If you're a loose leaf tea connoisseur who favors the plunger pot method of tea extraction but detests keeping an eye on the steeping time, the REEDesigned automatic teapot may be the solution to your pressing first cup of the day problem. With a patented mechanical timer system, under- or over-steeping is avoidable, resulting in a perfect cup.
The REEDesigned was designed for tea lovers thirsting for a balance between the perfectly steeped cup with a simple maintenance system that leaves the teapot clean for the next use.
Sarah Reed, a UK-based freelance product designer, has turned her passion for tea and coffee consumption into a Kickstarter project for a better tea experience. “I’ve always loved the ritual of tea and coffee, and this project is where my design engineering background meets my daily passion," she says.
Reed’s decade-long portfolio includes designing for Dyson and as Senior Engineering Manager at IKAWA Coffee, producers of home and professional grade coffee roasters.
Endorsed as “the teapot that controls the brew so you don’t have to” the REEDesigned was conceived after a year-long trial of prototype testing. The patent-pending technology teapot consists of a lid, mesh filter, timer units, tea chamber and a 600-ml (20-oz) collection chamber. It functions without the need for electricity except for the boiled water required for the steeping.
The electric components usually found in other tea makers are difficult to recycle and are not very sustainable. Instead, longer-lasting materials such as borosilicate glass, polypropylene and PMMA were chosen since they are more ecologically friendly.
You start by adding the leaves and boiled water to the tea chamber, then placing the lid on top.
The water flows through the filter and the connected timer unit, which is a precise opening that controls the flow speed. A float switch rises up as the collection chamber becomes full, and all of the leaves end up accumulated above the tea when the timer ends.
The woven stainless steel mesh filter can sift any type of tea or teabag, and can be removed from the tea chamber to empty the leaves after steeping by pulling a small rod in the center.
Included are a set of eight timer options that are stored with magnetic attachments under the lid. Each timer piece adds a 30-second increase in the steep time from three minutes to six minutes and 30 seconds. The timer can also be removed if a short steep of 30 seconds is required for white or green teas to reduce bitterness.
Currently, the only color choice is white but that could change once production starts. Pending further production testing, Reed intends all the components to be dishwasher-safe, though that is not guaranteed.
If the Kickstarter is fully funded and all goes to plan, the REEDesigned teapot is expected ship worldwide next June. You can get one for a pledge of £79 (about US$104), assuming everything works out. The planned retail price is £99 ($130).
Source: Kickstarter
