Selecting “Custom” Brewing Program
One of the 9 default brewing programs we've added to Qi Aerista is called "Custom," which is linked to our Qi Aerista app's tea library. This feature gives you access to many different tea types and recipes currently available.
Qi Aerista Tea Library
With each tea type, you can check out its information and suggested brew settings on the corresponding tea library entry.
Tea Entry in Qi Aerista Tea Library
To use the Custom tea function, connect your brewer to the Qi Aerista app on your smartphone, browse the desired tea entry in the library, and tap "LET'S BREW." This will send the brewing settings to the brewer at the Custom program, and the light on "Custom" will illuminate on the base.
Custom Tea Displayed on Brewer Screen
On the app, the Brewer screen will appear with the selected tea displayed. You can adjust the brewing time and temperature settings to your liking. Once everything is set, tap "Start" to begin brewing.
In future app releases, we plan to add more functions, such as creating your custom tea recipes, a more interactive tea library, and the ability to share your favorite recipes with the Qi Aerista community. You can even try out recipes from other tea lovers, so stay tuned!
]]>If your 1st generation Qi Aerista Smart Tea Brewer is having issues, in many cases we just need a simple parts change and we can return them to fully functional again.
Hi everyone. This is Rick from Qi Aerista.
Today I will go over the top 5 reported issues for the 1st generation Qi Aerista Smart Tea Brewer and ways to resolve them. Let’s start.
Issue #1 - Water does not go into the infuser basket
When this happens, not enough water flow is being generated by the brewer.
As a result, the tea leaves will remain mostly dry and water stays in the pot unbrewed.
First, let’s do a couple of checks to verify the cause.
If you hear humming sounds but there are no or little air bubbles, this means the pumping actuator has been turned on correctly.
However, an internal valve may have become blocked and could not generate enough water flow.
Let’s open up the bottom cover of the pot to take a closer look.
Step 1 - Place your pot upside down on a soft surface.
Step 2 - Use a phillips screwdriver to take out the 2 screws.
Step 3 - Hold the pot handle and gently pull down the bottom cover below the spout.
Step 4 - Wiggle sideways to loosen the bottom cover.
Inside the pot, the one-way valve is connected to a short and long rubber tube.
Air from the pump actuator will travel in one direction through the long tube and the valve and exit through the short tube.
If the valve gets blocked, the brewer will not be able to drive water.
To unblock the valve, first remove it from the tubes. Then simply blow into it from each end to open it up.
After reinstalling the valve in the correct direction, your brewer should return to fully functional again.
A blocked one-way valve is prone to future blockages again. We suggest getting a replacement valve from us for self-replacement.
Issue #2 - Brewer leaks
When this happens, we would see tea dripping through the pot’s bottom cover some time after a brewing program has finished.
We would need to open up the bottom cover of the pot to check further.
Examine the components below the pot for signs of moisture and tea stains.
If we see fluids or tea stains inside the longer rubber tube, it means the one-way valve has become faulty.
Fluids would go past the one-way valve into the pump actuator and leak out.
To fix the leak, we would need to replace the one-way valve. You can order it on our website for self-replacement.
Also, some water may get trapped inside the pump actuator and lower its flow generation performance.
Click below to watch this other video on cleaning up the pump:
Once your pump is cleaned and the one-way valve replaced, your brewer should work properly again.
Issue #3 - Can’t connect Qi Aerista app to brewer
First, make sure you have entered the Wi-Fi password correctly.
Next, app connection issues are mostly caused by the brewer’s Wi-Fi chipset being incompatible with your router settings.
Check out this video on the app connection process and our suggested mobile hotspot workaround:
If you have a dual-band router, you can also check out this video for more tips:
Another workaround is the piggyback method shown in this video:
Issue #4 - Can’t start brewing after pressing BREW
First, let’s check the temperature on your Qi Aerista app for any abnormalities.
Our brewer will only work with water that is above 10C/50F because of circuitry design.
