Context

Brewing tea is defined by timing. Too short and the tea is weak; too long and it becomes bitter.

Teaspot began with a simple question: could the act of removing tea from water happen automatically, without electronics or attention?

The goal was to let time - not judgment - determine the moment.

Resolution

Teaspot is a teapot that brews itself. By mechanically separating tea from water at the right moment, it produces a consistent result while making the passage of time visible and intuitive—turning a precise process into a calm ritual.

Status

Industrial design for Teaspot, Boulder, Colorado.

Recognition & Exhibition

Finalist, IDSA / IDEA Industrial Design Excellence Awards

U.S. Patent No. 7,219,600 B1

Exhibited at Prototype to Product: Thirty-three Projects from the Bay Area Design Community,
San Francisco International Airport Museum, United Airlines Terminal 3

Process

The design was developed around a mechanical relationship between timer and infuser. A wind-up timer housed in the lid is directly connected to a stainless steel tea ball positioned at the center of the pot.

As the timer completes its cycle, the tea ball rolls out of the water, stopping the brewing process at a prescribed moment. The round form of the teapot follows this internal logic, shaped around the motion and position of the infuser rather than an external silhouette.

Materials were chosen for durability and clarity: a ceramic pot, a stainless steel tea ball, and an injection-molded top -no electronics.