Both coffee and tea have existed for a long time, but why has technology been more pervasive in the evolution of coffee than in the evolution of tea? The Italian espresso machine revolutionized not only the taste of the beverage, but also the cafe experience. But why hasn’t the same evolution taken off for tea?
While some headway has been made with the likes of the teapressos, the technology revolution in tea hasn’t really quite taken off like the way the espresso machines did with coffee. This leads one to question whether the technology revolution in tea has died a premature death.
Two Singaporeans do not believe so. James and Yuchang, the energetic co-owners of Teyvika (a new tea room in Singapore) not only believe that a technological revolution is necessary for tea, but that it is far from dead. It has, in fact, only just begun.
While James and Yuchang are avid fans of the traditional Chinese tea-making approaches, they believe that such methods are imperfect since they are prone to human error and inconsistency. After all, tea varies even among tea masters. However, James and Yuchang were concerned that inconsistencies might be unpleasant for consumers as well as difficult for franchise businesses to accept. At the same time, they were not satisfied with existing technological tea-making solutions.
Unwilling to compromise on taste and yet insistent that a technological solution was necessary, James and Yuchang spent a considerable amount of time doing their own research and development. After a tedious, trial-and-error process over a year or so, the duo now believe they have found a way to brew the perfect cup of tea using the Teyvika machine, a one-of-a-kind tea-maker, which combines the Chinese kung-fu tea method with superior engineering.
One of the unique attributes of the Teyvika machine is that its extraction is based on a multiple- rather than single-brew approach. The machine extracts the essence from the tea leaves multiple times (the number of brews depending the type of tea leaves used, sometimes as many as five times), as prescribed by the Chinese kung-fu tea approach, a marked departure from the existing teapresso single-extraction method. This stems from James and Yuchang’s philosophy that multiple brews have the advantage of better control over the steeping time. This helps prevent the bitter-tasting tannins from emerging as a result of oversteeping.
Also built into the machine is the ability to customize the temperature of the water. This means that the Teyvika machine is able to cater to different optimal brewing temperatures for various tea leaves, from a high temperature for black teas to relatively low temperatures for green and delicate white teas. This is ideal for Teyvika’s wide selection of tea.
The Teyvika machine also has a distinctive aesthetic, breaking away from the typical espresso machine mold, through its unique elongated shape. The machine commands quite a presence in the teahouse. With its steel, modern exterior, one really wouldn’t have known that its roots and inspiration came from the Chinese tea-making approach!
My afternoon at Teyvika was quite an experience. It was fascinating to watch, for the first time, how the Teyvika machine worked, and to listen to the thought process behind the wonderful creation. While I am sure there are tea fans out there who do not believe a technological approach is a necessarily superior way of making tea, the Teyvika machine did nevertheless open up a world where technology could potentially create limitless possibilities in our understanding of tea – from how we make tea to how tea tastes to the environment in which we drink and appreciate tea. I do hope this spurs new and creative ideas towards the art and science of tea-making!
On a side note, for those keen in the Teyvika experience, make space for some of their ice-blended teas or their Masala Chai Rooibos. It was a pleasant surprise for me to have an ice-blend that was not loaded with sugar syrup and a chai tea latte in which you could actually taste the essence of the rooibos tea. The tearoom exudes a bright and cheerful atmosphere, which is great for afternoon tea with your friends. Do enjoy the posters on the wall with slogans such as “Say no to tea bags today” and “Insist on civil liberties: a cup of tea today.” Teyvika is located at 97 Amoy Street in Singapore.
Leading the technology revolution in tea: Singapore’s Teyvika
Sounds like a very interesting device. I’ll look forward to Diane Walden’s feedback about this brewer. She has developed a commercial, rapid tea brewer for tea shops. I think such devices are needed in this environment where everyone wants things immediately. I also like the control that this device from Teyvika offers. People often make mistakes with time and temperature which, as you know, negatively impacts the taste of the tea. Also, the ability to re steep multiple infusions is cost efective and highly desirable. I’d like to see a home brewer as well, for those times when we’re in a rush and can’t take the time to enjoy the entire ritual of tea.
Hi Michelle,
This is James here from Teyvika. On another note, the short multiple steeping times, from our taste experiments actually helps brings out the subtler notes of that particular type of tea. We are not entirely sure why this is the case from a chemistry point of view but we have had tea suppliers not recognizing the taste of their tea after brewing their tea samples via our machine (which uses the multi-brew process). This is especially so for pure mint tisane and some blends of English Breakfast tea.
I really like the idea of adapting the water temperature! Too many times I’ve gone to a cafe and they poured boiling water from the steamer straight onto green or white leaves! It’s painful to see a nice tea wrecked like that!
Curious about the time involved to get a completed infusion, or I missed reading it. Would it be a standard traditional steeping time and the advantage is that they believe the infusion tastes better?
Hi Diane,
I am one of the Co-Founders of Teyvika and the inventor of the machine. Sorry for the late response. The brewing time in all still takes 3 min 30 sec. The total time is from a multi-brew process so as to try and ensure that the flavours from that set of tea leaves are exhausted as much as possible.
The time saved only comes from bringing the water to the defined temperature and dispensing of it. As of now, we have not tested options like agitating the tea leaves during the brewing process in hope to reduce the total brewing time. Hence, I will say that the total brewing time is still relatively long as compared to coffee.
The other advantage is control of the amount of water dispensed in proportion to the tea leaves. This will help ensure that the final tea beverage will not be too strong or too light each time, every time.
I have been to three Chinese tea universities and have been unable to get scientific data about the use of different temperatures to brew different teas. Does any exist or is it only just opinions based on hearsay??
After extensive and intensive research I have come to the conclusion that Chinese tea culture is based on Chinese tea culture adn that is far more important than brewing the tea scientifically.
Tea cannot be brewed scientifically based on Chinese tea culture because there is no scientific research to support it
Hi Ian,
As for us, we are really just hoping to achieve some sort of consistency, taste and flavour wise, by using science to help point us towards a general direction. Just like how coffee brewing is very much about respecting the proportion, grind, steeping temperature and time. All these are controlled via the coffee grinder and the machine to ensure a certain threshold of consistency. We are hoping to do the same with tea but the major challenge here is that tea can be brewed in many forms while coffee only in the powdered form hence greatly increasing the various permutations of brewing tea via a machine.
Chanced upon Teyvika and am sad to discover that they’re no longer operating. Am hoping to get a hold of them and their teas. Could anybody help to connect?