If you use cold water from the fridge, you will need to wait for the water to warm up. Then the brewer should start normally.
If you use warmer water and the brewer still doesn’t work, then there could be something wrong with the temperature sensing circuit.
There are 3 possible causes:
For cause 1, let’s try the following:
Step 1 - Check the upper ring connector under the pot to see if they have become dirty. Use tissue paper or a scrub pad to wipe the rings if necessary.
Step 2 - Connect the brewer and make sure the pot rests firmly on the base for a solid connection before each brew.
For causes 2 & 3, we can use a multimeter to check the following:
If the resistance is around 50kΩ at room temperature, then the PCBA inside the base should be faulty.
If the resistance is infinity, then the temperature sensor inside the pot should be faulty.
For both causes 2 & 3, there is no simple fix unfortunately. Partial or full replacement of the brewer unit would be necessary.
Issue #5 - Lid pops up during brewing
When placed on the pot properly, the lid would push down on the spray cap to fully open the slits. This would spray the water better over the tea leaves in the infuser basket.
However, if we have a stiffer than normal spray cap or a smoother than usual infuser side wall, we may see the lid popping up during brewing.
We suggest fully cutting open the 5 slits of the spray cap. It would decrease the upward pushing force and reduce the likelihood of popping the lid.
Slightly pushing the infuser horizontally towards the spout and keeping the upper interior of the infuser dry before brewing would also help.
We will further improve our design and it will be much less likely to see these 5 issues and others in our upcoming brewer versions.
In case you need more help with troubleshooting, drop us an email and we will do our best to help.
Make sure you press the subscribe button below so that you won’t miss our Qi Aerista videos on brewing tips and recipes.
Thanks and have a great brew!
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1. Tap 'TYPE' to select the desired tea type.
2. Tap 'HEAT' to start heating water. The brewer will beep after heating is complete.
Check out the table below for the preset heating temperature of each tea type.
To assist you with using the Heat Mode, please check out this video on How to Steep Tea the Traditional Way with Qi Aerista IoTea Brewer.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE THE FOLLOWING BLOG(S) ON USAGE:
]]>Mission - Help tea lovers make Smart & Easy Perfect Tea.
Vision - Bringing East and West together to Brew a Better World.
Perfectly brewed tea means more than just a beverage to us.
It transcends geographical distances to remind people of where they came from. The taste of home.
It instills energy to all of us in every cup of tea. The taste of comfort.
It brings different people together for great conversations and laughter. The taste of sharing.
By making it easy to deliver the taste of home, comfort and sharing to tea lovers all around, we strive to touch people's hearts and make a better world with every exceptional brew.
The name Qi Aerista itself is a fusion term (i.e. portmanteau) with roots in Eastern and Western philosophies. It is consisted of 2 parts with the following meanings:
Pronunciation | Meaning | |
Qi | “Chee” as in cheese |
|
Aerista | “Air-is-ta” |
|
The Qi part of our logo is iconized to resemble a cup and spoon as viewed from the top. It delivers a touch of Dolce Vita as part of the Qi Aerista experience.
So why are we referencing "Air" in Qi Aerista? That's because air is the main driving force behind our patented brewing system. Using air allows us to independently and reliably control the 4 key elements in making great tea: temperature, time, water flow and immersion. As a result, Qi Aerista makes it easy to brew all types of tea imaginable, perfect to your taste every time.
]]>Let me show you how Qi Aerista can help you make perfect tea with every brew.
I know you can't wait to start brewing with your Qi Aerista once it arrives. Here are a few tips to help you get a quick start:
If you have any questions, just email us at support@qiaerista.com and we will be happy to assist.
Thank you and Happy Brewing!
Rick
Founder @ Qi Aerista
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Before your first brew with Qi Aerista, we advise a thorough first cleaning should be performed. Here is how to proceed.
If you have any questions, just email us at support@qiaerista.com and we will be happy to assist.
Thank you and Happy Brewing!
