Tea Infuser - Brewing On The Go

         

People often ask for a simple way to brew loose-leaf Chinese tea. Often the answer is more complicated than most bargain for. Tea infusion is an art form that cannot be simply directed.

Xian Cha is a self-heating portable tea infuser designed for Chinese tea lovers on the move. The prototype is designed by National University of Singapore Division of Industrial Design (NUSDID) graduate Lin Lin Qiuxia and industrial design undergraduate Yang Yang.

Tea infuser and flask rolled into one

Minimalistic in aesthetic and compact, the flask is convenient to carry around, which allows one to enjoy freshly brewed Chinese tea anywhere. A transparent body allows the user to visually enjoy the traditional tea-making process in real-time. A rechargeable built-in heating element ensures hot water is always available for up to 78 to 90 degrees Celsius, the most suitable temperature for Chinese tea.

The inner component of the two-part filter accommodates an attachment for the tea bag and a rotatable outer mobile ring for compressing the tea bag. Additional space in the flask allows the tea leaves to steep better in water and makes cleaning easier. With a simple turn of the ring, one can control and customise the timing that would produce the optimal tea density to taste and prevents an over-brewing situation.

Transparent body allows visible brewing process

Not only does the double-wall glass protects the user from the heat, the frosted-to-clear gradient allows one to observe the origami tea bags unfolding and the tea leaves diffusing in the water. The user can drink from the lid or serve the tea with the bottle cap inspired by the form of a Chinese teacup, thus restoring the traditional experience of tea serving.

Xian Cha is awarded the Red Dot Award 2019, the global authority for professional design concepts and prototypes.  Companies, design studios, research institutions and designers from 48 countries submitted 4,218 design concepts, design research projects and prototypes to the Red Dot Award: Design Concept. 212 concepts were awarded the Red Dot Award in 2020 in Singapore.

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