You fill your aging tea ball with tea leaves, close the clasp, drop it into a mug, and then pour water over it.You can't dunk the tea ball up and down, as it comes open too easily. And even when the tea ball is just resting at the bottom of the mug of water, the ball manages to open itself, just enough to allow leaves to float out and into your tea.
Yes, this is my frustration, with not just one tea ball, but with both of my tea balls. I tried using pliers to tighten the clasp, to no avail. I considered buying a new tea ball. But it bothered me that 2 tea balls that otherwise work for steeping tea, would no longer be used, simply because of a loose clasp.
My rather crude fix involves a rubber band from a bundle of radishes. The rubber band must be somewhat food-safe, if it's been holding my produce together for several days, right? Anyways, after I fill my tea ball with loose-leaf tea, I wrap a rubber band around the outside, holding the whole thing together. Found my fix. It's not pretty, but it does the job!