Rick
Founder @ Qi Aerista
]]>1: Add water and tea leaves (loose leaves or bagged).
2. Choose tea type and tap 'BREW' to start auto brew.
3. After auto brew completes, simply pour and serve when ready.
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Enjoy teas made perfect and simple every time. Get your Qi Aerista IoTea Brewer today!
]]>When the Qi Aerista Smart Tea Brewer is assembled correctly for brewing, the lid will push down on the spray cap to fully open the water outlets to disperse the maximum amount of water into the infuser over the tea leaves.
When the lid is opened during brewing, the elastic spray cap restores its form to close the water outlets and prevent excessive amount of hot water from spraying out for increased safety.
The lid should stay closed during normal operations. However, we have received a number of reports that the lid will pop up by itself during normal brewing. To prevent this from happening, first please make sure:
a. The lid slot matches with the infuser tab when closing the lid.
b. Do not overfill the infuser with tea leaves. Expanded tea leaves during infusion may push up the lid.
Other Underlying Causes
If the above 2 tips didn't help, then the lid popping issue is probably caused by one or more factors below:
i. A stiffer than usual spray cap that pushes on the lid with a larger force than expected.
ii. A smaller than usual glass shell that slightly deviates the positioning of the spray cap to push upwards with a larger force.
iii. A smoother than usual infuser interior surface that reduces the lid's grip.
During brewing, the combined effects of one or the above factors with hot water will create a larger than expected upward force that pushes the lid up.
More Useful Tips
To further stabilize the lid, please try the following:
1. Please ensure the interior rim of the infuser is dry and free of debris and moisture.
2. After finish placing the infuser and lid onto the pot, please push the infuser horizontally towards the spout. The positional displacement should be about 1mm/0.04in, and this should ease the upward pushing force of the spray cap.
3. If 1& 2 didn't help, you can try to fully cut open the 5 vertical slits on the spray cap to reduce its stiffness. Please exercise caution when cutting to avoid injuries.
Hope that clarifies the lid popping issue and get your brewer to be fully functional with a stable lid.
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* - Denotes an additional grounded power adapter (250V 10A) may be needed. More can be found here.
Model Number
|
QASTB18A01B
|
QASTB18A02E
|
QASTB18A02G
|
Voltage
|
100-120V | 220-240V | 220-240V |
Plug Type
|
US/CA Plug |
EU Plug |
UK/HK/SG Plug |
Locations |
American Samoa Aruba Bahamas Barbados Belize Bermuda British Virgin Islands Canada Cayman Islands Colombia Costa Rica Cuba Dominican Republic Ecuador El Salvador Guam Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Japan Liberia Mexico Micronesia Nicaragua Palau Panama Puerto Rico Taiwan Trinidad and Tobago Turks and Caicos Islands USA US Virgin Islands Venezuela |
Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Brazil* Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon CapeVerde Central African Republic Chad Chile* China* Comoros Congo Congo (Democratic Rep. of) Cote d'Ivoire Croatia Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea* Estonia Ethiopia Faroe Islands Finland France French Guiana Gabon Georgia Germany Greece Greenland Guadeloupe Guinea Guinea Bissau Hungary Iceland Indonesia Iran Israel* Italy Jordan Kazakhstan Korea, North Korea, South Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Liberia Libya Liechtenstein* Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia Madagascar Mali Martinique Mauritania Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia Niger Norway Paraguay Peru* Philippines* Poland Portugal Reunion Romania Russia Rwanda* Saint Martin San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Senegal Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Somalia Spain Sweden Switzerland* Syria Tajikistan Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Ukraine Uruguay Uzbekistan* Vietnam |
Argentina* Australia* Bahrain Bangladesh Botswana Brunei Darussalam Cambodia Cook Islands* Cyprus Dominica Falkland Islands Fiji* Gambia Ghana Gibraltar Grenada Guyana Hong Kong India* Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Kenya Kiribati* Kuwait Lebanon Macau Malawi Malaysia Maldives Malta Mauritius Myanmar Nauru* Nepal* New Zealand* Nigeria Oman Pakistan Papua New Guinea* Qatar Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa* Saudi Arabia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Solomon Islands South Africa* Sri Lanka Sudan* Tanzania Tonga* Tuvalu* Uganda United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Vanuatu Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe |
If you have any questions or cannot find your location in the table, please contact us at support@qiaerista.com for details.
