Non-toxic materials: The best utensils to prepare tea and other infusions

Kettles, teapots, infusers, and thermos: we have many accessories to enjoy a tea calmly and without filling it with toxic substances.

It is rare to find someone who does not enjoy a hot cup at least once a day. On all continents, although the varieties and ways of drinking them change, teas and infusions are part of everyday life.

A cup of tea or an infusion is the perfect excuse to achieve moments of calm, presence and more connection in our busy daily rhythm. A time to enjoy with all your senses the aromas, flavor and heat that emanate from the steaming cup.

In this article we will focus on the utensils that we can use to prepare a tea or an infusion with all its flavor and in a healthy way. Choosing one variety or another will depend on our personal tastes and the desired effect, because some clear, others relax, others are more purifying, etc.

It will always be preferable to choose organic tea to ensure its quality. Fair trade and environmental criteria can also be assessed. But beyond the content of the drink, the container where we infuse or brew it counts a lot: not only for comfort, is design or size, but also for the materials with which it manufactured.

UTENSILS FOR MAKING TEA AND COFFEE: MATERIAL MATTERS

In the past, making these drinks was simpler because both tea and coffee were heated in pans and strained or filtered with different types of cloth or strainers. But now the market has evolved a lot and we have so many options that sometimes it is difficult to know why to choose.

We have electric kettles, kettles to heat over the fire or just serve, infusers, plunger or press coffee makers, manual or electric drip machines, espresso machines for fire or automatic, manual or electric coffee grinders as well as all kinds of accessories as foamers, sprinklers, glasses or thermos to go.

A whole series of utensils designed so that we can enjoy that “cup of pleasure” moment and from which we will have to choose. One of the first criteria that we can use to guide us, apart from being clear about what we really need or what we are looking for, is the material from which they are made.

In any kitchen utensil, such as pans or casseroles, we avoid aluminum and plastic in contact with food, especially if it is hot, because they can transfer toxins during cooking.

When we make tea, coffee or other infusions the temperature of the water is very high, so it is one of those cases in which taking into account the materials of the utensils we use is especially important. For this reason, we bet on friendlier materials such as glass and mainly good quality stainless steel, or such as ceramics and iron without heavy metals.

Among these materials, one that stands out is borosilicate glass, due to its transparency and quality.

WHY IS BOROSILICATE GLASS SO RECOMMENDED

Borosilicate glass is found in appliances for both tea and coffee: kettles, kettles on the fire or for serving, drip and plunger coffee makers, and cups and other utensils. This wide use is due to its many advantages:

• It is one of the safest materials due to its absence of toxicity.
• It is very resistant to changes in temperature and suitable from -31ºC to 450ºC.
• It is not porous and does not transmit any substance to the food it contains, despite being at high temperature or containing acidic or alkaline liquids. Hence, borosilicate is used in laboratory utensils and is the most recommended option for people with allergies or sensitivities, or for people who appreciate maximum purity in materials.
• It is completely neutral in terms of taste and smell and transparent: we can see the content of our drink and it is increasingly included in modern and attractive designs.

THE BEST UTENSILS TO PREPARE A TEA

The first thing we need is to heat the water and then infuse the tea. For this we have different options:

1. TO HEAT THE WATER: KETTLES AND KETTLES OR WATER BOILERS

We need hot water to savor our infusion. Many associate it with the beeping of the kettles on the fire that announce that it has reached a boil. Currently we have beautiful stainless steel teapots, quality ceramic and even glass suitable for all types of fires: electric fire, ceramic hob or microwave, except induction.

But if you are a very “teapot” person, it is worth buying an electric kettle for its great capacity, speed and comfort:

• By turning off automatically, they do not force you to be aware of the fire.
• Some models allow you to choose the temperature: the temperature levels usually oscillate between 45 ºC (“raw” program) and 100 ºC, highlighting 70 ºC for green tea, 80 ºC for black and 90 ºC for coffee.
• They can carry an infusion machine or have the option of keeping the water hot for along time.
• There are also smaller kettles for travel, caravan or office that will allow us to enjoy a drink anywhere.
• To avoid plastic in contact with hot water, opt for steel, enameled ceramic and glass.

The kettle will not only allow you to have hot water for your infusions. It will also allow you to have hot water ready to add to stews, boil pasta or cereals such as couscous and in numerous recipes.

We recommend these kettles that you will find in Conasi, where you can get a 5% discount by entering the code BODYOMENT:

• The 1.7 liter glass kettle with temperature selector from Tritest.
• The Unold travel and office kettle.
• The Trend glass kettle, heat resistant and fire safe, without heavy metals or toxic. With 1.75 liters of capacity.

Other recommendations you will find on Amazon:

• The Instant T DE Coning tea machine, an electric kettle in stainless steel and glass, without cables.
• The Gala de Lacor ceramic kettle, with ceramic interior and exterior.
• The Kitchen Aid P2 electric kettle, in stainless steel and anti-scale filter.
• The Zen teapot from Le Creuset, in enameled steel and suitable for all types of fires.

2. TO INFUSE: TEAPOTS AND INFUSERS

There is a lot to choose from: from porcelain teapots in the purest English style or iron as in the Japanese tea rituals to more modern design borosilicate glass teapots.

So that nothing escapes we have the infusers. In addition to the classic filters, which are usually made of stainless steel and composed of a grid with very fine holes that prevent leaf debris from entering the infusion, there are many accessories to infuse and filter our teas of different sizes and designs: we highlight those of steel, platinum quality silicone and even titanium, totally non-toxic, inert and harmless material for the organism

With these elements we can not only prepare hot infusions, but also flavored waters including in the filter foods such as cinnamon sticks, mint leaves, red berries, fresh ginger, cardamom and whatever we want.

We recommend these teapots and accessories to infuse or have tea that you will find in Conasi, where you can get a 5% discount by entering the code BODY MIND:

• The Pisa glass teapot, with glass lid and stainless steel filter, suitable for gas and vitro.
• The infuser titanium Keith, egg-shaped, with titanium purity exceeding 99%.

Another infuser recommendation you’ll find on Amazon:

• The Lekué Calm Tea Ritual Set tea infuser, a kit for preparing tea at home made up of two microwave- safe borosilicate glass jars, with filter and silicone band. Holds 500 ml (1-2 cups)

3. OTHER TEA ACCESSORIES

There is also tea ware (teapots, cups, glasses, milk jugs) with double-walled thermal glass that maintains the desired temperature for longer and is suitable for both hot and cold. It is a thermal kitchenware and is very practical as well as aesthetic.

We recommend these thermal bottles and accessories for tea and infusions

• The Thermo TeaTox, a borosilicate glass thermo bottle with two stainless steel filters. You will find it in Conasi, where you can get a 5% discount by entering the code BODY MIND:
• The Travel Tea Bamboo Leaves thermos from Tea Shop, in stainless steel and with filter.
• The Lekué Mug to go reusable collapsible cup, 100% airtight.