The new BRU tea brewing machine, which debuted on KickstarterOct. 1, brews “the perfect cup of tea at the push of a button.” BogdanKrinitchko, the founder of the Zurich, Switzerland-based company and inventorof the BRU, combined his experience as an electro-mechanical and roboticsengineer with his love of tea to create an efficient brewing device for themodern consumer. BRU has controls for temperature, brew time and cup size andcan brew any bagged or loose-leaf tea.
Krinitchko decided to merge the preparation ease and simplicity of a capsule brewing machine with the traditional tea brewing process, “because I know a proper tea has to brew; you can’t change that fact,” he said. After developing a few prototypes over the course of more than two years, he and his industrial design team designed the BRU and patented it. “I just wanted to provide a nice, good looking machine that simplifies the tea making process, but without changing it,” Krinitchko said.
To brew tea in a BRU, one just has to fill the two litertank on the back of the machine, place tea inside of the top portion of themachine and close the lid; then place a cup on the drip tray, and use the dialon the front to customize temperature, brewing time and water quantity, and pressstart.
The BRU eliminates the need for tea kettles that are oftenoverfilled with water, which is boiled and re-boiled. BRU is ecofriendlybecause it conserves water and does not require single use plastic capsuleslike a capsule brewing machine.
Krinitchko calls BRU “the ultimate tea machine” because in addition to its customization functions, it is extremely easy to clean. The BRU and its enhanced counterpart, the BRU + both have built-in self-cleaning mechanisms. The BRU self-cleans the bottom of the brewing chamber and the valve. The BRU + self-cleans the walls of the brewing chamber, the bottom of the brewing chamber and the valve; it conducts a complete cleaning of all of the parts that come into contact with the tea. All removable parts, such as the catch tray and brewing chamber, are also dishwasher safe.
He plans to launch his own organic and ethically sourced tea brand in the future, which customers will have the option to buy. However, any type of tea can be used in the BRU, as Krinitchko did not want to force people to buy his tea.
“We definitely want to make BRU a brand for the ultimate teamachine and for a really good tasting high-quality tea,” said Krinitchko.
He plans to manufacture additional brewing machines, including a larger family version that will brew more than one cup of tea in a cycle.
The name BRU was inspired by the South African slang word for friend.
BRU's Kickstarter campaign will run through Oct. 31.
