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Connected Objects Food and Beverage

The connected Teplo bottle does away with tepid tasting teas

Despite what most may think, properly brewing tea is an involved process requiring exact times and temperatures — and these figures change with every single type of tea. Any more or any less of any one variable and the tea in question won’t be as potent, losing the benefits that make it a healthy choice in the first place.

The Teplo smart bottle takes the guesswork out of brewing that perfect cup of tea. By combining an extremely simple design — a glass bottle with top and bottom bamboo caps — with a bit of smarts, company Load&Road LLC has designed a tea companion that guides drinkers through the brewing process using a companion smartphone app. With it, users can input the kind of tea being brewed and from there,

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Food and Beverage

Tealightful timer times brewing tea, makes the perfect cuppa’

There is an art to brewing tea. Many tea shops recommend certain water temperatures and, more importantly, specific brewing times for different types of tea to get that perfectly brewed cup.

Tealightful takes the guesswork out of brewing time for tea. This product looks like any standard tea ball and the user can insert their own teabags, loose leaf tea, or herbs of their own choosing. To set the brewing time, just twist Tealightful and drop in the water. When the time is up, the ball automatically closes making sure that the tea doesn’t steep for too long. Tealightful is long with a handle that makes gripping easy and comes in white, beige, black or gray.

This is a nifty little product, plenty useful for those who love tea. All tea comes with instructions on brewing time and Tealightful makes it super simple to follow these instructions. Backers can have their very own for a donation of $25 on Kickstarter. If Tealightful can reach its $40,000 goal, backers will receive theirs by June 2015.

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Food and Beverage Travel

Tea lovers, Qterra Novo lets you sip on your trip

There’s something about having that preferred caffeinated beverage to kick the workday off right. And those who like toting their tea with them can now do so without using a travel mug – sort of.

The creator of Qterra Novo says in the video that this product is not a travel mug, but it does appear that it’s typically used that way. The mobile tea-making mug lets users store tea leaves in the cup at the bottom of the unit. Then hot water gets poured into the top of the unit, and it can be stashed in a backpack, purse, or briefcase. When ready for the tea, press the button for the amount of time that is desired for the tea to brew. Steeping can take as little as 10 seconds, depending on desired tea-flavor robustness. Tea can be re-steeped up to six times per day. One especially interesting feature is the straw that acts as a cooling system for hot tea. It cools 1.5 ounces of tea at a time to the “perfect” drinking temperature, while the rest of the water stays hot until ready for drinking.

This product may have more of a regional appeal since it was inspired by the history of Argentina, China, and an apparent aversion to travel mug association. However, anyone who enjoys tea might find it interesting to try. It’s portability will be especially appealing to commuters. Backers may also be interested in Espro Travel Press,  Trimr, and KoffeePress campaigns. This campaign seeks to raise $150,000. Backers get one product for $25 with an expected delivery in March 2015.

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Nutrition/Hydration

Qi Teamaker taps your smartphone to produce oolongs and aahs

Fancy coffeemakers are all the rage. But some people would rather drink tea in the morning instead. Without as much caffeine, tea can be had all throughout the day.

The Qi Teamaker makes the perfect cup of tea. This device lets the user control water flow, water temperature and brew time along with the strength of the tea they’re drinking. Best of all, the device allows you to choose what kind of tea you’re drinking so that it can adjust its settings accordingly. At its maximum capacity, this teamaker makes up to eight cups of tea. Qi is compatible with both loose leaf tea and tea bags. The Vita+ version of Qi comes with an accompanying smartphone app that lets users monitor the brewing process, customize the way their tea is made and track their favorite teas.

People who are into tea know that brewing time and water temperature are essential for making great tea, and those settings vary based on the type of tea being had. In this way, Qi is the perfect item for tea connoisseurs. The smartphone app, while a cool feature, doesn’t seem to serve much of a purpose, however, and so backers may want to consider sticking with the base model to save money. The Qi Teamaker Vita can be had for a donation of $169 CAD (~$149 USD) with an estimated delivery month of April 2015. Qi is hoping to raise $100,000 CAD (~$86,500) on Kickstarter.

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Food and Beverage

Degono tea and coffee press promises to retain true grit

There’s something about the smell and taste of freshly brewed coffee or tea that just makes the morning (or evening wind-down) more pleasant. Degono offers a product that not only brews the best morning beverages, resembling a French press, but also simplifies clean-up with its “grounds away cleaning system,” setting it apart from other coffee and tea makers. The grounds are trapped between two filters, one at the bottom and the other on the top. This coffee press also works well with loose tea, allowing the user control of how strong their tea will be through the use of the unique filtration system. In addition, Degono is dishwasher safe.

It’s not clear if brands other than Degono brand coffee or tea can be used in the product or not. Coffee loving backers may also want to check out the Artist, Bruvelo, and Brewover campaigns. This campaign seeks to raise £27,980 (~$44,000). Early bird backers get one product for £20 (~$31), with an expected delivery date of May 2015.

