Loose-leaf tea isn’t difficult, although it seems many folks are quite scared of it. Sure there are a few things you have to take into consideration but it will result in a much higher quality taste over traditional bagged teas. The first step is preparing the water temperature, white and green teas should be brewed using less than boiling water (about 180° F) and black and most herbal teas should be boiling. Steep length is also important – green teas should only be submerged in the water for about 3 minutes. Black teas and most herbals will steep a little longer, between 5 and 7 minutes. That’s really it. As you learn more about tea and more about how YOU like tea, you’ll get very comfortable brewing the perfect cup every time.

The machine itself makes the temperature and steep length very easy on you. It is composed of three separate chambers (hence the name), which regulate all of these factors. The first chamber heats the water to either boiling or just under boiling. Once the water is the perfect temperature, it is released into the second chamber, which contains the tea. It stays in this chamber for as long as you set it, between 2 and 7 minutes. Once the tea has steeped for the appropriate amount of time, it travels through the permanent filter into the final pot, sitting on a hot plate ready for consumption.

I’ve found the middle chamber’s steeping basket to be a nice size for allowing the tea to expand. My problem with many tea infusers (like the dreaded tea-ball) is there simply isn’t enough room for the leaves to expand, but the triniTEA handles this nicely. The permanent filter is also a super nice addition, which is made of a very durable food-grade plastic. Mine has held up for years.

As much as I love this device, it isn’t all perfect. The triniTEA seems to leak water more than most coffee machines. It’s still quite safe for the office environment but sometimes pulling the steeping chamber out to change the leaves or clean results in a small puddle of water. I also dislike that there are just two water temperature settings. I’d much rather set the exact temperature in Fahrenheit. Granted, this is more user friendly but I’m letting my tea geek unleash a little here. The price certainly isn’t ideal either, as coffee drinkers can pick up a simple coffee maker for under 30 bucks. The TriniTEA will set you back about 100 dollars, but it is so, so worth it.

The TriniTEA can be purchased from Adagio Teas(http://www.adagio.com/teaware/triniTEA.html)

Price: $99.00

Grade: A-