This Gadget Is like a Keurig for Tea
From alleviating stress to soothing a sore throat, a great cup of tea can ease all sorts of ailments and raise the coziness factor of any situation. And for those of us whose tastes are pretty discriminating when it comes to our favorite pu-erh, rooibos or delicate green tea leaves, little adjustments in preparation mean a world of difference to the flavor we get from each cup. Knowing that, the makers of a brand called Teforia have created the ultimate in tea technology: an intelligent infuser that knows exactly how to prepare pretty much any kind of tea.
Using wireless RFID tags in the lids of its looseleaf teas, the Teforia infuses each serving at the exact temperature and for the exact length of time each particular tea requires in order to make the perfect cup. It can be pre-filled with water to last up to a week, infusing cups of tea on demand. Programmed with encyclopedic knowledge of all sorts of teas, it essentially acts as a super-informed tea barista on your countertop at home.
Syncing with an app to give users a bit of control over the process (and the ability to tweak it to their liking), the gadget costs a pretty penny: $1,299, to be exact, or a cool $649 if you’re one of the first 500 buyers. Kinda pricey for something that renders room-temperature tea and may not be particularly eco-friendly (since there’s no word on the recyclability of the tea pods, and we know how well that’s been working out for the K Cups currently populating landfills at an alarming rate).
Then again, maybe the idea behind this technology can be used in the future for something more sustainable — and even more delicious. If they come up with an intelligent pancake maker, for example, we’re all in.
Would you invest in one of these? Why or why not?
(Photos via Teforia)