Zarafina Tea Maker Suite

I am very excited to present to you this review, for I finally have been able to experience the Zarafina Tea Maker Suite for myself, after ogling it on-line for months. Retailing at $149.99, it is not for those who simply dabble in the world of tea but for those who drink it on a daily basis.

Imagine the ease of a coffee machine. You simply add water and ground beans, and it produces a cup for you. The Zarafina works in a similar fashion, finally giving tea drinkers the same convenience that has been available to coffee drinkers for years.

The Zarafina provides a high level of customization with options for black, green, oolong, white, and herbal infusions, a choice of bagged or loose leaf tea, and a choice of strength: mild, medium, and strong. You fill the steeping chamber with cold water, put in the infuser basket, and turn it on. One of my favorite features is in fact the infuser, which floats until the water reaches the desired temperature, in order to keep the leaves from coming into contact with too-cool water. After the water reaches the appropriate temperature for the type of infusion, the infuser basket drops. When the steeping time is finished, it automatically pours into the included pot. As I explained this to my mother, she declared that I would need a chemistry degree to work the thing. But once it was put into use, we were in agreement that in fact the Zarafina was the one with the chemistry degree.

Determined to give it a fair and balanced review, I have decided to experiment with various methods of testing. I plan on comparing the results with tea prepared in my cast iron teapot, the most traditional method of tea preparation that I have. However, my impatience this afternoon interfered. When I desired a cup of Darjeeling (Adagio), I just had to try it out. I toggled it to black, loose leaf, and medium. Filling the steeping chamber was simple enough, as lines are marked for one cup and two cups. I did not use the included scoop, which holds one and a half teaspoons, but used my own teaspoon sized tea scoop, and put two scoops in for two cups of tea. Sure enough, the basket floated as it was supposed to. After a few minutes of gurgling, the water heated, the tea steeped, and my tea was dispensed with no further steps. It was absolutely the easiest cuppa I have ever made.

So, how did this gadget turn out? Delightful. My only complaint was that the tea came out more mild than medium strength, for which there is a possible explanation other than machine error: I didn’t use the recommended amount of tea. It was still delicious. Cleanup was easy as well. The infuser basket was easy to rinse out, and the steeping chamber also removes for easy cleaning.

Look for further experimentation over the next few episodes of The Tea Scoop!

Comments

[Lisa]

I think this kind of machine is good for brewing black tea. would love to have one to brew lapsang souchung and see

[Stephanie Wolfe]

Well, since lapsang is technically a black tea, I assume it would work. Unfortunately, I don't really care for lapsang, so I don't keep it on hand to test out.

[Lahle]

Another fabulous and well-written article! Still being a tea novice myself, I do have a question. Are the benefits of steepedl loose tea (vs. bagged tea) greater? Admittedly, I do enjoy tea (some more than others) but am drinking now largely for the health benefits.

[Stephanie Wolfe]

I think the question of benefits has to do more with the freshness of the tea rather than rather it is loose or bagged (which is also related to the size of the leaf). When tea goes stale, the health benefits also fade. Since many bagged teas are stale, I would guess that they have lost many of their healthy qualities. If you must do a bagged tea, go for the good packaging, like Bigelow, Revolution, or Adagio.

[Mona]

I have a Zarafina I've had for about a month and love it. I use both loose and bagged tea in it, and except for some small pieces of leaves escaping the steeping chamber, it works great! Those are few and easily avoided in the bottom of the pot. I love my Zarafina!

[mark]

Check out this amazing limited time offer on the Zarafina Tea Maker Suite(value $149.99)...
Only $99.99 and free shipping visit www.zarafina.com use code
"99freeship" at checkout...
hurry offer expires 2/29/08.

Also enjoy Zarafina premium artisian loose teas and limited edition designer collectible tea cup sets- great gifts for your Valentine!