]]>Step 1 - Please slightly rub or scratch at the base panel's edge to reveal the film. Slowly peel off the film from the base panel.
Step 2 - If small pieces of protective film linger around the mounting ring, use a sharp edge such as a box cutter to carefully remove the excess. Please exercise extreme caution in the process to avoid possible injuries or damages to the base.
Step 3 - Completely peel off the film.
Before you pack, please fully assemble the pot (i.e. place the flow tube, infuser and lid properly inside the pot) before packing.
Then properly pack your pot and base in the original packaging box with the internal foam support as carefully as you can.
If you don't have the original packaging box and foam support anymore, please properly pack your pot and base as you will be solely responsible for any product damage in transit, especially glass breakage.
Here are our recommendations to minimize the possibility of breakage:
- Please properly pack your pot and base in a fitting and sturdy packaging box of appropriate size. For reference, our original box measures 25x22x20cm (9.8x8.7*7.9in).
- We recommend using a box made of 5-layer corrugated cardboard for added protection.
- Please make sure both the pot and base are wrapped with multiple layers of soft cushioning material (e.g. bubble wrap). Extra protective material is recommended for the pot to prevent glass breakage.
- Place the pot and base inside the box so that they snuggle inside and do not rock. Fill in the empty space with newspaper if necessary. Loose items and empty space inside the box will increase the chance of glass breakage.
- The protective material should be thick enough to ensure there is at least 3cm/1.2in of space between the glass and other hard surfaces (e.g. the walls of the box, the base).
- Ensure adequate protective material that is at least 3cm/1.2in goes in between the handle and other surfaces (e.g. the walls of the box, the base). Otherwise an external force exerted on the handle may break the glass.
- Do not fill in the empty space with loose packaging material such as foam peanuts as they do not anchor down the loose items.
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Afterwards you can proceed to normal brewer operations including linking to your app. You can refer to page 6 section 13 of our user guide for more details.
In case if no beep is heard after you have plugged in the Qi Aerista Smart Brewer, please try plugging it again into another power socket. If it still doesn't work, please contact us at support@qiaerista.com for further assistance.
Happy brewing!
]]>1. Bring a pot of water to boil. Reduce heat to simmer.
2. Remove and submerge the infuser gasket, filter, lid gasket, flow tube spray cap and sheath into the boiling water. Boil at low heat for 10 minutes.
3. Scoop up the parts and let cool. Be extremely careful and not to burn yourself by the hot water.
4. Reassemble the parts.
Please try this and hope it helps with reducing the odor.
]]>We have made the following short video on how to assemble the brewer correctly to get it ready for brewing. At 0:48 it talks about how to close the lid properly.
Here are more tips on closing the lid:
]]>
If you notice any of the infuser handle parts deformed, we now offer replacements for free (shipping extra). Each replacement pack includes the infuser handle and 2 anchor rings. Those who need them can order through this link:
https://qiaerista.com/products/replacement-infuser-handle
Please apply this discount code FREEHANDLE at checkout for the free replacement to register correctly.
To properly install the infuser handle, here's what you can do:
- Remove the old anchor rings from the infuser handle/infuser by using tweezers or similar tools
- Plug the anchor ring into the hole on the infuser
- Push the infuser handle inside the anchor ring
Please note that the infuser handle may still pop out when excessive force is applied. We suggest to place or remove the infuser by grabbing the infuser by the the silicone rubber rim. Please make sure the infuser to cool to touch before handling it after heating and brewing.
