Connoisseurs have learned that the perfect cup of tea must be made by steeping, as opposed to dripping or percolating. The Chef'sChoice® Electric French Press-Plus® - Model 695 is designed specifically to steep the tea and to ensure the ideal steeping temperature. Black tea should be steeped immediately after the water is brought to a full boil, which means at a water temperature best above 205°F and as close as possible to 212°F, (the boiling point at sea level). Use a quality tea, preferably loose tea leaves rather than a tea bag which may contain an excessive amount of leaf fragments and smaller tea particles.

Fill the kettle with water to the "max" level or 8 cups which is one liter (approximately one quart). Place the "Boiling" lid on the kettle and rotate lid clockwise to slide the tab on the lid into the plastic slot on top of the handle. Set the kettle on the Power Base and plug the electrical cord into a 120V 20 Amperes three prong grounded power receptacle. (Do not use a 3 to 2 prong converter on the power plug).

Press the "ON/OFF" switch on the handle to the "ON" position and confirm that the red power light at base of handle is illuminated. The water will be at a full boil in about 4 minutes and then the steam will automatically snap the "ON/OFF" switch to the "OFF" position.

When the switch snaps "OFF", carefully rotate the "Boiling" lid counter clockwise until the lid tab clears the handle slot and then carefully lift and remove the lid. Measure and add about 4 level teaspoons of leaves for one quart of water or proportionately less tea for a fractional pot of water. Stir the leaves into the water promptly so that the leaves can swell and begin the steeping process. Reinsert the Boiling lid until steeping time is complete. The ideal steeping time is about 4 minutes, but herbal teas usually are steeped longer. Green teas and partially fermented teas generally are steeped at lower temperatures. Follow the recommendations of your tea provider.
To obtain stronger tea use more tea but do not extend the steeping time significantly unless you prefer tea with an added tannin taste. The more flavorful components of tea extract first and the tannin related components come out with longer steeping time.

When the steeping is complete, remove the Boiling lid and insert the French press screen assembly into the kettle by holding the assembly at a slight angle to the vertical until the screen filter slips easily inside the kettle, then align the assembly vertically and slide the lid down the assembly rod and onto the kettle. Rotate the lid clockwise to slide the lid tab into the slot in top of the handle. Press the filter down fully into the kettle. Your perfect cup of tea is now ready to serve. You can pour directly from the kettle without removing the French press screen assembly. Alternatively if you wish to hold the tea hot for more than 20 minutes, consider transferring the tea to a vacuum thermal carafe which will retain its heat and flavor for several hours.

Chef'sChoice® French Press-Plus® Water Temperature After Boil, Tea Cycle F (Elapsed Time After Steam Switch Snaps Off)
Minutes	Temperature
0	212 Insert tea & stir into water
1	210
2	209
4	208
5	207