An industrial rendering of what the tea-brewing system could look like
There has always been a bit of fanfare around coffee brewing – the roasting, the grinding, the dripping, the brewing time… It’s an area that certainly doesn’t lack innovation with the array of domestic coffee machines on the market. But what about the tea drinker? The most innovative tool they have for brewing a perfect cuppa is the humble tea pot…. until now.
Tê is a capsule-based tea-brewing system created by product development company Cambridge Consultants, who actually had a hand in creating the first round teabag (another great innovation).
So, in its bid to reduce brew time but still achieve the quality that tea drinkers expect from their cup of tea, Cambridge Consultants analysed how tea can be brewed differently from the traditional teapot or teabag method. According to them, the key to its tea-brewing system is a specially engineered recirculating pump technology, which is incorporated in the simple capsule for maximum convenience and minimum mess.
Edward Brunner, group leader of the industrial and scientific group at Cambridge Consultants, said:
“Thanks to our expertise in fluidic systems and functional packaging, and our dedicated dispense lab facilities, we have been able to finely tune the process needed to offer the most sophisticated brewing platform to bring customised, high-quality tea dispensing into the home.”
I’m a big tea drinker and have a Pantone colour that I always strive for so it’s good news that this device brews the tea to your liking in just two minutes. Also, the cost of the machine is likely to be at the lower end of the price range for similar coffee devices – with the capsule cost mainly depending on the type of tea leaves selected.
Edward adds: “The Tê is based on a genuine tea-brewing process – rather than simply a ‘single-pass flow’ with fresh water. The technology process has been developed with black teas but has the potential to be used across a range of herbal and fruit teas, and other hot drinks.”
Watch this video from Cambridge Consultant’s beverage lab to see the prototype in action:
The prototype that Cambridge Consultants have been whiling away on in its beverage lab
