Wuyi Oolong Rock Tea from Zarafina

Scent in package: honey/fruity
Brewed in: tea for one pot w/metal infuser
Steeped: 3 min.@ just under boiling
Cup: Café mug

When Zarafina sent me the tea maker suite to review, two samples of this tea were included. I gave one to my mom with the machine, and kept one to try myself. I finally got around to it this week.

The dry tea leaves are very nice, nicer than I expected, actually. Long, twisty and dark, they are just what I’d expect from a good quality oolong. I wished I’d done the tasting at home with my camera handy.

There wasn’t much scent as the tea brewed, but the leaves were gorgeous unfurled as well – very dark mixed with bright green colors as I’d expect of a good oolong. The fruity scent was intensified in both the leaves and tea. The brew was a dark golden color – darker than I expected, and it was with trepidation that I raised the cup to take my first sip.

The liquor is unremarkable in texture – not thick like many oolongs, but more of a “typical tea” viscosity. It is a naturally sweet brew, and while there is a hint of fruitiness, it’s not overpowering by any means, nor is the honey aftertaste. I suppose there’s a bit of smokiness in the background, and a little more astringency than I would like, but overall, nothing else that really jumps out at me.

All in all, an “average” tea, in my opinion. Not really great, not bad, but there’s really no complexity there, at least not in the first cup (I haven’t done a second infusion). And certainly not worth the $19.99 price tag they have on it for a mere 2oz.

Tea Maker Showdown: TriniTEA Electric Maker vs. Zarafina Tea Maker Suite

Another long-post…get comfy with a cup of tea. Without further ado, let the showdown begin!

On the left (as you see it) we have the TriniTEA Electric Maker, sold for $99 from Adagio Teas. Disguised as a large coffee-maker, it has a serious presence on the counter, and sports just three buttons on the front – one for steeping time, one for temperature choice, and one for power. It’s a simple machine to use: just add water to the top chamber between the minimum and maximum fill lines, replace the top, add tea to the second steeping chamber, choose the water temperature and steeping time, and flip the power switch. An audible “beep” lets you know the machine is on, and subsequent beeps signal the start of each part of the process (it will beep before the water is released to the steeping chamber, and again before the steeped tea is decanted to the warm carafe below). Three beeps means the process is complete, and a warming plate will keep the tea hot until you turn the unit off. The TriniTEA will brew up to 32 oz (4 cups) of tea at a time.

And on the right sits the sleek, European style Zarafina Tea Maker Suite, which retails for $149.99. Small and petite, it’s anything but dainty as you can feel when you take the steeping chamber out of the main machine to rinse out. It boasts a whopping 10 silver buttons on the side for you to choose tea type, style (loose or bagged) and steeping time), as well as another button on the other side to power up the machine. It is also simple to use: you simply add your tea to the steeping basket, fill the chamber with water to one of two fill lines, float the steeping basket in the water, put the top on, use the selector buttons to reflect your choices, and flip the power button up to turn the machine on (the button will slide back down). When the tea is done, the machine will decant the tea automatically into the included teapot, and turn itself off. The Zarafina will brew up to 2 cups at a time (about 16oz).
For this showdown, I’ve chosen three teas: Black Rose from Teas, Etc, Gyokuro (Japanese green) from Adagio, and Rooibos Creamy Caramel from Dragonwater. As you can see, I’ve pre-measured them using a teaspoon for the TriniTEA, and the included scoop for the Zarafina. For purposes of this test, I’m brewing just one cup at a time per machine. And I brought in a “blind taster” for the green and rooibos teas, my husband, who came home and was interested in what I was up to. For the record, his favorite teas are English or Irish breakfast blends, brewed hot and strong, no additives. I had him sample the teas without knowing which came from what machine and give his opinion. He wasn’t home for the black tea tasting, unfortunately.

Black Rose: Both machines were clean and ready to go when I started. I put the tea in the steeping chambers of each machine, added water, and set the TriniTEA parameters at II (for boiling water) and the timer to 5 min. I set the Zarafina parameters to “black tea, loose, and medium steeping”. Then I flipped both power buttons to “on” simultaneously, and stood at the ready with paper and pen. The TriniTEA took 4 minutes to heat the water, and 5 minutes to steep the tea. Zarafina took 2 minutes to heat the water until the basket “sunk”, and 3 minutes to steep. The tea in the Zarafina was foaming a bit during the occasional bursts of heat through the steeping process. The flavor, color and scent of the two cups were basically the same, with the Zarafina tea being slightly weaker (perhaps the “strong” setting might have been better). I rinsed out all main parts of both machines using a small amount of baking soda, as suggested by Mary R., which seemed to work well.

