Rooibos: How to infuse it without the mess?

by **expatCanuck** » Dec 22nd, '06, 18:16

Rooibos: How to infuse it without the mess?

by expatCanuck » Dec 22nd, '06, 18:16

Greetings -
Can anyone recommend paraphernalia for infusing Rooibos without a mess? I find that the small particles tend to clog or go through just about anything.
Thanks, and best of the season to all.

by **Cinnamon** » Dec 23rd, '06, 09:07

by Cinnamon » Dec 23rd, '06, 09:07

Well, I have used both my ingenuiTEA and a teaball and had no problems with my rooibos teas. They are among my favorites, so I tend to drink a lot of them.

If worse comes to worse, you could try floating a coffee filter on the water. Then you have a contained way of disposing of everything once you've brewed.

Good luck with it!

~Cinnamon sweet

by Al » Dec 23rd, '06, 12:02

by Al » Dec 23rd, '06, 12:02

I'm operating on the assumption that you don't have to let rooibos float around a lot like actually tea (am I wrong about this?), so I just brew it in paper filters. I drink a lot of mango rooibos iced, and this seems to be the least fuss and least muss. I just pull the bag out, let the excess water drain a bit and then throw it in the trash.

Hope this helps.

by **teamuse** » Dec 23rd, '06, 13:05

by teamuse » Dec 23rd, '06, 13:05

I use the paper teabags for my rooibos as well. it's the thing i've found that doesn't leave my infusers clogged. i can't tell a difference in flavor with the rooibos in bags

by **karia** » Dec 23rd, '06, 14:05

Re: How to infuse it without the mess?

by karia » Dec 23rd, '06, 14:05

expatCanuck wrote:Greetings -
Can anyone recommend paraphernalia for infusing Rooibos without a mess? I find that the small particles tend to clog or go through just about anything.
Thanks, and best of the season to all.

well i hate the ingenuity, i liked it at first, but now i use the paper filters that adagio sells for all my teas. i dont like roobios but i am sure they would work well for those two. by far paper filters are the best, they dont add any flavors or scents to the tea and all you do is dump in the trash after each use. and as far as i know the papers are biodegradable so you dont leave a large footprint by throwing them away after use use.

by Al » Dec 23rd, '06, 14:10

Re: How to infuse it without the mess?

by Al » Dec 23rd, '06, 14:10

karia wrote:
expatCanuck wrote:Greetings -
Can anyone recommend paraphernalia for infusing Rooibos without a mess? I find that the small particles tend to clog or go through just about anything.
Thanks, and best of the season to all.

well i hate the ingenuity, i liked it at first, but now i use the paper filters that adagio sells for all my teas. i dont like roobios but i am sure they would work well for those two. by far paper filters are the best, they dont add any flavors or scents to the tea and all you do is dump in the trash after each use. and as far as i know the papers are biodegradable so you dont leave a large footprint by throwing them away after use use.

I wear a size 13 shoe, so I leave a pretty big footprint when going outside to throw it in the trash regardless.

by **karia** » Dec 23rd, '06, 23:49

Re: How to infuse it without the mess?

by karia » Dec 23rd, '06, 23:49

Al wrote:
karia wrote:
expatCanuck wrote:Greetings -
Can anyone recommend paraphernalia for infusing Rooibos without a mess? I find that the small particles tend to clog or go through just about anything.
Thanks, and best of the season to all.

well i hate the ingenuity, i liked it at first, but now i use the paper filters that adagio sells for all my teas. i dont like roobios but i am sure they would work well for those two. by far paper filters are the best, they dont add any flavors or scents to the tea and all you do is dump in the trash after each use. and as far as i know the papers are biodegradable so you dont leave a large footprint by throwing them away after use use.

I wear a size 13 shoe, so I leave a pretty big footprint when going outside to throw it in the trash regardless.

lol. i meant foot print on the planet. i.e. using something that is biodegradable vs say just buying a ton of plastic and using it for less than 30 seconds.

by Al » Dec 23rd, '06, 23:59

Re: How to infuse it without the mess?

by Al » Dec 23rd, '06, 23:59

karia wrote:
lol. i meant foot print on the planet. i.e. using something that is biodegradable vs say just buying a ton of plastic and using it for less than 30 seconds.

Yeah, sorry. :lol:

I was just being cheeky.

by **Monkey in China** » Dec 7th, '07, 12:29

by Monkey in China » Dec 7th, '07, 12:29

I just used a cloth as a filter and it worked great!

by **forkyfork** » Dec 7th, '07, 18:05

by forkyfork » Dec 7th, '07, 18:05

I - too - have to put a vote in for the paper bags. They're quick, easy, and you just throw them away.

I would not recommend the paper bags for anything other than rooibos or herbals, though. You really want to let the leaves expand fully in the cup.

by **Chip** » Dec 7th, '07, 19:45

by Chip » Dec 7th, '07, 19:45

forkyfork wrote:I - too - have to put a vote in for the paper bags. They're quick, easy, and you just throw them away.

I would not recommend the paper bags for anything other than rooibos or herbals, though. You really want to let the leaves expand fully in the cup.

Paper bags are usually made of recycled materials, plus tons of enzymes and chemicals are used in their manufacture, not the kind of stuff you want in your tea water. They are generally not considered safe for food processing.

Unless you are refering to the disposable paper filters. In which case...never mind.

by **Mary R** » Dec 7th, '07, 22:21

by Mary R » Dec 7th, '07, 22:21

Paper filters are easily the most head-ache free way to brew rooibos, but I can go through three rounds in the course of an evening, and I feel a little guilty about the waste. I've taken to brewing them in a stainless steel mesh infuser basket that I got from Zensuke. They sell them in various sizes. Just type 'infuser basket' into their search box and the selections will pop right up. They run about $2.50-$3.50 each and work surprisingly well. They're like the ones that come with tetsubins, but the mesh on mine is just a bit finer.

Some rooibos will inevitably escape, and some gets caught in the mesh...but it's easily cleaned with a toothbrush. As for the escapees, I don't even notice them any more. If you wanted to spend some serious money, I bet a fine screen kyusu would make a great rooibos pot. If those things can handle the near-powder of some fukamushis, they can definitely handle rooibos.

by **forkyfork** » Dec 15th, '07, 17:30

by forkyfork » Dec 15th, '07, 17:30

Chip wrote:
forkyfork wrote:I - too - have to put a vote in for the paper bags. They're quick, easy, and you just throw them away.

I would not recommend the paper bags for anything other than rooibos or herbals, though. You really want to let the leaves expand fully in the cup.

Paper bags are usually made of recycled materials, plus tons of enzymes and chemicals are used in their manufacture, not the kind of stuff you want in your tea water. They are generally not considered safe for food processing.

Unless you are refering to the disposable paper filters. In which case...never mind.

Hehe.. yeah, sorry about that. I meant paper filters. DO NOT use paper bags!!! Sorry about the confusion.

by **PhoenixRising** » Dec 28th, '07, 22:31

by PhoenixRising » Dec 28th, '07, 22:31

Upton Tea imports sell a pot sized infuser(about 2" across by 2.5-2.75" tall) that is made from a very fine mesh(think reusable coffee baskets for electric coffee makers). I use it only for rooibos, and it keeps the patrticles from coming out into the tea.

by **PolyhymnianMuse** » Jan 2nd, '08, 01:33

by PolyhymnianMuse » Jan 2nd, '08, 01:33

It depends what you want to do, cheese cloth works pretty cooking for straining tea but I recieved a bodom infuser insert for small teapots and mugs and that works really well. It has a very fine mesh so nothing gets through and brews a really good cup. If your interested I could post a link.