Tea is a Ceremony and Tea is for Drinking
Tea is many things to many people. The purest tea drinkers and brewers believe in the benefit of brewing nothing but the finest long leaf tea. They adore the pure flavours, aromas and health benefits of the finest teas from around the world. For some people the daily ritual of brewing the finest tea has become a ceremony that is integral to the enjoyment of their tea.
On the other hand, a great many tea drinkers prefer the benefits of the speed and simplicity provided by the humble tea bag. What is lost in terms of integrity of tea flavor is gained in fast and easy access to the favorite beverage. It may be easy to criticise the invention of the tea bag for its failure to enhance the ceremony of making a cup of tea. But it is hard to go past the ease and speed with which we can brew a quick cuppa, sit down and enjoy – done!
Well, with some trepidation, TeaPartyGirl brings to you the latest in tea making technology. Although some will struggle to adapt to this latest innovation, I feel obliged to discuss the newest fashions and trend available in the kitchen!
Presenting Keurig K Cup Tea!
Now I know and understand that this may seem like sacrilege for many. The Keurig K Cup coffee machine, and the Keurig K cup Tea has surely tipped the world of tea brewing on its head. But in the interests of a balanced argument, I feel it is only fair and reasonable to discuss both the advantages, along with the negatives of the Keurig K Cup Coffee Maker. We chose to discuss the K Cup Coffee Maker and K Cup Tea, as the Keurig Coffee Machine has surely stamped its mark on the coffee machine niche.
Let us dare to draw some comparisons with the world of coffee snobs, or anyone who depends on their morning cup of caffeine. I imagine there would have been similar defiance of the invention of instant coffee brewing. Then, more recently, the invention of the coffee pod. Despite the gnashing of teeth, and the disparaging remarks about the crema around the coffee pot every morning, we all know that the invention of Keurig single serve coffee machine has revolutionised the delivery of faster and easier caffeine hits to our busy lifestyles.
We Can’t Fight the Pace of Tea Making Technology
If you lead a busy lifestyle, AND like a healthy hot and restorative brew of yummy tea in your hectic day, maybe you too could benefit from a faster and simpler method of brewing up!
To keep you all up to date with the most recent trends in the tea making world, here is a sample of some of the brewing machines available for sale at Amazon. We choose Amazon at the trusted, go-to place for all things trendy and ‘must have’!
These brewing systems use the K cup beverage pods, and can be used for making a multitude of different tea flavours, as well as coffees, hot chocolates, and even iced beverages.
“Coffee Maker?” I hear you say with whispered disgust…
Weeeelllll – yes, but stick with me for a couple of moments! Let’s just call them Brewing Systems for a moment. Because whilst they were undoubtedly designed for coffee making, the manufacturer also produces a range of fine teas that can be used with these very same brewing systems!
Temperature Control
Better still, these brewing system machines have the ability to control the temperature of the brew, with up to 5 different temperature settings, which is rather a nice feature for we tea drinkers!
Now we are starting to get interested! How good would it be to have total control over the tea brewing process that you can simply dial up a different brewing temperature for a different tea pod, and have the perfect brew delivered instantly to your tea cup? I like the sound of this. No longer do you have to worry about scorching your finest white tea, or burning the tips off your most expensive organic green tea.
This Tea Brewing System Could Revolutionise Your Kitchen!
As we all know, there is nothing worse than the anticipating of a nice cup of tea only to find that the pot has over steeped, or was poured too hot, or has become too cold, or some other spoiler. Now we can pour the perfect cup of tea, and better than that, we can make that cup almost instantly, with exactly the same reliability day after day, no problems.
Where Can I Get One?
Read our reviews of some of the best tea brewing systems available on the market….
Let’s first look at the Keurig K155 K Cup Brewing System
Keurig K155 K-Cup Commercial Brewing System
Now this is a commercial appliance and so can be used in a cafe or coffee shop who perhaps do NOT specialise in serving tea. Have you ever been a discerning tea drinker in a coffee shop? I certainly know that feeling. Even if I can get tea that is not teabag tea, it will be served in a thick, chunky coffee cup and saucer. Ho Hum. I don’t even dare ask for a green tea, as it will surely be ‘fried’ by not being brewed at the required 80degC/176degF. In this scenario, perhaps a K Cup Tea would be preferable? What do you think.
Anyway, this Keurig K155 K Cup Commercial Coffee machine Brewing System is one of the best sellers on Amazon, checking in at #70. If it’s in the Top 100 in any of the Top Sellers Lists, it’s been a popular model and got great reviews. This machine has received a score of 4.4 out of 5 from 243 reviews. Not bad. It’s been on the market since 2011, so is one of the originals. It is reported to brew a perfect cup of coffee, hot chocolate, iced beverage or tea. All this happens in under 1 minute at the touch of a button!
Other Brew making options are available from Keurig, such as the Keurig K475 Coffee Machine
Keurig K475 Coffee Machine in Black
You’ll agree, a more modern looking appliance, first available on Amazon in December 2015. This is another single cup brewer (now with a 12oz. K Cup tea pod brew size) and it has 5 temperature settings. A great thing about this brewer is that and you can even program it to turn on or off automatically at set times. Not rated quite as highly as the Keurig K155 K Cup Tea Brewing System, this model gets a 4.2 score out of 5 off the back of 1,841 customer reviews – WOW!
The Keurig K475 single serve coffee machine has a large water reservoir, so you can brew at least 8 cups before having to refill. This should satisfy the tea drinkers in the office or workplace – perhaps even in the coffee shop. All Keurig brewers also dispense hot water, making them very versatile. So the tea bag lovers can dunk a tea bag, and the purists can get their water at the correct temperature to brew loose leaf tea! Yes, some of us carry our own gourmet tea bags, and even mini travel tea-making kits!
This model ships internationally, and look at the other amazing colors it comes in : Sandy Pearl and Vintage Red!
I think the Sandy Pearl is my favorite Keurig K475 coffee Machine!
The flagship model of the Keurig range is the Keurig K575 Single Serve Programmable K-Cup Coffee Machine
What’s fantastic about this machine is that it can handle multiple Keurig K-Cup, K-Mug, and K-Carafe pod brew sizes. Like the other models, it has temperature control, automatic on/off settings and controls to achieve your perfect brew. It also has a brilliant, easy-to-use x-large color touch screen. The touch screen also has has a digital clock. Charmingly, it even has a night light! Take a look!
Keurig K575 Single Serve Programmable K-Cup Coffee Machine
Of course, other brand options are also available, and we will review them in another article. It can get confusing otherwise!
Environmental Concerns – Introducing the Reusable K Cup Tea Pod
Are you are concerned about the negative impacts of the plastic pods on the environment? Do you fear they impact negatively on the future of the environment? You are right to be sceptical and concerned. As you can imagine, we here at Tea Party Girl are also. Fortunately, there are already some possible solutions available. Consider using the re-fillable pods that can be used with the Keurig range of brewing machines. There is great anticipation of the release of environmentally friendly recyclable pods. We hope the availability of these is imminent, as they will go a long way to addressing environmental problems. Again, these will be reviewed in detail in another article in order to do them justice!
So, K Cup Tea. What do you think? Sacrilege or a great idea? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!