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06-22-2011, 05:31 AM
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2,186 posts, read 1,716,086 times
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Review of Breville BTM800XL Tea Maker, One Touch Electric
Breville BTM800XL Tea Maker, One Touch Electric
Rating: 5 out of 5
Spending $251.99 (at Amazon) on a glorified water heater sounds like a madness, unless you are a passionate tea drinker. That is how much I had to spend on a perfect automatic tea maker. After a lot of research, I opted for Breville BTM800XL Tea Maker, One Touch Electric. Now, I wake up in the morning to the aroma of my favorite tea already brewing.
Everything about my new Breville speaks quality: it is made of stainless steel and glass, and only piece of plexiglass is used for the handle. The kettle is made in Germany by Schott. The design is high-tech and my tea maker looks perfectly suited to my already high tech kitchen.
Since different teas require different water temperature and different immersion time to reach perfect flavor, having a fully programmable tea maker was a first requirement for a perfect tea machine. Breville is programmable from 160 to 212 degrees, and from one to ten minutes, in half minute increments. Nifty little LCD shows all settings.
The way Breville infuses tea in the water is unique and it is fun to watch: magnetically powered mechanism moves basket with lose tea leaves up and down through water, until the brew is just perfect. You can see the color of water changing to make an ideal cup of tea. I find the gentle movement of the tea basket strangely soothing, exactly what tea drinking is supposed to be.
Unfortunately, the kettle cannot be washed in a dishwasher and to clean it you have to boil water in it, or water mixed with vinegar. I guess it is not such a big deal, considering that 'real' tea drinkers never wash their tea kettles. Something to do with the flavor of detergent spoiling the flavor of the tea.
Since my wonderful tea machine has a 'keep warm' setting, I wish I had one for the office as well. Not with this price, though. Maybe I will convince my husband to get me one for Christmas.
Review by professional reviewer, Oct. 2, 2010
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