triniTEA

[earlgreyfan]

Thanks Lana! I made sure the spring release would move freely, unplugged the Trinitea and plugged it back in, and it works now. I am enjoying my first pot of Lady Grey.

However, I noticed that the size cups I use are larger than the cups that are measured in the caraffe, and definitely larger than the cup measures in the water holder on top. Now all I have to do is figure out how to measure the tea for four cups (which is a little over three of my cups), but then that is really a matter of individual taste.

I think I am going to like the Trinitea; my only problem now is whether to take it to work or leave it at home.

earlgreyfan

[sevendust62]

I imagine there is an equation for this buried somewhere in thermodynamics....but I haven't touched general chemistry for some years!

You don't need thermodynamics. Since both the hot water and cold water are the exact same chemically (they come from the same tap), you can just average the two temperatures together, without worrying about what their compositions are. You need to take into account the two different amounts of hot and cold, but you don't need specific heat (How much heat, in Joules, it takes to raise the temperature of a substance by a certain number of degrees Celsius) or anything else like that. Here's a formula:

Final temperature = [(amount of hot * temperature of hot) + (amount of cold * temperature of cold)] / (total amount of hot and cold water)

You know your final temperature, the total amount of water, the two individual temperatures, and you know that the two individual amounts summed equal the total amount. So just solve for your two individual amounts.

This is simply averaging the two temperatures together, taking into account the different amounts of water. In technical terms, it is a "weighted average".

Specific heat (again, Joules need to raise temp a certain number of deg C) is only needed when combining two different substances. This is because you need to use each of their individual specific heats with their individual temperatures (degrees Celsisus) to find their individual Joules (heat). Then, you sum up the two different numbers of Joules to find total heat, and then you have to find the specific heat of the two combined substances, and then find the total temperature from that. All the while, you have to keep in mind the amounts of the two substances. This is complex thermodynamics.

But since the hot water and cold water have exactly the same specific heat (because they are the same substance), their temperatures are proportional to their heat in exactly the same proportions, so averaging Joules will yield the same thing as averaging degrees. So you can use the afforementioned formula to just do a weighted average of temperature!

[sevendust62]

How do I know this? My AP (college level) chemistry course just completed the introductory thermodynamics chapter.

Then, later, come more in depth chapters on thermodynamics (yay!) and then, in college, I can take physical chemistry, "p-chem", which all about thermodynamics, and it is every chemist's nightmare! My mother is a chemist, and when she took p-chem, she got a grade near the top of the class: a C. She passed the course, but she really didn't know why, because she didn't think she had understood a single thing. LOL

[Luckys Geist]

Questions:

Is it UL listed?
Is there an auto shutoff for the warming plate?
How can a person get replacement parts such as a carafe?
Is the filter fine enough to keep a fine tea, like rooibos in its place?

Thanks!

[Estariol]

I can't answer your questions 1-3, but the filter has been fine enough for me to do loose-leaf (loose twig?) rooibos and some yerba mate I have that is nearly a powder. I've been surprisingly pleased with the effectiveness of the filter.

By the way, thanks to sevendust62 for the thermo help. I was trying to remember if I needed to bring specific heat into the equation.

[Estariol]

So, basically, the amount of water you take out of the boiling chamber and put directly into the steeping chamber is based on your room temperature. After some fun with Excel, I figured out how much to take out to get 180'F water in the steeping chamber:
If your room temp is:
70'F = 22.5%
60'F = 21%
50'F = 20%
40'F = 18.5%

So basically, if you take out 1/5 of the water you plan to steep with, you'll end up with 180'F water in the steeping chamber. It might be easier to remember and work with if you put just under 1/4 of the water in the steeping chamber.

For example: You plan to brew 16 oz of tea. You put 12.8 oz (just over a cup and a half) in the top and 3.2 oz (the rest, or just under half a cup) in the steeping chamber.

Some useful conversions if people want precision:
1 oz = 2 tbsp
1 oz = 6 tsp
8 oz = 1 cup

Isn't science fun?

[HunTEAng]

I got a TrinTEA for Christmas and use it at work. It doesn't take up too much space in my prairie dog hole (aka cubicle). Not sure if it conforms to company code, but other people have dorm fridges in thier office. I got a tea maker. They want tea, we can trade for beer.
I just dump my leaves and excess tea at the end of the day and wipe everything clean with a paper towel, which is more than I do with my tea cup.

[deepskycm]

Has anybody used this wonderful looking tea maker? How does it work? It looks like it has a basket and two pots... Does it steep in the top of the machine or the top pot? Does it drop down after the time allotted? Does it have temperature settings for green and white teas? Is there a demo video somewhere? Okay that's all I have for now...

where's the photo....thanks

[garden gal]

https://www.adagio.com/teaware/triniTEA.html

It is out of stock at the moment though. They are in the process of making a new and improved version with temp settings and such. I got the old one and love it but can't wait for the new one, too.

[Al]

Is anyone that bought his having any problems with it?

Mine still works relatively well, but when the I remove the steeping basket, I get a huge puddle of water that drips down from the top boiler section. Its not a huge deal, just annoying.

[klemptor]

Bummer - now no triniTEA until October.

[avhed]

I know a lot more people would like this tea maker if the steeping container is glass, so everbody write in to Adagio!!!

[fireham]

I just got for Christmas, one of the newer ones. it's smaller than the old one I think. Also it has 2 temp controls. Basically high and low.

Having only had regular "hot tea" from the big chain tea sellers (you know the ones found in the big box stores), and chai concentrates, I'm lovin having this make the tea correctly for me, and getting to use sooo many different types, purchased as loose leaf.

Reading through some of the posts, I keep seeing people mention cleanup being a problem. I only had that happen once.

Solution?

don't use the little cup. use the empty tea bags you can order by the box. Put your tea in the bag (I staple mine shut, wish there was a little clippy thing for it) and that's it. nothing loose to clean up.

Just brew, dump, rinse, dry & make a new pot with a new bag of tea.

Like my TriniTea well enough, contemplating getting a 2nd one to put on my desk at work.

David.