VIV Says: Blog

A freshly brewed cup of tea is such a relaxing experience that we always knew it was good for our health, even before recent studies began suggesting that tea’s abundance of antioxidants may help guard against heart disease, certain types of cancer, bone-density loss and even failing memory. The only snag: Steeping loose-leaf tea can be a tad stressful. For one thing, we could never remember the ideal steeping times for different types of tea (for the record, it’s 4–5 minutes for black tea, 2–3 for green, 3–6 for white and 6 minutes for herbal infusions). Steep those leaves too long and you end up with a bitter brew.

Now, Maria Uspenski, a former IBM engineer, has solved these problems with the creation of the Tea Spot Automatic Teapot ($69.99). Place the loose leaves in the stainless-steel infuser, pour in up to 20 ounces of water (enough for three cups), set the timer for the appropriate number of minutes, and the pot will keep a watchful eye on itself, flipping the infuser to lift the leaves out of the water once the tea is perfectly brewed.

We love this invention. What’s your favorite new gadget?