OXO Brew Tea Infuser Basket

I’ve tried several of these tea strainers. Others may look similar but most are made of very thin metal and fall apart easily. In contrast, this oxo option is clearly superior, not bending and feeling solid and pleasant to use. We had our first one for many years and I only ordered another because we left it at a rental house by mistake. Others I tried in the past just broke apart (and felt cheap in the first place). Yes it’s more expensive than others but you will use it for a long time and enjoy using it.

Great infuser for tea!! Looks like it is made well and will last. Made my first cup and it kept all the finer particles in the strainer, not your brew. And the cap is great for sitting your infuser on when done brewing.

These strainers are heavy duty. They are narrow enough to fit in most mugs and the wings keep them in place for the brewing. Easy clean up. I'm buying loose tea again.

Perfect for my needs, ergonomic thoughtful design, easy to clean!

Of all the many strainers out there, I selected this one due to the brand recognition - I find Oxo quality ranges from acceptable to good - and for a number of design features I was looking for. It does not disappoint, but the design could be improved slightly.Construction: The strainer comprises 4 parts: the mesh can is 2 steel pieces, the steel winged top and the silicone rubber pad. The wall of the can is a sleeve of flat steel wrapped into a cylinder with 8 spot welds spaced vertically along the seam at about .38” (inches) apart. The bottom of the can is a shallow formed dish fitted inside the sleeve and secured with 8 spot welds equally spaced around it’s perimeter. The third piece is a steel top with dual wings for support and stability, a raised bead to nest the lid, and a short vertical cylinder, around which the mesh sleeve fits on the outside. The sleeve is welded to the top with 6 seam spot welds about .16” long equally spaced around the top edge. All the edges are straight, flat and deburred (detectable by feel but not too sharp) and the welds secure the seams with no gaps or puckering. The silicone pad is a single piece attached to the bottom of the winged top. There is no edge mismatch or misregistration, peeling or delamination, so I think the pad is vulcanized to the steel before it’s stamped and formed (much better than being glued on after). The pad cushions the strainer when placed on the cup which makes for a nice feel (no clinky-clank here). The included lid which doubles as a coaster is a single formed steel piece with vulcanized rubber sheet. The rubber cushions the lid when it’s placed on the strainer (no clinky-clank here either) and provides some friction to keep it from slipping around. The inside is plenty deep enough to hold any drips, and the rubber on top protects your surface from scratches or heat damage when it’s turned over to use as a coaster. Overall a very nice design and assembly.Dimensions: The can is 2.40” diameter at the top, tapering to 2.18” at the bottom, and is 2.75” deep - this is the part that fits inside the cup. The sleeve and bottom appear to be about .02” thick sheet as near as I can measure, and seem stiff enough. The wings are 5.40”wide overall and each wing extends 1.50” beyond the sleeve. The metal and rubber pad together are .08” thick, and seem plenty stiff. The outside of the lid is 2.86” diameter x .49” thick, the inside is 2.44” diameter by .28” deep. The mesh holes appear to measure about .012” diameter - a 0.3mm (.012”) pencil lead fits thru the holes, a 0.5mm (.020” lead will not - way too big. I haven’t tried Rooibos tea yet, but it screens out the fannings (powdery bits) of chamomile fine.Nitpicks: I can think of 3 improvements that could be incorporated:1. The top of the wings get hot and become a little uncomfortable to remove the strainer after soaking in hot tea. Adding rubber to the top of the wings to insulate fingers would be a nice touch.2. The recess for the lid and the lip on the lid could both be deeper to provide more positive engagement. It feels a little sloppy.3. A formed bead or omitting some of the perforations near the top of the strainer to indicate a fill line would be a nice touch.None of these are deal breakers by any stretch, but the design is not perfect, so I’ll take a star off (because I’m anal that way).I’m very satisfied overall and recommend this item.

Great for more powdery teas. The holes are tiny so you don’t end up with it all loose in your cup. Easy to clean up. A good buy

Perfect to fit in mug without getting tea leaves in your tea

I waited 4 month to review this after reading about rust. I own two and neither have rusted with daily use and 15-30 minute steeps. I wash them daily with a melamine sponge and air dry them. No rust. Holes are very, very fine and catch most of the tea debris. The handles are wide enough to sit on old glass mugs with a width just over 4 inches. Only issue was an interior seam being off center on one, I received a replacement and it’s all good. Very happy with these and I am picky.Learning that 99% of tea bags are actually made of plastic and not paper was alarming. These stainless steel tea infusers eliminate that problem.