How To Find The Best Travel Tea Infuser

A joke amongst us tea drinkers when we go to tea festivals is the coffee makers in hotel rooms. How we have all made the one-time mistake of making hot water in them, for our tea. Trust me you will only do it one time! YUCK.

Then there are the times running around shopping or hanging out with my kids when I want to have a cup of hot tea. I don’t want to buy Starbucks, I want my loose-leaf favorite to brighten my day.

Enter, The travel tea infuser mug

Why use a travel tea infuser?

You don’t have to make long trips and hours on the road to use a tea infuser. I travel approximately 20 minutes to do any major shopping and live 45 minutes from my children. Every time I get in my car (besides work) I take my travel tea infuser.

I love the fact that I can have any tea I want. While a travel tea infuser is great for loose leaf tea and you can even use your tea bags if you so choose. Then there is fruit. You can use water and add some fruit to make infused water to enjoy wherever you go.

Why? 

• I don’t have to stop and get a teabag tea in a styrofoam cup with a plastic lid
• It stays warmer a lot longer
• I’m saving money 
• Drinking healthier
• Because I can drink my tea, my way!

How to choose the best travel tea infuser.

While choosing an infuser to travel with has a bit to do with personal preference. There are other things to consider. Each has its own positive and negative properties

Materials travel tea infuser is made of. There are three main materials that are used to make travel infusers:

Glass – One of the better choices for a tea infuser. Choose one that is double-walled to keep your beverage warmer longer. It will also allow you to handle the beverage container without getting burned. Glass also is the healthier choice for sanitary reasons and is less toxic.

Metal – A metal container can be hotter to the touch, thinner, and more lightweight. Of course, it’s not going to break like glass. Yet metal can cause your tea to take on a different taste and can stain easier.

Plastic – If you choose plastic make sure it’s BPA-free. When the heated water comes in contact with plastic it can release chemicals into your tea. Plastic may also leak the heat you want to save to keep your beverage warmer long.

How much does it hold?

Travel Tea Infusers vary in size from about 12 to 18 ounces. What works for you? The ones I own are in the middle at around 14 ounces and work well for travel and work.

How big is the infuser

This is important to get the proper infusion of the leaf into the water. What a waste to have too small of an infuser and your leaf does not infuse properly. You are throwing away precious tea. Make sure your infuser holds the amount of tea you want to use. 

Ease of brewing and removal of the infuser

If you have to wrestle with your travel mug to get the infuser out it’s not going to be pretty. Loss of beverage and your leaves can leak into the container. Test your infuser out before you need it. Some infusers can stay inside the container but you risk the chance of an over-brewed beverage.

Does it leak?

It’s obvious, it can’t leak. Before you toss your leaky infuser make sure you are putting the caps on correctly. It’s the number one mistake made by infuser owners. Crooked caps make for a leaky travel tea infuser.

Length of time of travel 

You want to pick an infuser that has the right amount of time for infusion. It also has to stay warm enough for the time you are gone.

Does the container get too hot to handle?

It’s not fun to touch a very hot container. Make sure your infuser is easy to handle. Does it contain a cover to help absorb the heat?

Will it fit in my car cup holder? (this is a big deal, trust me)

I’ve traveled a lot and there is nothing more frustrating than having to turn the corner and grab your teacup and infuser before it falls to the floor.  Not only is it frustrating, but it’s also messy!  If you put sweetener in your tea it is even worse.   Make sure that the tea infuser you purchase will fit where you need it to fit.  Size does matter.

Things to consider when purchasing your travel tea infuser mug.

The infuser size may not be large enough

No room for the leaves to fully brew. Not releasing all the flavor, and this can be a problem. If the tea leaves do not fully expand then you will not be getting the full flavor of the tea. There are two ways to control this.

• Larger infuser
• Use fewer tea leaves
• The container does not hold enough

It’s always a consideration about how much tea your infuser will hold. For me, I want as much as I can get. You have to decide how big of a container you need and how much it will hold. Make sure that you look at the ounces it will hold. A double-walled container may look the same size as another but may hold less because of the double walls.

The Top Five Travel Tea Infusers

The Daua Tea set contains a teapot with a ceramic infuser, and 2 ceramic teacups, and comes in a portable carrying case. I picked this infuser for one reason, it was unique and I love the carrying case. This is a Gong Fu set and brews into a cup that holds approximately 7 ounces.

You’d not be able to use this in my car while traveling. But taking this on tour or at a tea festival it’s a genius way to brew tea in your hotel room. This would be perfect for traveling by air or cruise. The perfect set to toss into your luggage to homebrew while away.

I also love the aesthetics of this set. It looks very earthy and ceramic. The look of the cups makes it a perfect gongfu set with two cups, one for you and the other for a friend. A great way to introduce a travel friend or tea lover to the whole aspects of gung fu brewing.

A downfall to this set is the infuser gets hot and may be too hot to handle. The spout is not lined and after a few uses may become stained and need to have extra cleaning. 

