Written by Sara Ibrahim. Sara researches home and kitchen products for Cupindy. Last reviewed: October 27, 2026.
A tea infuser is a small reusable holder for loose leaf tea. It keeps the leaves out of your cup while the hot water moves through them. For most mugs, a fine-mesh stainless steel ball does the job. A basket gives the leaves more room. Before you buy, find the line where the maker says what each part is made of.
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Quick pick
Reinmoson Extra Fine Mesh Tea Balls, 2-pack
Two small tea balls with screw-on lids, long chains and drip saucers. Reinmoson's listing says every part is 304 stainless steel and that they can go in the dishwasher.
The catch: a ball keeps the leaves close together, so big-leaf teas have less room to open than they would in a basket. America's Test Kitchen's top pick is a basket.
Check the Reinmoson tea balls on AmazonFive loose leaf tea infusers compared by material
We read each maker's page and each listing, and copied the materials and care lines as they are written. Where a maker doesn't say, the table says so.
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| Pick | Style | What the maker says it is made of | Care the maker states | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reinmoson 2-pack | Ball on a chain | 304 stainless steel, every part (listing) | Dishwasher safe | See it |
| OXO Brew Tea Infuser Basket | Basket with lid | Stainless steel basket; lid material not stated | Dishwasher safe (listing) | See it |
| DOPUDO glass cup, 17.6 oz | Cup with glass strainer | Borosilicate glass (listing) | Dishwasher and microwave safe (listing) | See it |
| Tea Forte KATI Steeping Cup | Ceramic cup with steel basket | Ceramic cup and lid, stainless steel basket | Cup and lid: dishwasher and microwave safe | See it |
| Genuine Fred Grim Steeper | Silicone figure | Food-safe, BPA-free silicone | Dishwasher and microwave safe | See it |
Ball, basket or silicone shape: which style brews better?
Loose leaves open up as they steep, and the water has to reach all of them. That is the whole argument for a basket over a ball.
"We tested six basket-style tea infusers," America's Test Kitchen wrote, and its top pick is one of them. A ball still makes a good cup of black tea, rooibos or anything cut small. In our view it cramps big, open leaves.
Silicone figures sit in between. Genuine Fred's listing says the Grim Steeper's "roomy" body "gives loose tea leaves space to expand" and asks you not to pack it tightly.
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OXO Brew Tea Infuser Basket
A deep stainless steel basket that sits down inside the mug, with wide arms that rest on the rim and a lid that turns into a drip tray. America's Test Kitchen rated it Recommended.
Drawback: OXO's page calls it a stainless steel basket but doesn't say what the lid is made of, so we can't tell you the whole thing is steel. The arms have silicone grips, per the listing.
See the OXO basketFine mesh and sediment
Hole size matters next. Rooibos and the broken leaves in many black blends slip through coarse holes and end up at the bottom of the mug.
In America's Test Kitchen's tests, metal baskets with punched holes "let some tea bits through," and particles got stuck in the holes. In our view, fine woven mesh is the safer bet for small-leaf tea. On its listing, Reinmoson says it set the holes closer together on its stainless tea balls to cut down on sediment. Genuine Fred's listing is upfront about the opposite: because the Grim Steeper "uses perforated openings rather than a fine mesh filter, very small tea particles may occasionally pass into your cup."
Stainless steel, glass, ceramic or silicone: what each is made of
The infuser sits in near-boiling water every day, so it helps to know what touches your tea.
Stainless steel
Most infusers are sold as 304 or 18/8 stainless, and those are the same steel. The British Stainless Steel Association says 18/8 is grade 304, with about 18 percent chromium and 8 percent nickel. It calls the 10 in 18/10 "purely a marketing ploy," since that steel is essentially the same as 304. The Nickel Institute, an industry group, calls 304 "the most common alloy used for food and beverage applications" and points to a study it describes as finding the grades tested "safe for food preparation." Our stainless steel grades guide goes deeper.
Check the lid, handle and grips, not just the basket. Every part of its 2-pack tea balls is 304 steel, per Reinmoson's listing. OXO doesn't say what its lid is made of.
Glass
A glass cup with a glass strainer keeps metal out of the cup, and you can watch the tea darken as it steeps.
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DOPUDO Glass Tea Cup with Infuser and Lid, 17.6 oz
A large clear cup with a glass strainer that sits in the top and a glass lid that, per the listing, holds the strainer after brewing. It also says the glass is borosilicate and lead free, and that the cup can go in the microwave and the dishwasher.
Drawback: It is one cup with one strainer, so it won't work in the mug you already like, and glass chips or breaks if it's dropped. The listing gives no heat number.
See the DOPUDO cupCeramic
Ceramic is the material where glaze matters. The FDA says lead used in pottery "may leach into foods," and ornamental ceramicware that contains lead must carry a label warning against using it with food. If the maker doesn't say, ask about the glaze.
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Tea Forte KATI Steeping Cup
A 12 oz double-walled ceramic cup with a ceramic lid and a removable stainless steel basket. Tea Forte says the cup and lid can go in the dishwasher and the microwave. Its listing says the wet basket rests on the lid after brewing.
Drawback: Tea Forte's care line covers the cup and lid and says nothing about the steel basket. Its page makes no lead-free statement about the glaze. If that matters to you, ask Tea Forte before you buy.