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Food and Beverage Travel

Espro Travel Press presses together three different brewing methods

Here is an item for coffee and tea connoisseurs who are typically too busy to wait for that perfectly brewed cup of caffeinated delight. Espro Travel Press blends brewer, travel mug, and thermos in one. This revamped travel mug includes a filtration system so that hot water can simply be poured over coffee or tea leaves. But it also has a function for those who prefer to use the coffee press or tea press methods so those aromatic oils can be enjoyed, and the double micro-filters mean no grit to interfere with one’s enjoyment.

The double lid prevents leaks in backpacks, purses or briefcases, and since extraction is automatically stopped and the container is made of vacuum insulated stainless steel, coffee or tea stays hot for hours. It appears that the mug will fit the average cup holder in a car, though the circumference is not specifically stated. Still, the Espro Travel Press offers versatility and convenience to anyone who really values their morning beverage. This campaign seeks to raise $15,000 by December 21, 2014. Early bird backers get one product for $35 with an expected delivery of March 2015.

Categories
Food and Beverage Organization

Abacus coffee pod rack aligns your pods in hanging squads

Most of us use Keurig machines or something quite similar. As a result, our cupboards are inundated with K-Cups, pods, and other products. The Abacus Pod Rack goes in the kitchen and attaches to the underside or just side of any cabinet. Coming in several colors, this rack won’t be an eyesore. It stores columns of pods/cups to make choosing the perfect beverage easier. To insert, slide up and in. To remove, just pull each cup out. It holds up to 36 pods and attaches with adhesive strips. One of these Aussie products will cost $19 AUD. Abacus hopes to raise $15,000 AUD on Kickstarter.

With the prevalence of convenient coffee machines in people’s home, this product makes sense for storage. It’s more for the beverage enthusiast who has lots of different flavors for their brewer. There are lots of other storage options out there, however, like the DecoBros organizer that keeps K-Cups in a mini drawer. Nonetheless, Abacus comes with the perk of keeping your counters clear by adhering to cabinets. While this may be more for the finicky of heart, it’s a great storage solution for those little pods that fuel America.

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Food and Beverage

Koffeepress French press lets you brew Keurig K-Cups on the go

The Keurig brewer and K-Cups have made brewing single servings of hot beverages easy. Unfortunately, Keurig machines aren’t portable, so anyone wanting a fresh beverage while out of the house needs to stop at a cafe.

KoffeePress is a new way to enjoy Keurig K-Cups on the go. This 10 fl. oz. cup is insulated and clear, able to hold hot or cold beverages. To use, just insert the K-Cup inside and the KoffeePress acts like a French press, pushing the coffee or tea down in the cup to brew. This product is microwaveable and dishwasher safe. For $15, $20 and $25, early backers will get the KoffeePress at a discounted price. At regular cost, the product goes for $30 with an estimated delivery date of March 2015.

We’ve seen a couple of variations on this idea of brewing coffee on the go. Hey Joe uses a battery to brew coffee and regulate water temperatures. In addition, it requires its own specialized coffee cartridges, which is not ideal. The Mojoe had slots for the user to fill with their own coffee, cream and sugar, making it more cost-effective, though the mug itself cost $90.

Even without the convenient temperature regulation for water that KoffeePress lacks, it still has the added bonus of compatibility with K-Cups which can be found everywhere and come in tons of varieties even though they’re pricier than grounds. The mug is also cheaper than most and has the cool French press effect for true coffee enthusiasts. With hot water and K-Cups readily available, this mug makes on-the-go brewing easy.

Categories
Food and Beverage Organization

Latte Lasso keeps your shopping hopping with easy caffeine access

latte lassoFor those who love a coffee on the go, the Latte Lasso allows you to go shopping and tote around your coffee at the same time. This quilted sleeve fits onto any standard coffee to-go cup and has a hook on it. Perfect for shopping carts, the hook hangs onto the cup and cart as you browse. The sleeve comes in several different colors and patterns. Early backers can lasso the Lasso for only $10 on Kickstarter with an estimated delivery date of April 2014. Latte Lasso hopes to raise $1,500 in its 30 day campaign.

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Food and Beverage

The Smart Lid gives you a red alert for your hot date with drinks

HeatSensitiveLidYou may think you’re hot stuff, but you’re nothing compared to your morning coffee. The Smart Lid turn bright red when the liquid inside the cup is over 118 degrees, and gradually fade as the temperature cools down. This ingenious, simple idea will save many people from the horrible experience of having a burnt tongue. A simple but clever idea imported from Australis, the lids would be most useful for the likes of coffee shops and restaurants, but could see far greater distribution. After reaching some portion of the $8,000 flexible funding campaign, they’ll be available to backers in March 2014