August 17, 2021
by Janelle Wazorick
Brewing tea has never been easier with Adagio’s
VelociTEA! It's a kettle, a teapot, and a timer combined into one single appliance.
Gone are the days of worrying about heating water to the correct temperature; say goodbye to forgetting to set a timer for the correct brew time; no more dirtying up extra teapots. As you embark on this new path of your tea journey, let’s take a look at this lean, clean, tea-making machine.
Parts of VelociTEA
Before you brew with your new VelociTEA, familiarize yourself with the kettle. There are four major parts.
• Lid: The lid fits on top of the kettle. It can be locked and unlocked from the kettle simply by rotating it when it is on the kettle.
• Infuser: The infuser is made up of two parts: the basket and a metal lid. The basket is round with a flattened side that lines up with the front and a handle that sticks out the back of the kettle for easy removal. The basket hangs down in the kettle for brewing. Both the infuser basket and lid are dishwasher safe.
• Glass Kettle: Where heating and brewing takes place, the Glass Kettle rests on the base during brewing and can be lifted off for pouring. On the side are measurement marking for Min (8oz), 12 oz, 32 oz, and Max (40 oz).
• Base: Where your kettle rests. There are six buttons on the base: five for brew settings for the types of tea and one “Heat Only” button. It also includes a cord that can be wrapped in a compartment underneath for easy storage.
Selecting the Right Tea Setting
Adagio’s VelociTEA has five preset setting buttons for brewing the major tea types. Note that the temperatures are in Fahrenheit. The buttons are marked:
• Green (165° for 2 minutes)
• White (180° for 3 minutes)
• Oolong (195° for 4 minutes)
• Black (212° for 5 minutes)
• Herbal (212° for 7 minutes)
These settings are general settings for brewing the various tea types, but you aren’t limited to using these settings for your tea type. In fact, there are teas that brew better with settings different from their type. For example, Chinese green teas, First Flush Darjeeling, and lighter oolongs brew best when they are brewed like white teas.
How to Brew Tea with VelociTEA
Ready to brew your first pot of VelociTEA tea? Pick out your favorite tea and follow the following steps.
1. Open the lid and remove the metal infuser inside the kettle by the back handle. Fill the kettle with the amount of water you want to brew, making sure to fill it above the Minimum level or below the Maximum level.
2. Lift the metal lid on the infuser. Add the amount of tea you want to brew following the recommendations on the tea packaging. Replace the infuser lid on the infuser, matching the flattened side of the lid to the infuser basket’s flattened side. Place the infuser basket in the kettle with the flat side facing the front of the kettle; the handle in the back should fit inside a slot in the back.
3. Replace the lid on the top of the kettle. Rotate the lid to lock it.
4. Press the button for the setting appropriate for the type of tea you are brewing. Please refer to the “Selecting the Right Tea Setting” section for additional help. The button you press will blink during the brewing process.
5. The kettle will begin to heat the water. Once the water has been heated to the right temperature, the kettle will beep.
6. Once the water reaches the right temperature, the brewing process will begin. Water will flow through a panel on the handle side of the kettle and pour through the infuser basket at the top of the kettle for the duration of the brewing time. When brewing is complete, the kettle will beep and the button you pressed will stop blinking and be solid.
7. Pour your tea into your favorite cup. The kettle will keep your tea warm for an hour.
8. To turn off the kettle, simply press the button for the setting you pressed. The light will turn off and the kettle will be off.
span style="font-style: italic;">What if I want to brew tea for a shorter amount of time?
Say you want to brew a pot of Earl Grey Bravo (which brews at 212° for 3 minutes), but the Black Tea setting brews tea for five minutes. How do you stop the brewing process? During Step 6, simply lift the kettle when you want the brewing to stop.
If you want to keep the tea warm, replace the kettle and press the setting button you pressed to turn it off; then, press the Heat Only button and the button corresponding to the setting you brewed the tea. Your tea will stay warm without additional brewing.
How to Heat Water Only
Only want to heat water so you can brew in a separate teapot? No problem! VelociTEA can also heat water without brewing tea.
1. Open the lid and remove the metal infuser inside the kettle by the back handle. Fill the kettle with the amount of water you want to brew, making sure to fill it above the Minimum level or below the Maximum level.
2. Replace the lid on the kettle and rotate it to lock into place.
3. Press the Heat Only button. Then press the setting/temperature that you want to heat the water. The light on the setting button will start to blink; the Heat Only button light will stay solid.
4. Once the water has reached the appropriate temperature, VelociTEA will beep once to indicate that the water has been heated. The light on the setting button will stop blinking and will be solid. The Heat Only button will no longer be lit.
5. Your water has been heated and will be kept warm for an hour.
Cleaning
Cleaning the kettle is important to maintain the kettle’s functionality and ensure the best future pots of tea.
Simply rinse the kettle out with water after use. Avoid getting the underside of the kettle wet. Then wipe down with a clean cloth. The metal infuser and infuser lid are dishwasher safe, but can also be cleaned by hand.
Author’s Preference: After brewing fragrant teas, I sometimes like to run the kettle with plain water on the green tea setting to clean the tube in the handle. This isn’t a requirement: just an extra precaution I like to take.
Monthly Maintenace: Descaling
If you notice white flakes in your water or brown spots at the bottom of the kettle, that means it’s time to descale.
As with any kettle, when water is boiled, minerals that were in the water (such as calcium and magnesium) are sometimes left behind, and there in the kettle they will stay until you descale it.
It's recommended to descale your VelociTEA once a month in order to maintain and keep your VelociTEA running smoothly.
This can be done with vinegar or descaling tablets.
To clean limescale with vinegar, simply fill the kettle with 1:1 ratio of water and vinegar. Leave the solution in the kettle for at least 20 minutes (overnight if you can).
Then pour out the vinegar/water solution and fill the kettle with water. Bring to a boil. Pour out the water and rise the inside of the kettle thoroughly. Scrub any remaining residue and rinse one last time.
To descale with
descaling tablets, fill the kettle to minimum capacity.
Drop a tablet in the water and wait for it to dissolve. Using the Heat Only button, set the kettle to either the Black or Herbal setting.
Let the water come to a boil and let it sit for 20 minutes after the kettle beeps. Pour the water out of the kettle. Add plain water, boil, and pour out the water to rinse. Repeat rinsing two more times.
For Heavy Build-Up: Either vinegar or descaling tablet solution may sit in the machine overnight. For very heavy build-up, more than one descaling tablet may need to be used and/or the process repeated several times.
Authors preference: As with the fragrant teas mentioned above, I also like to rinse out the kettle after descaling by running plain water through one of the brew cycles. Again, this is not a required step.
Additional Things to Keep in Mind
Before you brew teas in the VelociTEA, there are still a few final things to keep in mind.
• Teas not to brew with VelociTEA: While VelociTEA is great for brewing most kinds of straight and flavored tea, there are some teas not suited for VelociTEA brewing. Sweeteners should not be added to the kettle, and teas that include additional sweeteners (for example sprinkles) should not be brewed in the kettle.
Additionally, powdered teas (such as Matcha) should not be brewed in the kettle. However, the kettle can be used to heat water to brew those kinds of tea in a separate teapot or another brewing vessel like a
matcha bowl.
• Brew only with water! The only liquid that belongs in VelociTEA is water. Do not heat milk, cream, coffee, or any other liquid other than water in the VelociTEA.
• Preventing Limescale: To help prevent limescale, use distilled water instead of tap water and never leave water in the kettle when you’re done. Always clean out and empty the kettle after use.
