Page 1 of 1

tea for iphone

Posted: Jun 10th, '11, 03:15
by m147
i came across this app http://teaapp.com/ looking for timers for iphone suitable for tea brewing, because the native iphone timer app is bunk (allows only 1min increments).

i quite like it. you can enter in your tea by name, brand, type, and how much of it you have. then adjust brewing parameters by leaf volume (in various measurements), temperature (C/F), water volume (various), steeping time and so on. it also keeps track of subsequent infusions as well as new brews, it then recalculates the stock of that particular tea. it claims that it has brewing recommendations for over 200 teas, but i am yet to find this feature. once you enter in your tea it does show different steep times and leaf volume, so maybe this is it.

any of you have tried this app out? what do you think?

Re: tea for iphone

Posted: Jun 10th, '11, 10:51
by JRS22
I purchased it for my Itouch after some correspondence with the author. He promised an ujpdate with some significant features that currently make this an awkward app for my use. The biggest issue for me is that while the app provides for notes for each subsequent infusion it does not provide for different times for each infusion. That means that it doesn't replace my notebook yet. I'm still hopeful that there will be an update.

Re: tea for iphone

Posted: Jun 10th, '11, 11:41
by m147
JRS22 wrote:I purchased it for my Itouch after some correspondence with the author. He promised an ujpdate with some significant features that currently make this an awkward app for my use. The biggest issue for me is that while the app provides for notes for each subsequent infusion it does not provide for different times for each infusion. That means that it doesn't replace my notebook yet. I'm still hopeful that there will be an update.
what do you mean doesn't provide for different times for each subsequent infusion? do you mean you cannot change the steeping time for later infusions? i am able to do so. when you click on the particular tea you are currently drinking, it asks if you want a new brew or next infusion, click on next infusion, then click on the time to the left and readjust, then click brew. then you can click the history function to show you all the recent infusions you have done, each with the different time and notes. you can readjust any of the brew setting for each subsequent infusion.

if it's something else you are talking about i don't know.

Re: tea for iphone

Posted: Jun 10th, '11, 15:43
by JRS22
I'll test your method and then repost. I wanted the app to retain the information from one session to the next. I drink a lot of different teas and I remember that the history function was a bit awkward, but I could be wrong. I did write to the developer about this, as a suggestion, and he said he would try to include it in the next update.

Re: tea for iphone

Posted: Jun 10th, '11, 18:06
by JRS22
Somehow I never noticed the history button at the bottom of the info screen for each individual tea, so thanks for pointing that out to me. I would go to the history button on the main screen, and scroll down through all the different teas to the one I was interested in.

Now that I have an Ipad that works with my old bluetooth keyboard I just may load my tea inventory into this app. I'll still hope for the promised update, but this is way better than a notebook, and the chime is so pleasant compared to the buzzer on my digital timer.

Re: tea for iphone

Posted: Jun 11th, '11, 07:13
by m147
JRS22 wrote:Somehow I never noticed the history button at the bottom of the info screen for each individual tea, so thanks for pointing that out to me. I would go to the history button on the main screen, and scroll down through all the different teas to the one I was interested in.

Now that I have an Ipad that works with my old bluetooth keyboard I just may load my tea inventory into this app. I'll still hope for the promised update, but this is way better than a notebook, and the chime is so pleasant compared to the buzzer on my digital timer.
yes i quite like this app. but maybe similar to you, i had to get used to it first. i hope he includes new features in the next update. the chime is quite nice, but sometimes i miss it if i am listening to music or watching movies, then again i think that happened only once. i would like to see some more sounds in the next update. you could also check out this app called 'infusion'. it's not as feature rich as 'tea' it doesn't let you keep track of stock, different infusions, but it does have a list of many popular teas you can choose from, brewing suggestions and even a short blurb of information on the particular tea. if the features of these two apps could be fused, it would be great!!

haha, i just realised, 'tea for iphone' is somehow affiliated with adagio teas. on the website they advertise '10% off your order: adagio teas'. i wonder how you can get this discount.

Re: tea for iphone

Posted: Jun 11th, '11, 08:26
by JRS22
Adagio advertises on a lot of web sites. Just click on the ad and you'll be taken to Adagio with a 10% coupon in your cart.

I don't find standard advice useful so the other app isn't what I'm looking for. I want the stock and infusion history specific to the tea, harvest year and supplier. If the developer does a little more work on this app it would have everything on my wish list. Right now the alternative would be to build my own database if I'm prepared to buy that software.

Re: tea for iphone Updated

Posted: Oct 29th, '11, 10:42
by JRS22
The developer of the Tea app recently released an update that does enough on my wish list to make this a replacement for my notebook for most teas. Now it keeps a record of the time and temperature information for each infusion. When you choose 'brew' for a given tea after the first infusion it asks you if it's a fresh infusion or the next infusion and takes you directly to the relevant steeping parameters.

There's more to the app but I wanted to post that my big complaints about the app have been taken care of. I use it for everything but sample collections like the OTTIs. Also, the developer is working on version 2, so there's more in store for users.

Re: tea for iphone

Posted: Jun 21st, '13, 16:37
by JRS22
Update - version 2 was just released with some unexpected new features. Since I last posted about this app (just a happy user with no connection to the developer) I developed a serious case of teaware affective disorder. It's impossible for me to remember the volume of each teapot, Hobin, gaiwan, Kyusu etc. Now when I'm setting the parameters for a tea I can bring up my teaware inventory, point to pot and the app fills in the volume. Same when I'm switching pots - the app fills in the volume and with another click it recalculates the amount of tea. Another important new feature is that as I'm drinking tea if I want to brew that infusion differently next time I can set it up immediately. Very important with my fading memory.