Even for the fact that it’s literally the second-most popular beverage in the world after water, tea (or Chai as hipsters and Indians call it) is quite a hassle to make. It requires boiling, steeping, straining, and even one of those steps going slightly wrong can result in a cup that just doesn’t taste the same. It’s sort of a testament to how amazing tea is that people still go through these lengths to have their cup full of its goodness. For people who don’t really go through the ritual of making their own tea, chai-lattes are often easily found at most baristas, but anyone will attest that a quick-grab version of the beverage is average at best… and relatively expensive. This provided Gaurav Chawla with the perfect opportunity to develop a machine that performed the tea-brewing ritual on behalf of its user, and was as simple to operate as a Nespresso… but for chai. Meet Chime. Tea-drinking is a slow, elaborate, thoroughly enjoyed process, but tea-brewing often isn’t. Chime simplifies how you brew your tea by allowing you to simply load a tea-pod (or cap, as Chime likes to call it) into the machine, selecting your size, strength and milk ratio and letting the machine do the rest of the work. The brewer extracts the unique blend of tea-leaves and fresh spices from within the cap, steeps it in water for the right time at the right temperature, and then pours it into a carafe below, filled with the boiling milk of your choice. Once done, all you do is clean the strainer by throwing the leaf-residue into compost, and taking the pod/cap out of the Chime’s inlet and recycling it. Chime’s design ‘boils down’ to its single-button interface that makes it incredibly easy to brew tea without worrying about over-boiling, under-boiling, over-steeping or under-steeping. The machine cleanly ejects the contents of the pods out into its top boiler, where the tea brews in hot water for 3 to 5 minutes based on the setting. At the bottom is Chime’s induction heater and frother that prepares your milk as your tea boils. You can use any milk you choose, opting for anything from full-fat milk to plant-based alternatives. The milk gets automatically heated to the right temperature and creamy consistency, and when your chai is ready, all you need to do is pour the tea-brew into your milk and savor your perfectly brewed cup! Chime’s tea-pod system utilizes the highest quality tea-leaves from plantations in Darjeeling and Assam in north-east India, and spices from Kerala, India’s southern spice hub. Each chai-pod is nitrogen-flushed to ensure the tea-leaves and spices remain fresh for long periods of time while inside the pod because there’s really no room for compromise when it comes to your daily dose of chai! My only personal pain-point would be the use of plastic pods, something that’s proven to be a problem for the environment in the past. Chime says they use single-layer PET plastic in their pods that are known for being both food-grade and easy-to-recycle, but replacing the pod system for something akin to a tea-bag would be pretty easy for the company to do in the long-run. Here’s to a future where enjoying your daily cup of tea is fast, sustainable, incredibly tasty, and rewarding! Designers: Gaurav Chawla & Samip Bhavsar (50% off). Hurry, only 12 left! The only device in the world designed to brew authentic chai from real tea leaves at the push of a button without compromising ingredients or taste. Chime combines the traditional, hand-crafted process of making chai with their passion for product design and technology. They made chai preparation made easy and quick and with the Chime smart app, you can customize, store and share your very own chai recipes. Chime’s unique brewing chamber carefully extracts tea and spices and simmers them in milk to create the harmony of aromas only found in authentic, homemade chai. Add Chai Cap and Choice of Milk Choose Size, Strength, Milk Ratio and Frothiness Press Go Count on Chime for a fully customizable cup of chai, tailored to your liking in the comfort of your home or office. Origins are everything, which is why the team has selectively sourced the tea from the best tea gardens of upper Assam and Darjeeling. 10 Chime Caps come in each box, with two caps each of Assam, Cardamom, Ginger, Masala and Cardamom-Ginger. The team has used single layer food-grade PET in our Chime Caps for recyclability and to ensure freshness. The Chime process extracts ingredients, leaving no waste or residue in the container. No added steps need to be taken to recycle the cap. Use the app to brew your perfect cup of tea. (50% off). Hurry, only 12 left!