]]>This video will show you how to clean your Qi Aerista Smart Brewer after brewing your teas.
]]>To prepare your tea maker in great condition for your next brew, we suggest that you clean the tea maker immediately after it has been completely cooled off.
This video will show you how to clean the tea maker after brewing your teas.
Cleaning Must-Dos:
1. When pouring the left-over teas, don't forget to press on the spray cap to release any remaining tea in the flow tube. Also, after you rinse the inside of the pot, also press on the spray cap to release any remaining water.
2. When washing the infuser, lift or completely remove the filter to clean out all tea leaf particles in case they enter. To reattach the filter, please ensure the clip on the filter is properly clipped onto the sidewall of the infuser.
3. For a more thorough cleaning, remove the flow tube and run water inside the tube. Please make sure the sheath is properly wrapped onto the bottom end of the flow tube.
4. Make sure the spray cap is properly wrapped onto the top end of the flow tube.
Thanks for checking out on cleaning the smart tea maker!
You can also watch our tutorial video on Assembling Your Qi Aerista Smart Brewer.
]]>
Tea stains may develop over time inside Qi Aerista. Thanks to suggestions from our wonderful customer Fiona from Hong Kong, we have found Zojirushi Stainless Steel Bottle Cleaner as the perfect cleaner to keep the tea maker spotless!
This mildly alkaline cleaner is manufactured by Japanese company Zojirushi and it is specifically designed for use in stainless steel bottles to remove stains and odors.
Check out the Before and After difference of using the cleaner for the infuser and pot.
Inside each package there are 4 packets of cleaning powder, each weighing 10 grams/0.35oz. To clean the Qi Aerista IoTea Brewer, you will need 2 packets. Please follow the instructions below to ensure proper cleaning.
After cleaning is complete, please reassemble the brewer correctly according to the user guide. You can also referred to our blog on Assembling Your Qi Aerista Brewer.
Next, run the ‘Black’ cycle 2 times with 2 cups of fresh water, then discard the water. Now your automatic tea maker is super clean and ready to brew!!.
Note:
Don't forget to wear a pair of gloves when working with the cleaner and during washing.
Caution for using this cleaner as indicated in the packaging of this product:
From our experience, after this deep cleaning process, the automatic tea maker can remain clean for quite some time.
This video will show you how to correctly assemble your Qi Aerista Smart Brewer after you thoroughly clean the parts to prepare for the first brew.
Let's go through the DOs and DON'Ts for assembling:
1. Ensure the sheath is properly wrapped onto the bottom end of the flow tube.
2. Ensure the spray cap is properly wrapped onto the top end of the flow tube.
3. Properly re-insert the flow tube back into the brewer pot.
4. Gently secure the infuser on the pot. Always ensure the spray cap fits comfortably inside the infuser without deformation.
5. Properly close the lid.
]]>
After over 20 hours of flying from the orient and flight connections, I finally arrived in San Francisco on November 6 for the 5th Annual San Francisco International Tea Festival. It took place in Fort Mason Center, not far from the historic Golden Gate Bridge.
Along with our local partners Nikolai and Chris from Crowdtoolz, we began setting up our Qi Aerista booth at 8:30am. For the next 9 hours or so we will be standing, chatting, answering questions and of course making great tasting tea to serve our visitors almost non-stop. As first time participants, here is a list of 5 things that I’ve learned at SFITF:
1. Bay Area has a lot of tea enthusiasts.
Even before we opened the doors at 10:30am, there was already a long line-up of eager tea enthusiasts waiting outside. Throughout the day the aisles inside the exhibition hall were always jam-packed with visitors, gathering around each booth including ours to try to get a taste of what each one offers. According to the organizers, the event was sold out and almost 2000 visitors eventually came through the doors throughout the day.
