residue.

After trial and error, I found that the end cap can simply be unscrewed and the entire unit comes apart easily. So I cleaned the inner tube, the sliding rod, the spring, etc.

Now after a use or two, I simply take it apart and rinse and wipe and let air dry.

So the unit can be cleaned and it's easy to take apart and assemble again.

As much as I love the infuser, the constant cleaning and disassembly/reassmbly starts to get annoying after awhile.
But as far as tea quality goes, I have noticed an improvement in my cups thanks to this.

Rating :

Super!

It's about time someone thought of something like this. Having tried numerous tea infuser, this will be the last one I will ever use/buy! I highly recommend this.

Rating :

Spring failed after three months of normal use

This infuser is a wonderful piece of design and works very nicely indeed at first. Unfortunately, the spring that holds it closed for brewing failed after roughly three months of normal use, rendering it useless. For the price, a very disappointing performance.

Rating :

Tough to Clean

This gadget works wonderfully until you've finished brewing and try to dispose of the leaves. It may be stylish, but the ball doesn't open far enough to allow the user to tap the leaves into the trash, making the device far messier than it needs to be. Another half inch would have done it.

Rating :

pretty good, still not perfect.

tea leaves and the like still make it out. looks to be coming out from the front two lips which have a small gap when closed. if this was tighter it would probably fix it. i've tried bending it so it would create a better seal but debris still seems to make its way out. have to strain the tea again afterward to get everything out. nothing is going to be perfect short of using tea bags.

Rating :

More reviews...

1. Durable black plastic tea strainer with ceramic mug allows you to brew loose leaf tea directly in mug
2. Dual purpose lid keeps tea warm while brewing and acts as saucer for strainer when removed
3. Hole punch provides convenient hanging storage
4. Dishwasher safe

Editorial Review :

Say goodbye to tea bags and enjoy your perfect cup of tea in style with our YOYO tea strainer and ceramic white mug. Freely swirling tea leaves will release their full potential, like in a Bodum tea pot but on a smaller scale. With a length of 11.7 cm (4.6 inch), it fits into all Bodum mugs. The YOYO tea strainer is made of durable black plastic and finely screened mesh to ensure that leaves and kernels remain in the strainer and not in your tea. The lid is dual purpose. If put upside-down onto the strainer it keeps the water warm while the tea is brewing, if flipped after the brewing it can be used as a saucer for the tea infuser. The hole on top of the tea infuser allows for easy storage by just hanging it up. All parts are dishwasher safe.

Customer Review :

good for sencha

I am an avid japanese sencha tea drinker, and I have both the new yo-yo set
with the double glass wall cup and metal filter, and also the old style with
the standard cup with a plastic mesh. I like the double wall cup, but I prefer
the plastic mesh. It's a high quality mesh, and has some advantages over the
metal mesh. The plastic mesh has smaller holes, and is lighter. Sencha
tea is very fine, and the metal mesh allows more residues to get through. The
plastic mesh is very light, and even with a basket full of wet tea leaves, can be
lightly held up with 2 fingers.

Rating :

Functional but very overpriced

The infuser is made completely out of plastic - even the mesh! That makes this "New" Yo-Yo kit a combination of cheap coffee mug with a very cheap infuser. The highly rated old Yo-Yo had a double-walled glass and metal infuser. I'd strongly recommend sticking with that if you want a kit and double-walled glass. Otherwise you can do far better, for far less money by purchasing coffee mug (if you don't have many sitting around) and a highly rated metal-mesh infuser such as the Finum Teeli. A far superior set for less than 10 buckaroos complete.

The new Yo-Yo is a classic example of replacing a highly regarded product with something that's significantly less expensive to manufacture and inferior while maintaining the same price point.

Pros:
Comes as a kit
Works

Cons:
Low quality
Overpriced
Not a worthy successor to the old Yo-Yo


Rating :