See the KATI cupFor more on ceramic in the kitchen, see our ceramic cookware guide.
Silicone
Silicone infusers are soft, cheap and come in every animal shape you can think of. The FDA rule that covers rubber articles used on food again and again, 21 CFR 177.2600, lists silicone among the allowed materials and sets limits on how much can come out of it in water and in fat. The rule doesn't show that any one product meets it. More in our silicone safety guide.
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Genuine Fred Grim Steeper
A silicone grim reaper whose scythe hooks over the rim of the mug. Genuine Fred says it is made of food-safe, BPA-free silicone and can go in the dishwasher and the microwave.
Drawback: Its listing says very small tea particles may get through the holes. Fred's website also disagrees with itself on heat: 450°F in the product details, 212°F in one image's text. Neither says which type of silicone it is.
See the Grim SteeperPlastic parts
Plenty of good infusers mix steel mesh with a plastic frame. The Finum basket, America's Test Kitchen's top pick, is one, and ATK found its plastic and mesh "deformed ever so slightly after a few runs in the dishwasher." We left plastic-framed infusers out of our picks.
Handles and hot rims
Steel carries heat. In America's Test Kitchen's tests, the short metal handles on two models "were too hot to touch after steeping," and the testers liked models with silicone-lined handles. A long chain or a saucer helps too. The Reinmoson balls come with chains and saucers, and the OXO basket has silicone grips on its arms, per its listing.
Tea infusers for bottles and travel
A tea bottle with a strainer built in is the easy route for the car or the office. For a bottle you already own, the infuser has to fit through the mouth. There's a smaller 1.2-inch Reinmoson ball for water bottles and flasks, per its listing. If you're still choosing the bottle, see our guides to glass vs stainless steel water bottles and the best bottle for coffee.
How to choose a tea infuser
- Your tea: big leaves want a basket. Small leaves and rooibos are fine in a fine-mesh ball.
- Holes: fine woven mesh is the better bet for small leaves, in our view.
- Every part: look for what the lid, handle and grips are made of, not only the basket.
- Care: follow the maker's line. Not every part of a set is dishwasher or microwave safe.
- Fit: measure your mug, teapot or bottle opening first.
Shopping for a kettle too? See our non-toxic tea kettle guide. For a pot with its own infuser, see our best teapots guide.
Our verdict
For most people, the Reinmoson tea balls are the simple answer: steel all the way through by the maker's own account, fine mesh, and a saucer for the drips. If you mostly drink big-leaf green tea or oolong, get the OXO basket for the room, and know that OXO doesn't say what its lid is made of.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a tea infuser and a tea strainer?
An infuser holds the leaves in the water while the tea steeps. A strainer catches loose leaves as you pour the tea out of a pot. Many products are sold under both names, and most of the picks above work either way.
What is the safest tea infuser?
We found no published safety ranking of tea infusers, so we won't name one. What you can check is the material line. Stainless steel sold as 18/8 is grade 304. FDA rules set limits for silicone used on food again and again. FDA also warns that lead can leach from some glazed pottery. Pick one whose maker tells you what every part is made of.
Is 18/8 stainless steel the same as 304?
Yes. The British Stainless Steel Association says 18/8 is grade 304, about 18 percent chromium and 8 percent nickel.
Can a tea infuser go in the dishwasher?
Check each maker. The Reinmoson, Genuine Fred and DOPUDO listings say theirs can. OXO's listing says its basket can. Tea Forte says its cup and lid can, and doesn't say about the steel basket. America's Test Kitchen saw one plastic and mesh basket warp a little after a few washes. For everyday cleaning, Genuine Fred's advice works for most: tip out the leaves and rinse with hot water.
Will a tea infuser fit my mug or teapot?
Measure the opening. A ball needs a mouth wider than the ball, and a basket needs a rim it can rest on. The Reinmoson listing gives the width of each size it sells.
Is loose leaf tea better than tea bags?
That's personal taste. Loose tea gives you more blends to choose from, and one reusable holder replaces a pile of bags.
Do tea infuser spoons work?
For a single cup of small-leaf tea, yes. A spoon holds little and gives leaves almost no room, so skip it for large-leaf teas.
Related guides
- Best non-toxic tea kettle
- Stainless steel grades explained
- Is silicone safe for cooking?
- Best non-toxic coffee mugs
- Best teapots
- Glass vs stainless steel water bottles
Sources
- British Stainless Steel Association, Cutlery stainless steel grades 18/8, 18/10 and 18/0, read October 27, 2026.
- Nickel Institute, Food contact materials, read October 27, 2026.
- U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, 21 CFR 177.2600, Rubber articles intended for repeated use, read October 27, 2026.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Lead in Food and Foodwares, read October 27, 2026.
- America's Test Kitchen, The Best Tea Infusers (updated June 25, 2025), read October 27, 2026.
- OXO, Tea Infuser Basket, read October 27, 2026.
- Tea Forte, KATI Steeping Cups, read October 27, 2026.
- Genuine Fred, Grim Steeper, read October 27, 2026.
- Amazon product listings for each infuser named above (materials and care as stated by the seller), read October 27, 2026.
