Is The Teplo Worth Buying?

Introduction

We have all been inundated with fancy techno-centric tea brewing devices over the past few years. Not-your-average kettles seem to come out of nowhere to bring the “next best thing” to tea each time. And each time, we are forced to evaluate our compunction for the thematic enjoyment of the tea brewing rituals we’ve come to know and love.

It’s a wonder then why these brewing devices keep coming out. Why release a product so similar to where others have failed? Why bank, as a startup founder—your savings, reputation, and heart—on something so seemingly doomed to failure?

NOTE: This piece brings more opinion than I have in the past. Its conjecture and thought provide only those from my own mind and do not contain influences from any vendor, other bloggers, or promotional agents. At the end of this post, you will find that I have preordered a Teplo brewer and why.

Backstory

In 2011, I founded a site called Teaity. Its goal was to become a community, like Steepster, where tea drinkers could congregate and communicate in a variety of ways. I had many grand ideas on where its future could lead. The goals and futures were never fully realized, and I was forced to make a decision on whether to keep the site alive for the dozens of active users at a continuing cost or to shut down something I continued to have a passion for… but no path forward.

I discuss Teaity here not because Teplo does anything similar at this time, but because the founder, Mayuresh, whom I conversed with at some length, shares a similar passion for his product. He knows what it does, how, and why. This is important. Many founders chase a dream or an idea but never have the ability to paint the picture for others as to why the dream they have should influence others in the way they expect.

Teaity didn’t make it, and while it’s possible I may try to bring it back someday… I think Teplo has a chance to succeed in building something lasting, and they’ve got something I believe is not only cool in the technology sense but useful.

Enter, Teplo

It was relatively warm the Wednesday afternoon I spoke with Mayuresh Soni, the co-founder of Teplo. I was on my way out of St. Louis, Missouri, where I’d been on business, and so I had prescheduled the call at least partly to fill some of the five and a half hour drive back to Cincinnati, where I live.

The conversation started innocuously. We discussed our backgrounds, our interests in tea, and how we got to where we are today. The next hour and fifteen minutes or so were spent in a conversant back and forth discussing the Teplo itself, the various features, and the care and thought that went into each part of the experience.

I came into the conversation skeptical. I mean, technology is my business during the day, but tea is my love all the time. The two can mix; of that, I am confident. But I have been burned before by other devices promising me the best tea love of my life and leaving me unsatisfied. How was Teplo going to be any different?

Not ‘Just Because’ Technology

The Teplo device is first and foremost designed around the macro-ritualistic nature of tea. These are experiences many have come to love and enjoy, surrounding moments of mindfulness or practiced calm preparation.

The spirit of the Teplo and its design comes from the matcha rituals in Japan, where slight variations in the preparation of the tea lead to a more deterministic outcome—basically, small adjustments based upon mood, stress, health, and other factors.

The design process for the device included expert feedback on what a tea master may do when brewing tea for someone, which is unique compared to other devices.

Heart Rate Sensor

The touch-based heart-rate sensor on the Teplo's base is used to measure stress, mood, and whether the user is sleepy. This bit of technology seemed superfluous to me before I understood its deeper intent.

The inclusion of this sensor is still the most tenuous piece of the Teplo from a justification standpoint in my mind. It’s nice, and it drives automatic adjustment to brew temperature and steep time using the mobile app. However, you’ll still be able to brew tea without using the sensor, which is good.

Infusion Pod

The infusion pod in the Teplo will take any loose tea you like—whether tisane or pure. What’s great about the pod, unlike most techno-tea-brewers, is that it will only begin to infuse the leaves once the water is at the target temperature and will remove the leaves once the target steep time is reached.

I believe the infusion pod mechanism resolves a long-standing issue for tea drinkers: over-infusion. A person gets distracted and forgets something is brewing or that it’s getting cold. Teplo removes the tea from infusion, and the heating element in the device can keep the tea warm until ready to infuse again. I am excited for the implications of this all by itself, especially for my office tea habits!

My experience tells me that this is the mechanism likely to see the most failure over time, as it has mechanical movement. I’m interested to see how well it holds up, but it’s a very simple and intuitive design that I admit eluded me in my personal quest to design a device such as this.

The Teapot

The dishwasher-safe glass teapot appears to have a sturdy handle and looks like a nice vessel to brew in. Some may prefer more intricate designs, but I find the Teplo's design both attractive and utilitarian in its simplicity.

The pot appears to allow for a couple of cups of tea to be brewed, but I have been unable to determine the official volume. I attempted to leave an FAQ question about the recommended liquid quantity on the Kickstarter, but the feature didn’t work.

Teplo Tea Glass

The Teplo's tea glass is unique, at least in mass-produced teaware. The glass is thinner on one side than on the other, accounting for differences in sipping vs. drinking tea.

"The Teplo glass has an extremely unique design. It was inspired by the term 'Golden Drop' of tea. Golden drop refers to the last few drops in a teapot. The last few drops of the tea are the most delicious and full of flavor."

It would be great if Teplo included more than one glass as a set with the device, but the Kickstarter allows for only one.

Mobile Apps

The mobile apps account for my single biggest concern with the Teplo. There’s no simple temperature selection directly on the device, making the app necessary for configuring how you brew tea.

Recommendations to Teplo

While in conversation with Mayuresh, I made a number of recommendations.

Power Cable

One of my most common frustrations with electric kettles comes from the power cables:

• The cable is too short.
• The cable is built into the base of the kettle.

If the Teplo used a removable power cable, customers could purchase a longer cable if needed, and different versions could be made for various plug types.

Conclusion

All details evaluated, without a physical unit, I can only go so far. I believe the Teplo device is an exciting entry to the market.

I fit Teplo's target market, and I have indeed ordered a unit through the Kickstarter. The device excites me with its engineering and software and the possibilities I see to extend what it can do over time.