Multi-brew drinks.

• Position: What's New? - From Meiman Enterprises Inc.

* We've never really bought into the philosophy that hot drinks are best in cold weather while cold drinks are intended for hot weather. We're not adverse to a steaming cup of coffee when it's 92[degrees] in the shade, nor do we shy away from a freezing goblet of iced tea when the north wind is howling. Moreover, neither we nor our party and house guests are big believers in moderation. If you're going to drink something, you might as well drink plenty of it. So, it should come as no surprise that our Shangri-La MultiBrew from Meiman Enterprises, Inc., Cerritos, Calif., has been churning out libations almost continuously ever since we got it a few months back. This wondrous heavy -duty single-brewing system produces gourmet restaurant-quality coffee, iced or hot tea, espressos, and iced lattes.

Using it is simplicity itself: Place the carafe on the base of the brewer and open the flip top; put a paper filter in the funnel; pour the mix (or grounds) into the filter and place the funnel in the brewer; fill the measuring pitcher to the desired level (four to 60 ounces); and pour it into the stainless steel column. Within seconds, the water is exactly two degrees below boiling, the optimum temperature at which water molecules best hold on to flavor. Individual funnels (black for coffee, translucent for iced tea, and white for all others) and carafes for each beverage ensure there is no bad taste carryover. The coffee carafe keeps your...