Gyokuro: I followed the same set-up procedure as before, this time setting the TriniTEA parameters to “I” for lower heat, and the timer to 3 minutes. I set the Zarafina to “green, loose, and medium” settings. The TriniTEA again took about 4 minutes to heat, and 3 minutes to steep, the Zarafina took 2 minutes to heat and 4 minutes to steep. At that time, I was talking with my husband who had just gotten home, so the tea sat in the two pots for around 5 minutes after the brew cycles were completed. This is when he decided to join me, and see if he could guess which cup came from which tea maker.

When I poured the cups, I was shocked at how cloudy the Zarafina tea was. In contrast the TriniTEA tea was clear and crisp. I did my own tasting, and thought the TriniTEA cup was much better…not only was the color clearer, but the flavor was crisp and sweet as it should be. The Zarafina cup was flatter, and more vegetal.
I handed the clear cup to my hubby first, and he tasted thoughtfully, then took the other cup. He is not normally a green tea drinker – he prefers strong, bitter, black teas. But he pronounced the clearer cup the “winner”, as it was not only sweeter and flavorful, but also warmer (a function of the TriniTEA pot warmer). The cloudier Zarafina tea was more “alfalpha-y” in his words, and too cool as well. I did let him know which had come from which machine then.

Rooibos Creamy Caramel: After another baking soda rinse of both machines, I poured the rooibos into the steeping chambers, and set the steeping parameters. TriniTEA: 5 min. at temperature “II”, and Zarafina settings: “herbal, loose, strong”. The TriniTEA took 4 minutes to heat, and 5 minutes to steep, while the Zarafina took 2 minutes to heat, and 5 minutes to steep. I poured the cups right away, and both brews were dark red and very clear, as they should be.

Interestingly, the TriniTEA Rooibos was too hot this time, bringing out the sharp, biting notes rather than the mellow sweetness that the Zarafina showcased. We both preferred the Zarafina-brewed rooibos, my husband not knowing until after he’d made his choice.

After finishing up the tastings, there’s only one thing left to do – cleaning. The TriniTEA’s steeping chamber, basket, lid, carafe, and lid all simply go into the dishwasher with the rest of the day’s dishes (including the two mugs I used for tasting) after I dump the used leaves down the garbage disposal. Mission accomplished. The Zarafina’s pieces and parts must all be washed by hand…and I decided to leave them for the next day rather than spend the time at the sink just then.

The Breakdown (one point each):

Heating time: Zarafina wins – 2 minutes compared to TriniTEA’s 4 minutes per session.
Steeping times: A tie, since both machines are “adjustable” to different brewing times.
Taste: Each machine wins 1.5 out of three (black nearly equal, green to TriniTEA and herbal to Zarafina), so a tie (point to each).
Quantity: TriniTEA wins – able to make from 1 cup to 4 cups, vs. Zarafina’s 2 cup max.
Ease of use: Tie - both are simple to use – follow the directions, and adjust for personal taste (point to each).
Ease of cleaning: TriniTEA wins big – everything pops in the dishwasher for no fuss cleaning.
Cost: TriniTEA wins - $99 for a great machine, very affordable vs. $149.99 for the higher maintenance Zarafina.

Total Points - TriniTEA: 7, Zarafina: 4

Winner of my Tea Maker Showdown is the TriniTEA Electric Maker! Congratulations, Adagio!

Teaware: Zarafina Tea Maker Suite

As I mentioned earlier, this “suite” was sent to me by the company free as a “sample”. When I asked what was expected of me should I accept, the answer was basically that nothing was “expected”, they just wanted me to try it and let them know what I thought. Easy enough, I figured, and a few weeks later, a tea maker suite was delivered to my door. I didn’t pay for this machine or any shipping, but I approached the review as if I had, to be fair. It’s a long review, to be thorough, so pour yourself a cuppa and settle in for a bit.

