

TeaBOT (YC S15) Makes Customized Cups of Tea with the Touch of a Button - katm
https://blog.ycombinator.com/teabot-yc-s15-makes-customized-cups-of-tea-with-the-touch-of-a-button

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teaBOT
Thanks Kat! Hi HN, I'm one of the founders of teaBOT and I'm happy to answer
questions you might have about our tea robot!

Rehman

~~~
fennecfoxen
_sigh_ I suppose it's _probably_ unrealistic to hope for separate first-flush
and second-flush Darjeeling blends...

~~~
chippy
I think this is for grab and go - they have a variety of huge ready made
filter coffee flasks in many US cafes / universities. It's not the same as a
gourmet artisan well made timed tea... but I really hope that it improves the
general awareness of tea in general.

I'm not an employee of the company, I'm just a huge tea nerd.

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cstross
Or you could just buy a Sage Tea Maker and keep it on your desk/in your
kitchen (hint: I did, it works great):

[http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sage-Heston-Blumenthal-Maker-
Litre/d...](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sage-Heston-Blumenthal-Maker-
Litre/dp/B00CI32S5M/)

(They're available in the USA but in a reversal of the normal state of affairs
they cost more than in the UK. Oh, and Amazon.co.uk aren't the cheapest
retailer for them; just the first that came to hand.)

~~~
Renaud
That's not really the same thing, you are comparing a fancy hot water pot with
an automated tea maker that holds actual tea and can blend it in individual
cups.

Producing hot water at the right temperature is not the complex part here, in
the Far East people have been using water boilers that keep a set temperature
for ages. It's in every home and every office.

[http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00133WML8/](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00133WML8/)

~~~
cstross
You didn't read the specs on the Sage Tea Maker; it has a motorized infusion
basket and can be programmed for different infusion times, whether to immerse
once or repeatedly dip, and different brew temperatures. Not just a "fancy hot
water pot".

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slvv
I'm a big tea drinker and would love to see more high quality loose teas
available for grab & go. However, I would not be as likely to use TeaBOT if I
couldn't use my own reusable cup. Do you have any plans to produce and/or
market reusable cups to work with the machine, with the (seemingly) popular
filter lid?

(I'd also rather be able to control the steeping time, but I get that that's
hard to manage in a to go situation.)

~~~
teaBOT
Amazing feedback! We hope to allow reusable travel mugs (not yet though).
We've been debating this internally, but it's great to hear it from a
customer. Would you (or do you) carry a travel mug?

~~~
slvv
Yes, I do carry a travel mug - specifically one with a removable filter for
loose tea. (I actually also have a model where the internal loose-tea-holding-
pod can be retracted from the water with a little lever! I think that one's
made by Aladdin.)

The university campus where I work, and the city I live in, are both extremely
pro-reusable cup, and most places give you a small discount when you use one
too.

(ETA Ugh it looks like this thread got killed, annoying.)

~~~
teaBOT
Great feedback; thanks. May I ask what city you'd suggest this for?

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slvv
Canadian west coast! Vancouver & Victoria.

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teaBOT
Perfect. We love it there. We've already been scoping it out if you check our
Twitter feed :)

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freddier
I tried this at Coupa Cafe. It's really clever. The lid in the cup has a
filter, so it can brew while staying inmediate and portable.

I got Earl Grey + Lavender. Cheap and great. I kept the filter lid :)

~~~
argumentum
Is it still at Coupa? I would love to try it.

~~~
teaBOT
Yes, the Coupa Café in downtown Palo Alto. Let us know where else you'd like
to see a teaBOT and thanks for trying it!

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Tifis
I just tested the bot at Coupa Café in Palo Alto. I'm from Colombia, and all
my colombian credit cards were decined but at the end, my local CC was
accepted. I took a pic:
[https://instagram.com/p/5h993iw_hk/](https://instagram.com/p/5h993iw_hk/) and
I was very happy. I'm a tea geek, and I loved the concept. Wish you the best,
guys !!

@tifis

~~~
teaBOT
Thank you for the feedback. We're so glad you enjoyed it! Sorry it didn't
accept your Colombian credit card. We'll work on it. I know it accepts Apple
Pay if that helps.

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jameshk
Teabot is awesome! The Tea is fantastic, and the little touches like the
filter lids make it delightful!

Rooibos + Bamboo + Lavender = :)

~~~
teaBOT
Thanks James! I can't say I've even tried that combination yet. I'll try it
today :)

~~~
jameshk
Ottawa needs a Teabot. I may just need to buy 10 square feet of high-traffic
space :)

~~~
teaBOT
Toronto's not far away ;) But I agree, the nation's capital deserves a teaBOT.

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finkin1
How do you remove the tea in order to prevent over-brewing? It seems like you
are highlighting tisanes, which can pretty much be brewed forever. Almost all
actual tea (Camellia sinensis) needs to be brewed for a specific amount of
time otherwise it can taste bitter.

~~~
chippy
gotta chug the tea, it's grab and go and chug!

~~~
finkin1
you can't really chug hot liquids...

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yurisagalov
I just want to go up to it and say: "Tea. Early Gray. Hot."

Can I do that? :-)

~~~
teaBOT
You may not be able to, but Patrick Stewart can :)

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tyingq
Father Guido Sarducci would be proud. "Just add water, and Mr. Tea does the
rest!". Shame the video isn't anywhere I can find it.

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teaBOT
Video is on the www.teaBOT.com website.

~~~
tyingq
The video of the Father Guido Sarducci "Mr Tea" skit from Saturday Night Live?
Thinking probably not :)

~~~
teaBOT
Oh, sorry. Wrong video.

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loceng
Did you go to YC because you couldn't find money here in Toronto?

~~~
teaBOT
Not at all. We love our Toronto investors and are looking forward to launching
there in the fall.

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melloclello
Blimey, it's a Teasmade for 2015

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anacondasteel
where do you source the tea from?

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tlackemann
This reminds me too much of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

~~~
strick
"When the Drink button was pressed it made an instant but highly detailed
examination of the subject's taste buds, a spectroscopic analysis of the
subject's metabolism and then sent tiny experimental signals down the neural
pathways to the taste centers of the subject's brain to see what was likely to
go down well. However, no one knew quite why it did this because it invariably
delivered a cupful of liquid that was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike
tea."

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sbashyal
Shame less plug: Dear tea lovers on HN, I am from Nepal - home to some of the
best organic tea [1] grown in the foothills of Himalayas. I have been thinking
about starting Candy Japan [2] like subscription service but for Nepali tea.
Would you be interested? Please e-mail me if you would like to help me start
this. sbashyal@gmail.com

[1] [http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/from-assam-to-
oolong...](http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/from-assam-to-oolong-north-
american-tea-championship-names-the-16-best-hot-teas-300052588.html) [2]
[http://www.candyjapan.com/candy-japan-
crosses-10000-mrr](http://www.candyjapan.com/candy-japan-crosses-10000-mrr)

~~~
sbashyal
I have already received a few emails showing interest and I am committed to
make this happen. Send me an e-mail today showing interest and I will ship an
assorted pack of premium Nepali tea for free for the first month (early
September).

