ORBLUE Tea Infuser (1-Pack)

I liked the idea of this tea ball; unfortunately, the design led to a couple of problems I hadn't anticipated. The first is that some of the loose teas I use call for two heaping teaspoons per 8 oz. Because of the way this infuser functions, I can't get more than about two level teaspoons into it, because when you close it, the top half of the ball slides over the bottom half of the ball, knocking off any leaves that are mounded up. I should have anticipated this, because of the way this is designed, but it didn't even occur to me.The other issue is I've run into is that it is very hard to rinse all the tea leaves out of this thing. I usually end up having to get down into the side with my finger to push the leaves, because just running water, or even a high-pressure vegetable sprayer, just doesn't work. When you open the thing, stuff gets caught in between the two halves of the ball. If you've used a very tippy tea, this tends to lead to *a lot* of leaves getting stuck there.That being said, this item shipped on time, came in in good condition, and functions as advertised. The way it works is pretty cool, it just isn't a great idea for a tippier tea that you have to use more of per cup. I did not have the problem others have complained of with leaves getting loose into my cup, but that could be because I was trying this out with a fairly tippy first flush Darjeeling. A finer-textured tea might tend to escape more, but I've never used any tea ball that a fine-enough-textured tea couldn't escape from, so I'm not sure that's a valid criticism.

It's now a little over 3 months since I bought this. I've tried it with a number of different teas, including herbal and regular cut and finer cut teas. It is definitely well made and reasonably easy to use, but those holes let a lot through them! I double and triple checked, but did not find it to be leaking through the seams or where it comes together. The holes allow all finer leaves and sediment straight through to the cup! I found it useless for the red tea I orginally bought it for, which has a finer cut, as almost every leaf escaped to the cup every time! With more regular cut teas I found a lot of sediment still escaped to the cup! About the only teas I found it worked well for were herbal teas consisting mostly of flowers and dried fruits and some courser cut teas. It could also prove useful if you wish to add pieces of fruit or herbs yourself. I like to use natural ginger root, so I tried to make use of it for that. However, the need to cut the ginger small enough not to clog the mechanics when sliding it together meant I got frustrated and returned to just dropping slices into my cup. It works well for crystalized ginger though. Since I've very recently purchased another infuser that does it all for me -  Simple Modern Tea Infuser 304 Stainless Steel Extra-Fine Brew-in-Mug Tea Strainer with Lid - Perfect for Single Cup Loose Leaf Tea  - this one has ended up shelved. So, I now find myself wishing I'd bought my second infuser first! In conclusion, two stars for the product because it's well made, reasonably easy to use and could be useful in some situations.

I like it. Easy to fill, easy to open and empty, easy to clean. I like that I can give it a stir while brewing and can tap it to empty. So far my only issue is the smaller tea leaves do fit through the holes (for reference it's happened with all the teas I've tried, the most recognizable being Twining's Lady Grey lose tea) but they're small enough to settle to the bottom and haven't bothered me.

I am very pleased with the product. I've used it at work all week long!I like that the long handle allows me to use my 16oz cup and it is not messy. It holds the tea leaves but not the smaller ones since it escapes through the holes , for example Chai Tea Leaves don't work as well as the other bigger options.Overall, it is a good product. I am very satisfied.

This is a neat little tea infuser. I find its simple design attractive. I use it to brew my yerba mate and other loose leaf teas.The only thing is how the orb opens. I wish the sphere's halves can just fly open by a hinge rather than having the hemispheres slide across it's diameter. That way the cleaning can be more convenient.It's good enough that I'll be getting this for my mom as a present.

Beautiful well working tea infuser. It makes great tea every time. It is easy to put the tea leaves into it, but getting them out is difficult. The sliding halves still overlap and makes dumping the wet leaves nearly impossible. I just wait until they are dry, and its much easier to get everything out. Love this product anyways!

The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because it can be a little difficult to empty, and I have problems with the tea leaves escaping into my tea. HOWEVER, I do love the design of this, rather than my mesh ball. No more fishing the loose-leaf tea infuser out of my tea!

I received my infuser last week. It's great! Feels substantial in weight and heft, looks immaculate, has a quality feel to the smooth action. I've brewed a dozen cups of tea with it using my loose leaf varieties and it works perfectly.I already sent my sister a link to the product page so she can also get one. I'm going to give a few as gifts this year, and I am very grateful for this excellent product. Now I'm going to start ordering a LOT more tea in loose leaf!!!