An apparatus for handling a substance to be steeped includes a clip, a tray and a connector attaching the clip to the tray. The substance to be steeped, or pouch containing such substance, is attached to the clip and placed into a vessel, with the connector supported by the rim of the vessel and the tray remaining outside the vessel. A user can remove the substance/pouch from the vessel and manipulate it onto the tray by grasping and manipulating the tray and/or the connector, without using any other device.