Zarafina Tea Maker

Continuum for Zarafina (Jarden)

This was the first product launched under the newly created Jarden brand, Zarafina.

The tea maker controls the ideal water temperature, steep time and tea type for a consistently brewed tea. Personal settings capture differences for individual tastes.

Because of the strong tea heritage, the design emphasizes the rituals of tea and downplays the appliance aspect as much as possible. It also needed to differentiate itself from coffee makers. Unlike coffee, which is more of an individual experience and connected to ramping up for a busy day, tea is about slowing down and is often a social experience. To differentiate it, I stayed away from cylindrical shapes and instead choose a racetrack shape that is positioned it behind the strong icon of the teapot -which is the focal center. Though not part of the original scope, an early sketch captured the idea of an integrated tea service which shaped the future product. To downplay the appliance aspect even more, the brewer can be removed from the tray and two cups fit in its place.