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120 of 122 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great little tea maker, with reservations, January 21, 2007
This review is from: Zarafina Tea Maker Suite with Ceramic Tea Pots, Cups, and Serving Tray (Kitchen)
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.
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95 of 98 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
It's good but not for green tea, January 30, 2008
This review is from: Zarafina Tea Maker Suite with Ceramic Tea Pots, Cups, and Serving Tray (Kitchen)
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.
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63 of 66 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My own tea butler!, November 8, 2006
This review is from: Zarafina Tea Maker Suite with Ceramic Tea Pots, Cups, and Serving Tray (Kitchen)
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!
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