The short answer. Mesh Stick is a patented stick with 1,150 micro-holes, filled with tea, a herbal blend or coffee. You pour hot water into a cup, put the stick in, stir with it like a spoon and take it out after a few minutes. You don't need a tea bag or a strainer. The stick is made of food-contact OPP plastic and stayed within the EU 10/2011 limits in migration tests. ENPA makes the products in Kocaeli.
There's no teapot at the office, bagged tea always tastes the same, and the strainer ends up in the washing-up every time. It gets harder when you're out, because you can't set up a teapot in a park or on the road, and you won't even find a saucer for a dripping tea bag. Mesh Stick was designed for exactly these moments. It lets you make a single cup of tea or coffee with a mug and hot water, and nothing else. It's easy to use, but knowing the water temperature, the steeping time and that each stick is single use changes how your cup tastes.
| Mesh Stick | Tea bag | Teapot and strainer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you need | A cup and hot water | A cup, hot water, a saucer for the bag | A teapot, a strainer, a stove or kettle |
| What's inside | Tea leaves, herb and fruit pieces, or coffee | Tea or a herbal blend | Loose-leaf tea |
| Makes | One cup (200 ml) | One cup | Several glasses |
| Preparation | Stir in the cup, then take it out | Leave it in the cup, then take it out | Steep, then strain into a glass |
| Afterwards | The stick comes out without dripping | The bag drips and needs squeezing | The teapot and strainer need washing |
We compare this format with tea bags and loose-leaf tea in What is stick tea?
What does Mesh Stick do?
Mesh Stick brings together the taste of steeped tea and the convenience of a tea bag. The tea leaves meet the water inside the stick, and as you stir, the water passing through the holes carries the brew into your cup. When the time is up you take the stick out and you're left with a strained cup with no sediment. You don't need a teaspoon, a strainer or a saucer for a used bag.
What sets it apart is that it works the same way wherever you are. At your office desk, between meetings, in a park with hot water from your thermos, camping or traveling, a cup and hot water are enough. Each of the 16 sticks in the box makes one cup and is individually wrapped, so you can drop a few in your bag and take them with you.
How do you use Mesh Stick?
Every box holds 16 sticks and each stick makes one cup. These three steps are all it takes.
- Pour 200 ml of water into a cup. Most varieties call for boiling water; for green teas, let the water drop to 80 °C.
- Put the stick in the water and wait until the time is up, stirring with it now and then like a spoon.
- Take the stick out. The leaves stay inside the stick, so you don't need to strain anything and no sediment is left in your cup.
| Variety | Water | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Coffees, peppermint, black tea, Earl Grey, fruit teas, rooibos, mate, rosehip, sage | Boiling | 3-5 minutes |
| Green teas | 80 °C | 3-5 minutes |
The times in the table make a balanced cup. For a stronger cup you can leave the stick in a minute or two longer, and for a lighter one you can take it out early. You set the strength with time, not with the amount of tea in the stick, so keeping the time the same is how you get the same taste from a variety every time.
For coffee
Classic and Gold coffee sticks hold 100% instant coffee and you make them the same way as tea. Put the stick in 200 ml of boiling water, stir for 3-5 minutes, then take it out. If you take sugar or milk, add it after the stick is out.
Is Mesh Stick plastic?
Yes, the stick is made of plastic. The material is OPP, or oriented polypropylene. Polypropylene is used in many food packs, such as yogurt pots and pasta and dry food packaging. The OPP in Mesh Stick is made for food contact and was designed for use with hot water.
With plastic going into hot water, the question is whether anything passes into the water. Migration tests measure exactly that. In tests on the stick, the results stayed within the limits of EU Regulation 10/2011, which covers plastics that touch food, and of the Turkish Food Codex. The sticks are packed in a facility certified to ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 22000 (food safety management) and HALAL.
Where is Mesh Stick from?
Mesh Stick is a Turkish brand. Enpa İthalat İhracat ve Gıda Ambalaj San. Tic. Ltd. Şti. (ENPA) fills and packs the products at its factory in Başiskele, Kocaeli. The tea and coffee filling facility was set up in 2014 and runs on fully automated lines.
Where to buy and order online
You can find Mesh Stick in the tea aisle at Migros, BİM, Carrefour, Macrocenter, Rossmann and Tarım Kredi Kooperatifleri, as well as many regional supermarket chains. If you shop online, every variety is on meshstick.com, and the products are also sold on Trendyol, Hepsiburada, Amazon, Pazarama and Getir. Mesh Stick is on shelves abroad too, in the United States, Germany, France, Kazakhstan and Malaysia. The full list of stores and countries is on the Mesh Points page.
Common misconceptions
- "Plastic in hot water puts harmful substances in your tea." Mesh Stick is made of food-contact OPP, and in migration tests the results stayed within the legal limits. There's more in the "Is Mesh Stick plastic?" section above.
- "The stick is made of metal." The stick isn't a metal rod. It's food-contact OPP plastic film.
- "You can get a second cup from the same stick." Each stick makes one cup; use a new stick for a second cup.
Frequently asked questions
How many cups does one Mesh Stick make?
One cup, or 200 ml. The stick is single use; use a new one for a second cup.
Can I use Mesh Stick in a teapot?
No. The stick was designed for one cup, or 200 ml of water. For a teapot, traditional brewing works better.
Which varieties have caffeine?
Black teas, green teas, mate and coffees have caffeine. Most herbal and fruit teas are caffeine-free, and you can find them on the caffeine-free products page.
How many sticks are in a box?
16. Each stick makes one cup.
For a first try, start with one of the caffeine-free herbal teas you can also drink in the evening. Peppermint, for example, is ready in 3-5 minutes in boiling water.