Look at the line-up of Bay Area tea enthusiasts
Crowded aisles all day long
2. Our visitors like rich, creamy and sweet milk tea.
We have set up 2 Qi Aeristas to make tea and we have brought several of our tea selection that included Phoenix Dancong, Indian black tea, Lapsong Souchong (aka Zhengshan Xiaozhong) and Hong Kong-style milk tea. When visitors came by our booth, they were usually most interested in trying out the milk tea compared with the other types we’ve made. Whenever a fresh brew of milk tea is made, they were just gone in 60 seconds. “It is gooooooooood.” is the most common comment left by our visitors after they took the first sip of the milk tea. I figure it’s the milk tea’s richness, creaminess and sweetness that impressed them the most.
Preparing black tea powder for making Hong Kong-style milk tea
3. Hong Kong-style milk tea fights jet lag pretty well.
Besides bringing a good smile to our visitors, Hong Kong-style milk tea also helped me stay energized throughout the event. There is a 10-hour time difference between Hong Kong/Shanghai and San Francisco, and it doesn’t help to have a lack of rest on my flights. So manning the booth for a full day fresh off the plane isn’t a walk in the park. Luckily I have a secret weapon: what else but Qi Aerista! I made myself a good brew of Hong Kong-style milk tea right at the very start. Its high caffeine content coupled with the added energy levels gave me the necessary mental boost that lasted all day long.
Brewing strong black tea for making Hong Kong-style milk tea
4. Be prepared when Murphy’s Law strikes.
When you gather almost 40 booths serving tea under 1 roof, you will need quite a lot of electrical power to make hot water. Unfortunately, the venue came up short in pushing enough power down the wire. So a rolling blackout was in effect throughout the day to rotate power through the booths. We would get less than 10 minutes of power every 30 minutes, barely enough for a decent brew. Quite a number of our booth’s visitors were disappointed to know we have run out of tea to serve during the waiting time.
Be ready to brew whenever power comes back on
Luckily Nikolai brought us some Christmas lights to decorate our booth, which serves as a great way to know when the power is back on. As soon as we see the lights are up, it’s time to press start on Qi Aerista to make a new brew for our eager visitors.
Nikolai and I were delighted to see Christmas lights on
5. One day is not enough at SFITF
While we were having fun serving and chatting with our new tea loving friends, all of a sudden I noticed that the crowds started thinning out. I was enjoying so much of my time at SFITF that I didn’t realize it was already minutes away from the closing time at 5:00pm. So it was time to start packing up.
My pleasure to serve tea
Overall it was a refreshing and entertaining event, and I wish it would last for 1 more day or even more to meet more friends who share our love for tea. I would love to be back again next year at SFITF, hopefully with brand new Qi Aeristas ready for visitors to take home with!
Making tea may seem easy, but making that perfect cup consistently requires some work. Let Qi Aerista help you! Qi Aerista is an app-connected smart tea brewer that lets you hot brew, strong brew and even cold brew your favorite tea to perfection every time.
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We at Qi Aerista care about the environment and innovation for sustainability. In the following areas we would like to accentuate the eco-friendliness theme that underlines our project.
We don’t like capsuled tea not only because their taste doesn’t impress us, but because they also cast a large environmental footprint. We also don’t want to fence our customers to use our own specialized capsules (even though it may make perfect business sense). Even though we have plans to offer our special tea blends, there are options in tea bag packaging that are biodegradable at reasonable cost, which we definitely take into consideration.
There are so many ready-to-drink options out there that heaps of empty bottles pile up in the landfills, especially during summer time. Because of this, we add a cold brewing function so that we can make fresh iced tea to cool down in the summer. Not only we can reduce the pressure on landfills, but we can also help stay away from the food additives and preservatives commonly seen in those bottled drinks.
With our unique patent-pending brewing mechanism, we made the brewing process more efficient. It means that you can get more great taste out of your tea leave.
Our water-tea separation architecture and keep warm function helps to maintain a quality brew for a longer time so you don’t need to throw out an over-infused or cooled-down pot of tea.
Last but not least, we will make it a priority to use biodegradable and recyclable materials for packaging and other printed media to lessen the burden on the environment.
