There is much more than meets the eye when comparing coffee drinkers and tea drinkers. Both groups have peculiar rituals surrounding their preferred beverage, are picky about the specifics of brewing, and are fervent about spreading their love of their drink to others. Although specialized equipment and tools make the process much easier, technically, brewing coffee and tea only require hot water.
The topic of making tea in a coffee maker will be covered in this article, which deviates from our usual coffee-centric musings. We’ll talk about how to brew tea in a coffee maker and what other coffee tools a coffee enthusiast can use to explore the world of tea.
Can You Brew Tea in a Coffee Maker?
In a typical countertop coffee maker, you can certainly brew tea without any issues.
It doesn’t matter whether you put tea or coffee in a coffee maker because all it is is a device that runs hot water through a basket filled with whatever you want to put in it.
But hold off on pouring your pricey loose-leaf tea into the filter basket of your coffee maker just yet! It is not a good idea for a variety of reasons.
The situation is slightly different if you use a coffee maker that uses pods.
How to Make Tea in a Coffee Maker
Clean Your Coffee Pot
Can you picture the flavor of tea brewed in a coffee pot that hasn’t been cleaned?! You need to clean your coffee maker first unless you only intend to use it for tea—and chances are, that’s not the case. Avoid skipping this crucial step, or your Oolong tea will develop a distinct coffee flavor after months of coffee brewing.
• The carafe should be filled with four cups of vinegar before being poured into the reservoir.
• 30 minutes should be given for the vinegar to sit.
• Let the vinegar go through a brewing cycle and then turn the coffee maker on.
• Run another brewing cycle after adding more cold water to the reservoir in your carafe.
• Till the vinegar smell and any vinegar residue are gone, repeat one or two more times.
To remove any lingering coffee residue, wipe down the coffee maker as a whole, paying particular attention to the nooks and crannies near the basket compartment where coffee grounds can sometimes get caught.
Consider the Tea You Want to Brew
Not all teas will work well in a coffee maker, but some will. The rich flavor of various teas can only be extracted by steeping them for varying amounts of time and at varying water temperatures. (For each type of tea, Teatulia offers a brewing chart.)
Decide on Using Loose Tea Or Tea Bags
Once you’ve settled on a type of tea to brew, your next question might be, “Do I drink tea in bags or loose leaves?” In reality, you can choose either. If you select loose tea, bear in mind that there are numerous applications for it.
• Spread the loose tea leaves throughout the filter basket after lining it with a filter.
• Remove the coffee filter from the filter basket and distribute the loose tea there.
• The loose tea should be placed in the carafe, covered with hot water, and allowed to steep before being strained and served.
As you can imagine, using tea bags during the steeping process might be simpler and less messy, but the end result might not be as flavorful.
• Tea is scattered on a filter in the filter basket after a tea bag has been cut open.
• Place the bags in the filter basket without the filter.
What volume of tea should you use? Again, there is some disagreement here, but most tea connoisseurs concur that one teaspoon of loose tea (or one tea bag) for every eight ounces of water should be sufficient.
You’ve got it now, then! Don’t forget that you can also make iced tea. Once your hot brew cycle is complete, let your tea cool before adding ice or chilling.
What About Other Types of Coffee Makers?
Up until this point, we have only discussed the good ol’ reliable automatic drip, coffee maker. You can make tea using various coffee brewing techniques, such as a French press coffee maker, did you know that? Although it requires more perseverance, the result might be a cup with better flavor!
An electric or stovetop percolator is another option. In a coffee percolator, water is heated to boiling point at the bottom before being shot up a tube and sprayed onto your delicate leaves or bags. Be aware, though, that if you use tea leaves, they might leave behind residue in the tubes and ruin the flavor of subsequent coffee brews.
What about Keurigs? You can buy K-cups of tea online or at your neighborhood grocery store. Again, if you don’t mind, give it a try even though the tea might not be as strong as loose leaves or tea bags.
Final Thought
Since tea and coffee both use the same basic brewing process, some coffee makers can also be used to make tea. While immersion-style brewers like the French press are great for making tea, the most popular automatic drip coffee makers that many people have on their kitchen counters won’t work.
Read More: How to Use a Keurig: Step-by-step Guide
