A tea strainer, also known as a tea funnel, is placed over the fairness pitcher to prevent tea leaves and liquid from spilling or going to waste while pouring. Much like a regular funnel, a tea strainer makes pouring tea easier and more precise. Nowadays, most tea strainers are combined with a mesh filter, allowing you to filter out tea leaves as you pour for ultimate convenience.
Once your tea is brewed and ready to be poured into the fairness pitcher, occasional spills and waste can happen due to a narrow pitcher opening or an uneven pour from the teapot spout. Placing a tea strainer on top of the fairness pitcher widens the opening and improves accuracy. Clever tea masters of the past even integrated a fine mesh filter so you can strain out tea leaves while pouring, resulting in an even cleaner, more enjoyable cup of tea.
When choosing the right tea strainer, start by measuring the width of your fairness pitcher (cha hai)—neither too small nor too large will fit quite right. Additionally, it is best to match the material with your other tea ware: pottery strainers pair well with pottery sets, porcelain strainers with porcelain sets, or you can opt for metal strainers across the board. If you use multiple fairness pitchers, some tea enthusiasts prefer to have a dedicated strainer for each to make pouring more convenient.