This post was last updated on 3/9/19.
I was lucky enough to win the Tea Maker from Breville at a recent Steepster Meetup. This review has been much delayed but I really wanted to put it through its paces. I’ve had a Zarafina for years and still like it a lot but I feel that I’ve outgrown it in a lot of ways. Plus who doesn’t like to have something shiny and new? I have to say that this is just about the coolest tea gadget I have ever owned.
Pros
- A good looking combo of glass and stainless steel
- Offers preset brewing times and water temperatures but you can also customize these settings.
- Has a separate hot water button
- Automatic timer function will have tea ready for you in the morning
- Keep Warm function will keep your tea hot for up to an hour
- It’s fairly easy to clean
- Watching the basket mechanism in action is very entertaining
- Water circulates through the tea leaves very well
Cons
- Measurements are in milliliters.
- You cannot use less than 500mL of water
- The pitcher is fairly heavy
- Large footprint compared to other variable temperature kettles
- Some plastic comes into contact with the tea
Item was won in a giveaway sponsored by Breville.
Update
This review was written quite a while ago so I wanted to give an update. Breville seems to have renamed it “the Tea Maker” so I have changed the title of this post to reflect that. You might know it as the One-Touch Tea Maker.
Almost a decade later, Breville’s
Does this device have a temperature setting or allow you to heat water to different temperatures? This is the feature I most desire in an automated hot water kettle…and the one I find hardest to find.
You can heat the water to whatever temperature you would like. It has presets but you can also do custom.
I really wish that they had meetups in my area so I could win one..lol..
I have looked into getting one but I don't like the fact that it will only keep the tea warm for 1 hour. I want a maker that I can brew up a large pot and just keep going back for more throughout the day. I would think for over $200 that wouldn't be too much to ask for.
The trouble with a keep warm setting is that it keeps cooking the tea. Even just one hour changes it.