Mote Spoons March 02 2017

Mote spoons (which were used before the introduction of the tea caddy) were designed to rid the tea leaves of the accompanying dust, also known as "mote". They were usually long handled spoons with delicately curved bowls so that the dust could be sifted out from between the leaves before the tea was brewed.

The narrow handle could also be used to push the tea leaves back down the spout of a teapot, to again wallow in the boiling water and make the brew stronger.