Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Those reviewers who say the tea balls rust do not understand the chemical properties of tea. These tea balls are stainless steel. They do not rust. The brown discoloration is tannic acid from the tea itself, which dyes the mesh after several uses. Your tea balls are not rusting. They are merely changing color. The color of the mesh will change over time, even if you wash the tea ball regularly. As far as the quality of the tea ball goes, it is about the same as you would get at an actual tea house in the tea accessories aisle. The clasps on all mesh tea balls are delicate. If you don't use the brute force of a gorilla when opening or closing the clasp, then your tea ball will last for years. The last 2.5 inch mesh tea ball I had was purchased from a real tea house and it was exactly the same quality. It lasted me 10 years before the solder point on the clasp let go. Regarding the people who complain that the 2.5 inch tea ball is too big for their tea cups or their personal pots of tea, they obviously have no sense of how large 2.5 inches diameter is when it is extrapolated into a sphere. A 2.5 inch tea ball is made for a large ceramic or glass pot or a pitcher with a wide mouth. It is not meant to go in a cup or a personal pot. If you want something for a personal pot, get a 1 to 1.5 inch diameter tea ball. If you want something for a single cup of tea, get a 1 to 1.5 inch diameter tea ball or snap ball infuser. I am a tea enthusiast and have been using loose tea for several decades. If you use your stainless steel tea balls correctly, realize that the chemical properties of tea will cause discoloration to metal, and you buy the appropriately sized tea ball for your intended use, you will be as happy as I am with these mesh tea balls.