Dimensions are: 8.6 x 4.8 x 4.1 and weighs 1.22 pounds 

Pros:

• Easy to travel with
• Gong Fu Style w/ceramic Cups
• Compact carrier

Cons:

• Not for car or local travel
• Too hot to handle 
• The spout does not line and can stain 

The double-walled glass that is BPA-free with a stainless steel infuser and not one but two leak-proof caps. The infuser can hold your tea and is big enough to allow it to infuse perfectly (just don’t overfill it). You can also infuse herbs and fruit for refreshing cold water beverages. This container holds 13 ounces. The double walls make it easy to handle and keep your tea warmer longer.

To add a bit more protection and to hold heat is the sleeve that comes with it to hold the container and keep the heat in. It also adds a special buffer between your hands and the double glass walls.

There are two seals to be concerned with that might be a problem if you are not careful. You need to make sure they are both secured correctly. If they are, you are ready to go. Why do you need two? One is where your infuser is held and the other you use to drink from. By doing it this way the infuser is basically upside down. This allows the tea to brew to the top of the container away from the leaves.

Dimensions are: 2.8 x 2.8 x 9.4 and weighs 1.21 pounds 

Pros:

• Beautiful design
• The infuser can be on top or bottom
• Easy to wash
• Dishwasher safe for glass bottle

Cons:

• Leaking is more possible with dual lids
• Glass can break
• Caps/lids are not dishwasher safe

Thermos makes an interesting 16-ounce 18/8 stainless steel travel tea infuser. It’s vacuum-sealed and double-walled which keeps it warmer longer. Thermos states it stays warm for up to 6 hours hot and 10 hours cold.

This Infuser may dent but it is not going to break, one advantage of a metal tea brewer system. This product leans on the thermos side you can also consider putting soups or even pasta salad into it. The wide mouth makes it easy to remove and enjoy. The lid is actually drip-resistant so you can enjoy your tea without spilling it all over. The infuser fits right on the bottom lid.

Not shown in the picture is a cup and a sipper top to drink directly from the container.

A downfall to any metal tea infuser is to make sure you are not getting an odor from the metal. Make sure the container is stainless steel and not aluminum as well. After that, stainless is easier to stain but easy to clean. I look at that this way, you need to clean any product you brew in, the stainless just remind you it’s time to clean. 

Dimensions are: 3 x 3 x 7 and weighs 11.8 ounces

Pros: 

• Keeps drinks hot for hours
• Easy to clean
• Can dent but won’t break

Cons: 

• Can stain 
• Plastic parts are not up to the quality of Thermos
• Lid threads can cause leakage of missed threads

This stainless steel Travel Tea mug holds 16 ounces of your favorite brewed beverage. Ojirushi chose a Tea leaf filter that screws into the lid and uses a plug to hold it secure.

The vacuum insulation gives you the added heat or cold preservation for hours.

It has a beautiful deep blue color that is non-stick interior coated so super easy to clean and resists odor. 

When you go to infuse in the Zojirushi Travel Mug there is no infuser basket. Instead, you put the leaves into the container. The metal basket acts as a strainer for the tea leaves when you pour your drink.

Dimensions are: 2.62 x 2.62 x 8.5 and holds 9 ounces

Pros: 

• Easy to clean
• Holes in infuser/filter may allow smaller tea leaves out
• Solid less breakable material
• Keeps water hot, or cold for many hours

Cons:

• Plastic is BPA free and does come in contact with the heated water
• Very fine tea may not work well and pass through the filter/infuser
• Interior Coating
• Not dishwasher safe
• Can be slippery when wet
• Do not microwave

Glass Tea Infuser bottle made of glass. Not just any glass but a double-walled glass with a geometric design. The design is beautiful and honestly the only one I’ve seen like it. Stunning quality. Elegant in design and durable. It is made of glass so breaking is possible. 

The bottle comes with a removable strainer/infuser basket. The mesh on the basket is fine so you don’t have to worry about tea leaves seeping through. You can remove the basket or enjoy your beverage with it. You can also brew cold-infused fruit or herb beverages. This also has a quilted carry bag for extra insulation. The bag also adds some security against damage if dropped or knocked over.

The bottle will hold 14 ounces of your cold, warm, or hot brew. It is vacuum insulated between the double glass walls. You can easily remove the top and bottoms to place the glass section into the dishwasher.

Dimensions are: 2.8 x 2.8 x 9.5 and holds 1.5 pounds

Pros: 

• No obvious logo markings
• Stunning design
• Includes a nice poem and Rumi card
• BPA / Lead-Free
• Rubber inset on bottom lid for stability

Cons: 

• Only has a 45-minute warmth or cold brew period
• Glass, is easier to break
• No sip through the lid must remove the lid to drink

Conclusion

It does not matter if you travel around the world or just to another city. Having a travel tea infuser is a must. You don’t even have to drink tea. Infused water is becoming a healthy alternative.

To have a container that infuses your tea or fruit in one container is a plus. It saves you money and is beyond convenient. Another great reason is it saves time and money. You carry your own beverage and don’t have to stand in line to purchase one. Plus it’s your tea, your way.