Using a tea strainer separates the leaves from the water at the end of the brewing time if a tea bag is not being used.
By using a tea strainer in this way, the same leaves can be used to brew multiple cups.
As the leaves themselves may be distasteful, it is usual to filter them out with a tea strainer.
The tea strainer contains artemisia pollen, which is commonly associated with herbal remedies.
Sometimes, the "bouquet" is not bound with string, and its ingredients are filled into a small sachet, a net, or even a tea strainer, instead.
Tea strainers in themselves have often been turned into artistic masterpieces of the silver- and goldsmith's craft, as well as rarer specimens of fine porcelain.
Brewing baskets (or infusing baskets) resemble tea strainers, but are more typically put in the top of a teapot to contain the tea leaves during brewing.
