Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)The Fine T Tea maker from IQ innovations.
Good:
-Makes 4 cups
-Has a rinse feature for tea. Although I would like to tweak that a bit.
-Mostly stainless steal and glass.
-Mostly very well made.
-Self cleaning, handy.
-Infusion basket is full size, so the tea has room to expand. It also is removable, and easy to clean sense it is stainless steal. This was one major draw back of the Zarafina, it's infusion basket was only half the size of the amount you could brew.
-Timer, it can be set the night before to make you tea in the morning!
-Has an automatic function for a second brew.
-Keeps tea warm for up to 30 minutes.
Bad:
-Very little temperature control. I though this would be the best part of this machine, with the lcd display and menu interface I assumed I would have more temperature chooses then 205 and 160. This also is to cold for some Black teas, and a bit to hot for some white teas.
-It's huge! Well this really is not that bad, but it is almost twice the size of the Zarafina and does not really fit under my cupboards on the counter. Of course it does make 4 cups.
-Some oddly cheap plastic parts. For example the infusion lid is made of plastic and puts off a plastic smell when brewing black tea.
-An interface only a programmer would love. It is not terribly user friendly, yet it is not hard ether. It does end up being tedious to deal with.
-Bad viewing angle on the LCD, I am taller, and find myself leaning over to see it clear. If it had more features, I would be impressed, but when I can not even dial in a temperature I wonder why we need it for the basic settings. That is until you use the timer for tea in the morning, then you will like it.Over all it has a feeling of a beta tea maker. A great first attempt for them, but obviously has a few bugs and corners that were cut un-neededly. You can tell they really understand what is important about brewing tea, with features including the pre rinse, but for some reason they fumble with only two temperature settings. Maybe they had internal pressure to cut costs or to rush its release? The tea comes out tasting great. Sure it is not as good as a gung fu method, but it is fairly close if you do not have time to make it by hand. So long as you don't need to brew at a temperature besides 160 or 205. If this tea maker was not so expensive, I would be more impressed, but at a retail price of $299 I would not recommend it unless you really needed 4 cups at a time, would like to wake up to fresh tea, or are independently wealthy. Now if you can pick one up on ebay for cheap, then thats a different story.
Ignoring price, it is better then the Zarafina. But considering retail price, the Zarafina is a much better buy.
I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
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Product Description:
Making a cup of tea has become an easy, every-day ritual for many people, but now making perfectly brewed gourmet tea can be as well. This elegantly designed 4-cup tea machine works with any type of loose tea and features seven different settings, each with its own preset temperature and infusion time. The fully programmable unit automatically and precisely controls the water temperature and brewing time, while its simple push-button controls and digital display make for effortless operation. In addition, the unit's 24-hour programmable timer allows for waking up to freshly brewed hot tea or for having a pot ready after coming inside from a brisk walk on a beautiful Fall day. Other highlights include variable water temperature from 160 to 205 degrees F depending on the type of tea, a removable infusion basket and filter that swings out for easy cleaning, a hot plate that keeps the tea warm for 30 minutes, and a countdown function that turns the machine off after 30 minutes. The 1200-watt tea machine measures approximately 8-3/5 by 8 by 15-8/9 inches and carries a two-year limited warranty.
From the Manufacturer
Creating the Perfect Cup of Tea
The Fine-T gourmet tea machine combines the science of tea making with leading edge technology to enable you to not just enjoy, but savour perfectly brewed teas time after time. The Fine-T gourmet tea machine is fully programmable for all types of tea, water temperatures, and steep times, as water temperatures can vary depending on the type of tea you are using. The Fine-T machine takes care of this automatically.
Beautiful and Functional
Designed to brew any type of loose tea leaves, the beautifully styled 4-cup Fine T is the only electric tea maker that simultaneously and automatically controls both water temperature and brewing time with exact precision. To ensure that each cup of tea is brewed perfectly every time, whether it's robust black or oolong, more delicate exotic white tea, or fragile green tea, Fine T features 7 distinct settings that match the tea being used to its ideal water temperature and infusion time. Fine T also includes an eighth setting, a tea wash program which rinses leaves such as Puerh tea before brewing. A 24-hour clock and programmable timer makes it possible to preset brewing times, and for example, wake up to the pleasing aroma of freshly brewed tea each morning. Unlike coffee, which can be uniformly brewed at a certain water temperature, and for the same amount of time, regardless of the type of bean and roast used, tea is more complex and requires finesse in order to enjoy peak flavors and aromas.
Sleek and modern in its design, which combines gleaming chrome and black accents, Fine T resembles a high-end, programmable electric coffee maker in style and function. Simple to use, Fine T has a swing-out infusion basket to conveniently hold loose tea (one teaspoon of tea leaves per cup is recommended). Fine T's top lid lifts to pour fresh, cold water into the water chamber, which conveniently includes an outside water level indicator window for visual guidance. Additionally, the interior of the water chamber has a minimum and maximum water level mark. To operate, select the appropriate setting for the type of tea used with a push of a button. The tea maker's back-lit LCD panel will confirm the tea brewing setting chosen, showing the type of tea selected, the appropriate water temperature, and exact time required for brewing. Fine T takes care of the rest, heating the water to the correct temperature before it reaches the infusion basket, which is also heated to ensure the right temperature is maintained throughout the infusion process. Following an exact period of infusion, perfectly brewed tea is dispensed below into a heat-resistant glass carafe. A heated plate at the base of the unit conveniently keeps the tea at its ideal temperature, and is designed to shut off after 30 minutes so as to preserve the flavor of the tea. Features and Specifications
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