The packaging is very colorful and sturdy – I don’t see how anything could possibly be broken or even jostled in shipment. There was a packet of information included as well, and while I appreciated the instruction book and coupon for tea, I thought the full-color illustrated booklet with no real information included was just sort of a waste of space and money. But overall, it was fun to open up all the packing and slowly reveal the new tea machine, piece by piece. It’s a very sleek looking machine, with smoky-colored heavy plastic pieces overall. It is much smaller than I expected it would be, but very European-looking, in my opinion.

The first thing I noticed when examining the steeping chamber was that the heating element is all one piece with the steeping chamber, much like an electric kettle. This explains why that particular piece isn’t dishwasher safe (and the instruction not to immerse the chamber is noted in boldface type all through the instructions as well as printed right on the back of the chamber). A plastic cap is included to place over the connector when washing, to avoid getting water in that area. The steeping basket is comprised of four pieces that all snap together and then there is the lid for the steeping chamber, a measuring spoon, a ceramic tray, teapot and two cups. It is noted throughout all instructions that none of this should be washed in the dishwasher or with abrasive cleaners – all must be hand washed. I rinsed all the pieces before the first use in soap and warm water.

I chose all teas that I am very familiar with and enjoy on a regular basis to test the machine with, so that I could focus on the machine and it’s method of brewing instead of whether I actually liked the tea or not. In order: Florence (black, Harney & Sons), Silver Tip Darjeeling (black, Dragonwater), Golden Dragon Oolong (Teas, Etc), White Pear (Adagio), Foxtrot (herbal, adagio), and Jasmine #12 (scented green, Adagio).

I started with the black teas, since black is what I drink most often. I measured out two scoops of Florence into the steeping basket, filled the chamber to the max fill line with cold tap water (which is what I normally brew with), and floated the basket on top the cold water. I put the lid on, and turned to the buttons on the side of the machine.

There are several setting choices – one for tea type, one for loose or bagged, and one for steeping preference (strong, medium or mild). Since I had no idea which setting would steep it for around 5 minutes, I picked medium, and the other settings were black and loose, obviously. I timed the steep, and it was right at 5 minutes for the medium setting.

As I watched, the water came up to a low boil, and then the basket slipped under the water to steep. An intriguing part of the process is how the machine sends short bursts of heat up into the steeping chamber at intervals while the tea is steeping, keeping the water temperature very steady throughout the steeping time. Ingenious, really. When the steep time was complete, a nozzle came out over the teapot, and decanted the tea into the pot. The instructions say that it’s normal for some tea to be left in the chamber, but every time it’s decanted all but a very thin film into the pot. I let it sit for a few minutes, poured it into a large mug, and enjoyed my cup. The tea tasted as it normally does, rich and chocolaty, and I was quite happy with the results.

Being lazy and not wanting to actually wash all the components again so soon, I simply rinsed out the steeping chamber, teapot, basket, and lid, and replaced them to brew a cup of darjeeling. This time I set the steeping time to mild, which I timed at approximately 3.5 minutes. That turned out to be perfect for the darjeeling, but since I hadn’t completely washed the components, my darjeeling had a hint of chocolate flavor left. Bummer. It turns out that all of these components *must* be completely cleaned between each different tea to avoid the flavors mingling (an unfortunate result of using plastic). I tried to just rinse again between the minty Foxtrot and the lovely Jasmine teas, and got the same results. So soap and water every time when changing tea flavors.

The oolong tea also brewed up quite nicely in this little machine – I used the “mild” setting for the first cup, and medium for the second. Both cups were perfect, and tasted just as they should. As an added bonus, since I was merely resteeping the leaves, I didn’t have to wash the machine out that day either.

The more delicate teas didn’t work out as well. When brewing the White Pear, I set the machine for “medium” as the white pear tends to be rather light, but it was too much, and the tea came out bitter and astringent, obviously overcooked. So white teas are probably better steeped on the “mild” setting for this machine, though I didn’t try it. I used Foxtrot, a blend of rooibos, chamomile and mint for the herbal setting, and set it to “strong”, as rooibos likes long, hot steeps. But the water didn’t heat up enough, nor did it steep long enough, and I ended up with a rather weak brew. Next time I’d set the machine for “black” and either medium or strong for a rooibos tisane. And I used the “green, medium” settings for the Jasmine, which was fine, though lighter than I would have liked for a medium setting. It probably would have been fine though had I thoroughly washed the parts with soap/water before brewing…my jasmine had a distinct minty aftertaste clearly leftover from the Foxtrot. Regardless, a look at the jasmine pearls after revealed that they hadn't even had enough time to unfurl when steeping.

