> I would like to get an automatic tea maker. My ideal product would be
> fully automatic, would make tea properly, and would provide enough
> setings to control both time and temperature so that I could brew the
> most delicate greens and well as the heartiest pur-ehs.
>
> Does such a beast exist?
>
> My research turned up only two candidates that do a "true steep",
> rather than drip the water thru the tea like a coffee maker. Neither
> of them are perfect. One is from Adagio and the other is from
> Zarafina.
>
> The Adagio triniTea makes 32 oz. It's about $100 from Amazon or Adagio
>
Teas.http://www.adagio.com/teaware/triniTEA.html?sid=70d340b7999ffe73454ec...http......
>
> It got 4 stars on Amazon from 9 reviewers and 4.5 stars on Adagio.
> There is a short glitzy video on Adagio with minimal substance.
>
> It appears to have 2 temperature settings (actual temps not disclosed)
> and a variable timer (analog) from 2 to 7 minutes.
>
> Most reviewers claimed great tea reliably brewed. It has an alarm to
> indicate when the tea is ready and it keeps the tea warm after brewing
> is completed.
>
> The disadvantages listed included a tendency to spill when pouring
> from the pot and some cleaning difficulties.
>
> The Zarafina Tea Maker makes 16 oz. It's about $100 on
Amazon.http://www.amazon.com/Zarafina-Maker-Suite-Ceramic-Serving/dp/B000HJNJNO
>
> It gets a 4.5 stars (out of 5) from 58 reviewers. Only a few of those
> are substantive.
>
> The plusses are that it reliably makes good tea if one of the 5
> presets works well for that type of tea. Most reviewers raves about
> the resulting tea. Not all said what tea they were using. One reviewer
> said that there are really only 2 settings: low (170° for 2 minutes)
> and high (212° for 8 minutes).
>
> The minuses are several. It only has presets and it may not tell what
> they are really doing (time and temp). Several reported reliability
> problems (returned multiple times) and some shorting out. Those
> reviewers who seemed to know, said it is not so good for some greens.
> The 16-oz capacity was too small for many.
>
> From this, the Adagio unit appears somewhat better.
>
> Does anyone know of any others or have any more information on these?