Even though we are a small team at Qi Aerista, we hope we can still make a difference in helping our environment.
Making tea may seem easy, but making that perfect cup consistently requires some work. Let Qi Aerista help you! Qi Aerista is an app-connected smart tea brewer that lets you hot brew, strong brew and even cold brew your favorite tea to perfection every time. Want more info? Check out our Facebook page now!
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The following is a translated excerpt:
Hong Kong-style milk tea and lemon tea are very popular among the young people, but it is difficult to make those at home with the right taste. Now a Hong Kong company has developed a smart tea maker that allows you to brew any type of tea, including milk tea and lemon tea. You can use the app to control the time, and after you place the tea powder or tea leaves in the tea pot, the tea will be ready within 10 minutes.
The company targets tea lovers from around the world and has attracted US $100k in investments from an accelerator program. They plan to launch a Kickstarter campaign in October (now should be November — Rick) with hopes to further promote Chinese tea and Hong Kong-style milk tea. — — — — Reporter Ashley Wu
Hong Kong-style milk tea has been listed as an intangible culture heritage in Hong Kong 2 years ago. According to the industry statistics, around 2 million cups of milk tea are consumed every day in Hong Kong, but milk tea lovers find it difficult to make their own brew at home. A former researcher in an electronics company sensed its great business potential and has spent over 3 years to research for a smart tea maker for brewing tea automatically.
Rick Ha, Managing Director at smart tea maker company Qi Aerista, is a Hong Kong-style milk tea lover himself and he hopes with this smart tea maker the smell, smoothness and richness of cafe-style milk tea can be brought home. He has partnered with nationally accredited tea taster in China to research on how to brew the tea automatically including everything from tea selection, brewing time to water-tea ratio.
6 Preset Tea Types, Tea Leaves & Powder Purchasable Through App
Users can use the app to set the brewing time. Then place the tea leaves or powder into the tea pot and choose the tea type among 6 preset programs such as Oolong, Lemon and Milk Tea. The tea will be ready within 10 minutes. Cold brewing function is also available. In addition, users can buy their favorite tea leaves or tea powder through the app.
How to choose the right tea powder or tea leaves? For milk tea, it is advised to use tea powder for more accentuated color and taste. For traditional tea brewing, it is suggested that tea leaves should be used for its stronger fragrance. Rick also points out that young people prefer milk tea and lemon tea to offer them relief from daily stress, while traditional tea like Oolong and Tieguanyin are more popular among middle-age tea lovers. This smart tea maker will be sold to tea lovers from around the world, but the company will adopt different strategies in different markets. For example, milk tea might be more popular in the East while traditional tea enjoys better reception in Western countries. The company is also talking to the local cafes on collaboration opportunities.
Price Point Similar to Mid-range Coffee Makers
There is a similar tea maker offered by a US company in the market. How will Qi Aerista differentiate itself? Rick says that product focuses on making traditional tea only and it has a small tea infuser that may not be suitable for tea types like Tieguanyin that would expand during brewing. What’s more, it is priced at US $1,299 (around HK $10k). In contrast, Qi Aerista offers more tea type selections and its price is more affordable and comparable to mid-range coffee makers. However, he refuses to reveal the final price and specifics on the current round of investments.
Qi Aerista has received an investment of US $100k (around HK $777k) from EnchantVC and joined its accelerator program to help the project establish connections with manufacturers and investors. Rick says a crowdfunding campaign for Qi Aerista will be launched on Kickstarter in October (now should be November — Rick). He also says they will exploit the current trends on IoT to develop a fully connected smart tea maker and further promote Chinese tea and Hong Kong-style milk tea.
Full article scan here:
Making tea may seem easy, but making that perfect cup consistently requires some work. Let Qi Aerista help you! Qi Aerista is an app-connected smart tea brewer that lets you hot brew, strong brew and even cold brew your favorite tea to perfection every time. Want more info? Check out our Facebook page now!
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