Wi-Fi-enabled Qi Aerista will brew the perfect cup of tea

Everything has to be smart and connected these days, so why not your tea maker?

Keyway Innovations is launching a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for Qi Aerista, a Wi-Fi-enabled smart tea maker that promises the perfect cup of tea. It’s part of the Internet of Things trend that will produce an estimated 20 billion connected devices by 2020.

“Tea is delicate and when brewed properly, makes a tremendous difference in taste,” said Rick Ha, founder and CEO of Keyway Innovations, in a statement. “That is why we created Qi Aerista to simplify the brewing process for all types of tea. Even someone new to tea can enjoy a perfect cup every time.”

Keyway said that Qi Aerista’s patented circulative infusion system will heat and maintain a consistent water temperature specific to your tea type; then a circulative water flow immerses and steeps the tea leaves with precise time control for optimal infusion. With its unique tea-water separation architecture, Qi Aerista addresses the problems of over- or under-steeping of tea.

It includes 6 different preset brewing programs for cold brewing, floral, green, black, oolong, and milk tea. With Qi Aerista’s app, users can access advanced functions such as customizing water temperature and brewing time with per degree/second precision, managing the brewing process remotely, setting reservation timers, and discovering the world of tea.

Qi Aerista will be available in two colors for $100 exclusively on Kickstarter during the first 24 hours after launch. It will increase to $150 until the campaign ends on December 14, with worldwide shipping to backers starting in June 2017. Qi Aerista will retail for $240.

Founded in 2013, Keyway Innovations is a hardware startup focused on delivering a quality tea experience.