Unilever debuts Lipton single-serve tea making machine
After the success of Nespresso, France finds itself again as the testing ground for domestic brewing devices, this time for tea, as Unilever unveils a single-serve tea machine. T.O by Lipton aims to reinvigorate the brand and mount a challenge to Nestlé, whose Special.T machine has dominated the European market for the past 5 years. Manufactured by German domestic appliance heavyweight Krups, the brewer costs around $200 (about twice the amount of Special.T) and is available to purchase online, as well as in select specialty retail outlets in France. This introductory price includes 40 tea capsules, 2 Bodum mugs and a Brita water filter. The machine is accompanied by a range of 33 references of capsules featuring a variety of flavored blends and a majority of black and herbal varieties. A pack of 10 single-serve capsules costs around $4.