Product Description

The Zarafina tea maker suite unlocks the art of tea making for a new generation. The 16-ounce-capacity tea maker comes in dark shale with stainless-steel accents--the finishing touches that embody fine design. Two ceramic tea cups, a tea pot, and a serving tray are included; 1-year limited warranty.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #440 in Kitchen & Housewares
• Color: Shale/Stainless
• Brand: Zarafina
• Model: TH1000
• Released on: 2006-10-01
• Dimensions: 9.86" h x 7.02" w x 7.65" l, 10.00 pounds

Features

• 16-ounce electric tea maker steeps a variety of loose or bagged tea
• Customizable tea strength from mild to strong; auto dispensing
• Attractively housed in a dark shale color with stainless-steel accents
• Includes ceramic teapot, 2 tea cups, and serving tray
• Measures 19-3/7 by 12-3/4 by 25 inches; 1-year limited warranty

Amazon.com Product Description
Attractively housed in a dark shale color with stainless-steel accents, this 16-ounce electric tea maker provides a new way to create the ideal cup of tea. The various kinds of tea, such as black, green, herbal, and white, actually need different times and temperatures to steep properly. Easily controlling the steeping time and temperature can be difficult with traditional kettles and teapots. Just a few degrees too hot or a minute too long and even the finest teas can lose their aroma and flavor. With its innovative technology, Zarafina's tea maker provides a complete tea solution to achieve the ideal cup of tea though the perfect union of time and temperature. Plus, it allows for experimenting with the fusion of leaves and water more fully than ever before so tea drinkers can enjoy a range of premium loose teas or bagged teas to match any mood and taste.

To use, simply add a favorite loose or bagged tea to the infuser basket, adjust the tea settings for the type of tea desired and the strength preferred (from mild to strong), turn the power on, and the art of tea making begins. Once the water has reached the proper temperature, the infuser basket immerses allowing the tea leaves to come in contact with the water. From there, the tea maker carefully maintains the ideal water temperature until the steeping cycle is complete. Once the tea has reached the perfect union of time and temperature, it automatically dispenses into the elegantly crafted two-cup ceramic teapot. Along with the teapot, the tea maker suite includes two ceramic tea cups and a ceramic serving tray for sharing the simple pleasure of a gourmet cup of tea. The tea maker measures 19-3/7 by 12-3/4 by 25 inches and carries a one-year limited warranty.

From the Manufacturer

Explore an entirely new way to create the ideal cup of tea with the Zarafina tea maker suite. Different types of tea--black, oolong, green, white, and herbal--require vastly different times and temperatures to steep properly. Traditional kettles and tea pots do not allow you to easily control steeping time and temperature. Just a few degrees too hot or a minute too long and even the finest teas can lose their aroma and flavor. With its innovative technology, only the Zarafina tea maker provides a complete tea solution to achieve the ideal cup of tea though the perfect union of time and temperature. Create Your Ideal Cup of Tea Every Time Simply fill the steeping chamber with water Add the desired amount of tea leaves of bags to the infuser basket Adjust the tea settings for the type of tea you desire and the strength you prefer Turn the power on and the art of tea making begins. Once the water has reached the proper temperature, the infuser basket immerses, allowing the tea leaves to come in contact with the water. From there, the Zarafina tea maker carefully maintains the ideal water temperature until the steeping cycle is complete. Once the tea has reached the perfect union of time and temperature, it automatically dispenses into the artfully designed ceramic tea pot, allowing you to create and share your ideal tea experience every time. The world of tea is one of richness and exploration. But it's also one of subtlety and precision, and the Zarafina tea maker unlocks this art of tea-making for a new generation. Why the Zarafina Tea Maker Suite is Right for You Not sure which type of tea you prefer? The Zarafina Tea Maker makes it easy to try any flavor of loose or bagged tea at the flip of a switch. You like to steep loose tea but want the convenience of bagged tea You like the art of tea making but you’d rather have it at your fingertips and with no guesswork You like to curl up on the couch or enjoy some good conversation over a cup of tea You know what a great cup of tea is all about and you want it automatically dispensed into a ceramic tea pot You are very picky on which appliances to display on your countertop You want--and deserve--more than an appliance You are a tea lover. And that is enough. Features Steeps and automatically dispenses up to 16 oz of tea Steeps a variety of teas: black, oolong, green, white and herbal tea respecting the different steeping times and temperatures Adjustable tea strength setting: from mild to strong Adjustable tea format setting: steeps both loose and bagged tea with equal ease Ceramic tea pot, tea cups and serving tray included Dark shale color with stainless steel accents Includes two ceramic 8-ounce tea cups Also includes tea pot and serving tray Hand washing recommended Measures 19-3/7 by 12-3/4 by 25 inches

