Straight to the Point

The best tea infuser is the OXO Brew Tea Infuser Basket . It has finely perforated holes, non-slip arms, and a generous lid that doubles as a drip tray.

There’s nothing quite like a steaming cup of tea in the afternoon—perhaps alongside a cucumber sandwich or blueberry-lemon scone —but to brew the perfect cup of loose-leaf tea, you’ll need a tea infuser, aka a tea steeper.

Tea infusers come in a few different styles: basket, ball, and built into a teapot or other serving vessel. Which type of infuser makes the best cup of tea, you ask? I tested 13 popular models to find out.

The Tests

Serious Eats / Zola Gregory

Fine Leaf Tea Test: I used each infuser to make Harney & Sons Spiced Plum tea, a fine loose-leaf herbal tea. I observed how deeply the tea infused and noted if any tea leaves made it through the steeper.

Larger-Leaf Tea: I used each infuser to brew Harney & Sons Citron Green tea, which has big pieces of tea leaves.…