You may have guessed by now that my biggest problem with the Zarafina Suite is the cleaning. All told, there are 8 pieces to be washed by hand with soap and water (the steeping basket is comprised of four which have to be separated, washed, and snapped back together). In the time it takes me to wash all of those, I could have tossed a teapot, infuser or strainer and cup into the dishwasher, and been done with it. I consider tea makers a “convenience” item, so they need to be at least *as* convenient to use than conventional methods in order to make them worthwhile for me. So far, this tea maker is not.

Other things I dislike about this tea “suite” is the fact that you have to choose “strong, med. or mild”, rather than being able to pick an actual time (even a simple chart in the instructions would help solve this); and the fact that there is no audible signal when the tea is done, and no warming mechanism to keep the tea warm in the pot until you’re ready to pour. And the size is definitely too small – it brews two “normal” cups or one large one, which would be fine if it was indeed easier to use than a teapot (which it’s not). The size just isn’t worth the trouble, in my opinion – if I’m going to spend time hand washing every piece, I want more than one good-sized cup of tea for my trouble.

All told, in my opinion the Zarafina Tea Maker Suite isn’t worth the hefty price tag of $149.99 for anyone. If it were less than $100, I would probably recommend it for the occasional tea drinker who prepares only one type of tea in a day and doesn’t mind spending 15 minutes washing everything afterwards by hand. People like my mom, who doesn’t own a dishwasher, and isn’t picky about how her green tea tastes as long as it’s not bitter. I’m giving the Zarafina to my mom as soon as I’m done with the reviews.

Until they make some improvements to the suite, I wouldn’t recommend it at any price to the serious tea drinker…it’s not any more convenient than making tea in a conventional manner, and that’s really the only reason anyone needs a tea maker to begin with, since nothing with plastic steeping parts can really compete with the taste of tea prepared conventionally in a teapot or gaiwan. The gadget factor is cool, sure, but here in the states, a gaiwan is just as “gadget-y” to show your buddies, and you’ll get better tasting tea (because it’s not plastic).

As a last disclaimer, please remember these are only my personal observations & experiences, and not an expert opinion in any way.

On Friday, I’ll post a side-by-side comparison of the Zarafina Tea Maker Suite and Adagio’s triniTEA maker for anyone interested…though at this point I will admit being biased in favor of the triniTEA. Tune in Friday for the Tea-Maker Showdown...

Upcoming Teaware Review and a Short Break

Several weeks ago I was contacted by a public relations specialist about the Zarafina Tea Suite (automatic tea maker). They offered to send me one free, and after a little waffling about the ethics of accepting free stuff for review, I decided that the opportunity to try and review the product was worth more than the $150 I would never actually spend to buy the suite to review for you all. So I accepted, and Friday night, the tea suite was on my doorstep. I’m in the process of reviewing the machine now (I’m on my second cup), and I should have my full review ready to post (with pictures) by next Monday. So you can decide for yourself how much weight to give my review since this particular machine was free. I would like to assure you that I’ve never been afraid to give the straight scoop on anything, and will not hesitate to give my honest opinion on this either. I am using only teas that I’ve tried and enjoyed before, so that my opinion won’t be biased due to the flavor or type of tea used.

After I have fully tried out the Zarafina and completed my review of it independently, I’ll be putting it up against my Adagio triniTEA maker (which I did purchase myself). It seems like many people out there are constantly asking “which machine is better”? Hopefully, I’ll be able to answer that question, and figure out if one really is better than the other, or if they are better for different uses, etc. We shall see. I'm not using the Adagio machine at all this week just so I don't bias my opinion of the Zarafina by doing so. Obviously neither machine will be able to compete with traditionally made tea, so I’m not comparing them to tea from a teapot or infuser at all. Tea machines are convenience items, and must be viewed in that light.

This week, I’m also on vacation, with a semi-full schedule of things to accomplish. So I may or may not have time to complete many tea reviews, though I will try to get a couple posted here and there. Be patient, and normal daily reviews will continue next week.

Until then, I wish you many happy cuppas.