More About the Zarafina Brand

Zarafina means heavenly, and the Zarafina brand hopes to be a warm and inviting friend that ensures that the unique experiences you seek are of the highest quality. In an attempt to be your guide to life’s riches, Zarafina inspires the exploration of simple pleasures that relax the body and delight the senses. For you who appreciate quality and those small infusions of pleasure into your lives, the Zarafina brand provides a tea-centric experience that will enrich time spent with friends, close family, and self.

Customer Reviews

Great little tea maker, with reservations
I do really like this tea maker - it makes perfect tea, every time, as others have mentioned. I would not go so nuts as to say that it's a manna from Heaven like others are also suggesting; for one, it's too pricey for what it actually does, and for two, you have to be REALLY careful with how you use it. While I haven't had a problem yet (I've had it for a few weeks with daily use), my fiance got a drop of water on the underside of the removeable container after rinsing it out and the appliance tripped the GFI on the outlet several times, preventing the appliance from shorting out. Now, I can understand not immersing the base in water, but a miniscule drop of water causing this much potential damage on a part that is supposed to be rinsed out? Not the greatest design there...just take care to make sure water doesn't remain on the prongs at the bottom of the removeable container.

I would recommend the product overall and am happy with it, although I'm a bit worried that it may have a major meltdown at any moment from something I may do accidentally. Really great tea, though!

*UPDATE* I have now had this tea maker for a couple of months, and have not had a single problem since the GFI-trip issue (I use the appliance 2 to 3 times a day). Carefully checking the removeable container for water on the prongs has prevented any further problems, and I believe there's a good chance that those experiencing the water-heating failure may have unknowingly had a bit of water on the electrical elements when plugging it in and caused a short - my machine probably would have had the same damage if I hadn't plugged it into a GFI-protected outlet (which was honestly just plain luck). I'm *very* happy with the quality of the tea and the convenience of using this machine.

It's good but not for green tea
I bought this for my wife. She loves tea and enjoys using the tea maker. However, she had problems getting green tea to brew and not be terribly biter. After several days of experimenting she got frustrated and contacted the manufacturer. They responded quickly and politely but their answer was not expected. It turns out there are really only 2 settings (even though there are 5 types of tea represented on the switch) one setting for temperature and steeping time for green and white tea and another setting for the other three. Please note this applies to loose tea - I'm not sure if its also true for bagged teas, etc. Bottom-line real green teas taste best with short steeping times (like 30 seconds up to 2 minutes) but the tea maker steeps for 8 minutes - making a biter brew. Also some teas have different temperature requirements her experiments seem to show this doesn't make as big a difference in the final taste though. On the other hand, using the tea maker, she makes and enjoys many black and herbal teas.

My own tea butler!
This machine is really a great invention - especially for those of us who have a tendency to spend on good tea and then screw up some part of the process that falls between the brewing and the first sip (for example, infusing the tea for too long). I think my tea will have more of a fighting chance with this new machine. The design is great - quite classy, and I think it will be great for entertaining (loved the way the tray that holds the machine could suddenly be converted into a serving tray for the well-designed tea pot and cups). Here is how it worked for me:
You pour your loose tea in the infuser basket, fill the tank with water, select the strength of your beverage and turn it on. There's even a chance to choose which kind of tea you are brewing for optimal results (for example oolong or green). This nifty little machine will do the rest. It will even pour the tea in the tea pot! I'm finally enjoying my fine tea without the stress. It's almost like having a tea butler in my house!