Q: Where can I purchase Zarafina® replacement parts and accessories? A: You can purchase replacement parts and accessories by clicking here
Q: Where can I purchase Zarafina® collectible tea cups? A: You can purchase collectible tea cups by clicking here
Q: How many cups of tea does the Zarafina® Tea steep? A: The Zarafina® tea maker steeps up to two cups or 16 oz of tea per steeping cycle.
Q: What does the Zarafina® tea maker come with? A: The Zarafina® Tea maker comes with two ceramic tea cups, an artfully designed tea pot and serving tray.
Q: Which kind of teas you can steep with the Zarafina® tea maker suite? A: You can steep any kind of black, oolong, green, white and herbal tea with the Zarafina® tea maker suite. Every kind of tea will be steeped respecting the ideal union of time and temperature, depending on the tea used.
Q: Does it steep both bagged and loose tea? A: The Zarafina® Tea maker suite steeps both loose and bagged tea with equal ease and precision.
Q: Can you select the strength of tea? A: Yes, you can select to steep your tea strong, medium or mild. The steeping time will change according to your strength preferences.
Q: How do I turn the Zarafina® tea maker on? A: To turn the Zarafina® tea maker on push up the On/Cancel toggle button located on the left hand side of the unit. The On/Green Leaf indicator light located on the front of the unit will turn on.
Q: Why does the infuser basket float on top of the water? A: The infuser basket will initially float on top of the water once you place it into the steeping chamber to assure that the tea will get in contact with the water only once the water gets heated.
Q: How does the floating infuser basket sink? What technology does this use? A: By using a bi-metal valve in the bottom of the infuser. It is a temperature sensing valve that opens when the water heats up.
Q: Is there any problem with making one pot of tea after another? Will this speed up the process? A: Making consecutive pots of tea is not a problem and will not speed up the steeping process.
Q: Can I use warm or hot water to speed up the process? A: It is not recommended. For best results please use cool fresh water.
Q: Do you have to keep the lid of the tea pot on for dispensing? A: Yes, for best results.
Q: Do I have to use the infuser even for bagged tea? A: For optimal results and easier clean up, it is recommended that the infuser is used every time you steep tea.
Q: How do I steep bagged tea? A: Your Zarafina® hot tea maker has a convenient string cutter located in the handle of the infuser basket. After cutting the strings, the tea bags can be placed into the infuser basket for steeping.
Q: How I can I use the Zarafina® ceramic tray? A: The Zarafina® ceramic tray has been designed to accommodate the unit on your counter and to be used as a serving tray. Just place your cups and tea pots on it and use it to share tea with close friends and family.
Q: How much tea should I use?
Q: How do I remove the tea leafs from the infuser basket? A: For best results rinse the infuser basket under running water
Q: When cleaning, is it okay to pop off the bottom of the infuser basket and remove the metal plate? A: Yes, it is preferred. Be sure to reassemble the metal plate and bottom of the infuser basket.
Q: What parts of the Zarafina® are dishwasher safe? A: The ceramic pieces, the infuser basket/lid, and steeping chamber lid are top rack dishwasher safe. The steeping chamber itself should be washed by hand with a mild detergent.
Q: What’s the best way to buy teas?
Q: What is the best way to store tea? A: The elements of light, heat, odor, and moisture can seriously impact the great flavor of any tea, so we’ve done a lot of the work for you by packaging Zarafina® teas in our elegant tins to keep them fresh.
Q: Does water selection matter? A: Decidedly so. While some lucky cities have excellent tap water, most of them do not, so it’s advisable to use high-quality, bottled spring water as your first choice; filtered or purified water as your second choice, and tap water is the choice of last resort.
Q: How do I choose the right pot or cup? A: Choose what you love! Part of the pleasure of tea drinking is choosing accessories based on what looks good to you, how a cup feels in your hand, the weight and comfort of a pot as you serve guests. A pretty pot and a lovely cup do as much to enhance the experience as the quality of water and tea, and it’s easy to see why tea drinkers love to collect pots and cups.
Q: How much tea should I use? A: The smaller the leaves the less tea is necessary; the larger the leaves the more tea you should use. The reason? Smaller, denser leaves offer more flavor. When in doubt, start with one rounded dinnerware teaspoon for six ounces of water. Taste. Adjust the quantity for the next cup, if necessary. If you have a gram measuring tool, use 3 grams for 6 ounces or 180 ml of water.
Q: How should I steep your teas? A: Zarafina® Brand offers a limited but very select choice of four fabulous teas plus one exotic herbal tisane. Each requires different brewing times, and directions are listed on each tin so you can always be confident of choosing the right water temperature and steeping time to use. “Steep to taste” means that we offer you a guideline, a benchmark that we believe brings out the flavor of our teas best. However, your palate should always be your guide, so if you desire less or more flavor, adjust the steep time accordingly. Although each tea requires different steeping time and temperature, the Zarafina® Tea Maker takes the guesswork out and steeps each tea at the ideal time and temperature. Just sit back and enjoy!
Q: How can I tell what the temperature of the water is? A: A candy thermometer is an excellent tool to gauge the water temperature, but you don’t really need one. Instead, follow the expertise of the ancient Chinese. Use your eyes to watch an open pot of water. As it heats, watch for teeny tiny bubbles forming around the edge of the pot; that means the water is just right for brewing white or green teas.
Q: Which of your teas can be iced? A: All of them! Brew according to the directions, let the tea cool then pour over ice and serve. To avoid excess dilution from ice cubes, use frozen cubes of juice or teas instead.
