Cuisinart Brings Tea & Coffee to the Table
Cuisinart introduced us to the food processor, arguably one of the most important kitchen tools to have on hand. Now they are introducing some neat devices for coffee and tea lovers.
As an avid tea drinker myself, we were impressed to learn that according to Cuisinart, tea is the world’s most popular beverage, and the second most-consumed after water (why so many cola cans then?). The hot tea category is growing by 6% annually, with the specialty tea market alone predicted to reach $10 billion in 2010. Many individuals are learning and seeking the health benefits of drinking tea. For starters, white tea is rich in antioxidants and green tea can aid in weight loss (at least that’s why I drink it, especially Senna tea), both of which are health advantages that have factored in strongly with consumers, according to the Tea Association of the United States of America.
Cuisinart has decided to jump on the bandwagon and offer us the PerfecTemp Cordless Electric Kettle with six preset temperatures so we can sip on our choice of tea. You have a preference between White, Green, Black, Delicate, Oolong, and French Press. We ourselves decided on some peach green tea and though we never realized with our plain ol’ tea kettle, we noted a subtle difference in flavor as it was perfectly steeped.
The PerfecTemp holds an impressive 1.7 liters and heats up quickly as it is powered by 1500 watts. We appreciated the stay-cool nonslip handle as burning our hands on a piping hot tea kettle is not on our daily to-do list. The backlit water window let us know how much tea we were concocting and a swivel cordless connector added to the elegant looks of this tea kettle.
Our favorite feature was none other than the “keep warm” button which allocated us a half hour of time to kindly forget about our tea. (Nintendo Wii, anyone?) We were also able to remove the kettle from its base for up to two minutes without interrupting or discontinuing the brewing process. Apparently this lil’ guy or gal has a short-term memory incorporated into it’s noggin. A concealed heating element is handily located to prevent mineral buildup and a removable/cleanable scale filter.
We would recommend this for those of you who drink tea on a daily basis. We were able to purchase from Amazon for around $100. For those of you who like iced tea without the hassle of brewing, we would suggest Revolution Tea, which combines fruit with the benefits of white and green tea and the convenience of a can.
On the flipside, we also were able to become acquainted with the Cuisinart SS-700 Single Serving Brew Coffeemaker. We must say, we were already elated to learn that all parts in this coffeemaker that touch water or your coffee are BPA-free.
Besides that, the single-serving brewing system allowed us 5 cup sizes in the form of 4, 6, 8 or 10 ounces from the icon on brewing size options. An Extra Large Removable 80 oz. Water Reservoir allowed us the convenience of more at once with less refills . A nice touch was an iced beverage button for those of us who can’t stand hot all of the time.
Cuisinart partners with Keurig to make premium coffee, tea, or hot chocolate by using the Keurig K-Cups. K-Cups allow you to enjoy gourmet beverages, however, the downsides to the K-cup system are the same as any pod-type brewer- added expense (between 30 and 50 cents per K-cup depending on the brand and type) for the extra convenience. The machine we tested will set you back $200, though it comes with 12 K-cups included.
Our favorite aspect of the SS-700 was notably the lack of noise. It was decently quiet as it went to work brewing our coffee. We especially liked the Charcoal Water Filter which removes impurities.
Though we have heard reports of the pump working intermittently, we did not experience any troubles after frequent use. For those of you who are concerned, there is a 3 year limited warranty for peace of mind.
We thought of the SS-700 as a decent, if not remarkably clever coffee maker, and we’re always happy to see more support for our favorite single-cup coffee system. The best point about it being the lack of contact with BPAs. We were able to purchase from Amazon for around $185.
