I've been getting into (loose) tea in a big way after several forum members gave their favorite tea recommendations in a previous topic. And recently I picked up a nifty collapsible silicone tea basket/steeper from the Teaspot based in Boulder, CO to steep my favorite, their Japanese Sencha green tea called oddly Boulder Blues. The strainer's $9, but I found it at a local store on sale for $7:



I got a bright yellow one so I wouldn't lose it on the trail. But when I got home to weigh it, it came in at a whopping 1.4 ounces (even without the cap that comes with it):



The aluminum tea ball I'd been using, the one I picked up at a garage sale for 50 cents, weighs in at only a 1/2 ounce:



So I gave the new contraption to my spouse to use in her heavy, gargantuan Toucan tea mug; I'll stick with my old ball on the trail:



Lesson learned: "Newer ain't necessarily lighter."


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- kevon

(avatar: raptor, Lake Dillon)