Q: How much caffeine do your teas have? A: The range of caffeine content is broad (8 to 120 mg) and no matter what anyone tells you, every single tea is different and can be different from season to season because it is a plant/food product subject to the variables of weather, soil condition etc... Bottom line is: tea has less caffeine per cup than coffee because a pound of tea always makes you more cups... so it spreads itself out, so to speak. And let’s not forget that herbal infusions like the Zarafina® Osmanthus have not caffeine at all!
Q: Why is the caffeine present in tea different than in coffee? A: Many factors that contribute to how much caffeine is in a cup of tea: soil, altitude, and the varietals of the tea plant itself. In addition, the processing skills used to make teas white, green, oolong, and black, can mean many fluctuations in the caffeine content. In some cases, greens can actually have more caffeine than blacks! The more important fact to know is that tea actually contains several elements of the xanthine family of stimulants: caffeine (aka theine), theobromine, and theophylline. All are present in tiny amounts. As a group, they are absorbed in the body in a more gentle way than the jarring impact that coffee’s caffeine is. Theophylline acts as a very mild diuretic and theophylline has, for centuries, been used to treat those with breathing difficulties caused by bronchitis, asthma, and emphysema, because it helps to relax the muscles that control our breathing. Together, these stimulants have the ironic impact of keeping the brain alert, relaxing the body, and providing energy. Ancient texts from India, China, Korea and Japa relating to Buddhist Monks all indicate that the tea was used by the Monks and they continue to do so today!
Q: Can I decaffeinate your teas myself? A: Absolutely. To remove caffeine quickly and easily, while retaining the delicious flavor of our teas, pour hot water over the teas, wait 30 seconds only, then discard that water. Pour hot water over the leaves once more, brew as usual, or slightly longer, and enjoy! The tea will taste milder yet the true character of the tea will remain. (Concerned about discarding that first steeping? Pour it into the pots of your indoor plants; they love it! Save the leaves, too; put on your compost or on the earth surrounding any plant as excellent mulch.)
Q: Where do your teas come from? A: All “true teas” come from one of three main varietals of the same plant: Camellia sinensis, a relative of the flowering camellia that, left unharvested, can grow upwards of 30 feet high. To harvest teas easily, tea plantation managers allow the ‘tree’ to grow only about three feet high and the leaves are harvested at least twice a year, in some cases several times. This repeated harvesting helps to keep the bush lush and full. All our true teas are hand plucked to obtain the precious top two leaves and leaf bud, except the white tea which is made from leaf buds only in the traditional Chinese way. Our oolong comes from Taiwan, the People’s Republic of China; our green tea comes from Japan, our black and white teas come from Mainland China, and our herbal also comes from China.
Q: What are they health benefits of teas? A: In recent years, hundreds of studies have been published about the potential benefits of tea. Most highlight the antioxidants found naturally in tea (and in coffee, fruits, and vegetables.) Antioxidants are the “good guys” in our bodies that help fight disease by eliminating or defusing free radicals. Free radicals are the “bad guys” that attack good cells, create havoc with our immune system, and can be the first steps in our developing such diseases as cancer. While the antioxidants, and polyphenols or catechins, available in tea can be excellent, health-giving properties, they are not a substitute for eating three to five servings of fresh fruit and veggies a day. Tea should be considered a healthful (and delicious) addition to a balanced diet.
Q: How much tea do I need to drink to get its healthful benefits? A: HUNDREDS OF STUDIES, PARTICULARLY AT CASE WESTERN RESERVE IN OHIO, IN JAPAN, IN UK AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS THROUGHOUT THE US AND EUROPE HAVE BEEN RELEASED ESPECIALLY DURING THE LAST TEN YEARS AVERRING THAT TEA IS A HEALTHFUL BEVERAGE, PARTICULARLY BECAUSE OF ITS ANTIOXIDANTS, HOWEVER, TEA IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR ADDING VEGETABLES AND FRUITS TO YOUR DIET. Yet, we believe the most important reason to drink teas is for the pleasure it provides. Taking the time to select, prepare, and savor tea is a ritual that is even more important than its antioxidant properties. It’s an inexpensive, easy way to be good to yourself. And, sharing the ritual of tea drinking with friends and family is a marvelous way to extend the enjoyment. So, whether you drink tea for its meditative qualities to relax the body and stimulate creativity or for its role as a wonderful way to socialize with others, let its fragrance, its beauty, its delicious flavor be a vital part of each and every day.
Q: Are your teas kosher? A: Yes. In fact, all teas, both true teas and herbals, are kosher because the leaves come from plants which are naturally kosher. Flavorings, however, can be non-kosher. To earn the (K) symbol for kosher products, however, food and beverage companies must pay a fee to have their products certified by the KSA (Kosher Supervision of America) on a regular basis and because our line is relatively small, we have chosen not to do that at this time.
Q: Why is my Zarafina® Hot TeaMaker not heating the water? A: It is possible that the connector on the bottom of your steeping chamber may have come in contact with water. This is where the connector for the heater is located. In the future, we advise using caution when washing your steeping chamber, taking care not to immerse it or have the connector come in contact with water. Please contact us at 1-800-ZARA TEA with any questions regarding this issue.
Cleaning Cap now available for your convenience, if your product did not include the cleaning cap, please contact us to order one. You can either call 1-877-ZARA-TEA (1-877-927-2823), or click on the contact us on the top left of this page, enter your information and we will mail you one.
Q: Why doesn’t my Zarafina® Hot Tea Maker have any power? A:
Q: Why is my Zarafina® tripping my breaker? A: It is possible that the connector on the bottom of your steeping chamber may have come in contact with water. This is where the connector for the heater is located. Please contact us at 1-800-ZARA TEA with any questions regarding this issue. In the future, we advise using caution when washing your steeping chamber, taking care not to immerse it or have the connector come in contact with water.
