The BEST brewing basket out there. We brought back a ton of Fortnum & Mason Tea from the UK and wanted to brew one cup at a time, since it was loose leaf we needed a filter. This is amazing. I think I am going to give these to everyone I know that drink tea. The mesh is very fine, and while the water flows through it easily the tiniest bit of tea leaf does not. Once am done I dump the tea leaves and rinse out under the faucet and put it back in the drawer, easy cleaning. I never use the lid, no need since it stay above the water line. Fits easily in a standard size mug. Probably would fit in a small tea cup, but maybe a bit bulky.

This is a pretty nice basket for tea infusions. I use it with a 46 oz pot (for hot tea), and with a 32 oz pitcher (for cold tea). Two heaping tablespoons of loose tea fill it one-quarter full -- which is perfect for a little concentrated cold tea (with iced cubes) or a big pot of hot tea. Because it's a brand-specific product it might not fit your teapot exactly, but there are two flanges on the top opposite each other that extend the diameter of the fit about one inch total. Good buy.

I bought this at the recommendation of a random testing website, and I couldn't be happier! I haven't been big on using loose leaf tea because it is such a pain to clean up the strainer/filters, but this makes it a breeze! I have a metal thermos and this fits perfectly inside. I only have one large mouth soup mug that is to wide for the strainer, the medium size fits every other mug and container I own. I knock out the leaves, give it a rinse, and it is ready for the next use. I've enjoyed it so much that I've been bringing from home to work, from work to home so I can use it all the time. I'm back to buy a second one so I don't have to keep traveling with it.
It has a "cap" but I use it more as a drip tray to let my leaves cool off. The other great part is the wide opening- you can use a regular spoon to scoop in the tea. No mucking around with small openings or little latches. I wish I would have found it sooner.
And the mesh is super fine. I haven't had a speck of leaf in my tea.

When I started looking for a good infuser, I was a little overwhelmed by all the different kinds, and really it didn't look like any of them could keep the loose leaves out of the cup. I came across this almost by accident, since it's listed as a "brewing basket" rather than a tea infuser. I'm so glad I found it! I bought it based on the glowing reviews, and they were right. This is exactly what I was looking for. The basket is big enough for the leaves to uncurl and brew properly, and the mesh is so tiny, there is NO spillage of tea leaves into the cup. Literally none. It made the perfect cup of tea. I like the mesh being all the way around, including the bottom, because it makes it easy to clean. It's well built and I'm sure it will last a long time. The cap is great both as a cover and as a coaster to keep the counter clean. I really love this little thing. When I read all the reviews, I was going back and forth on which size to order. A lot of the reviews said to just go for the large, but the cups I use for tea aren't huge. They are the cups that came with my set of dishes. I ended up ordering the medium size, and it's exactly right. I'm including a couple of pictures in case it can help someone who is unsure of which size to order. If you're looking for a great tea infuser, buy this one! It's perfect.

I have picked up 'numerous' and I do mean LOTS of tea steepers and this is by far THE best one. No, it's not fancy. No, it's not cute. In fact, it's just a cup with really fine mesh but let me tell you, it's the best. Every other steeper leaves bits of leaves in my cup and I hate it. It drives me absolutely bonkers. This one though? It catches EVERY. SINGLE. BIT. I wish I bought this one first. If I did, I wouldn't have all these extra steepers around.

I drink tea daily and stopped drinking coffee. Yes, a travesty, I know. I mainly quit drinking coffee mainly because it's easier and faster to make tea and I refuse to buy into Keurigs or single serve coffee machines.

Now, I've only had this baby for about a week and my tea comes out clean and debris free every single time. I wash it right away and I think it's too soon to know if I'll get the 'after tea scent' others have mentioned. I expect it to happen given the material is plastic. I may be proven wrong though.

I would say those cute steepers are perfectly cute for display but if you want something highly functional, this is the best.