So, you are wondering – can you make tea in a coffee maker?
Maybe you are interested in trying to bring more loose leaf tea into your diet and just do not have the right tools. Or, you want to create a larger batch of tea and think a coffee maker may make the process easier.
Whatever the reason is you are asking the question, below are some answers and thoughts to help you decide if you want to try making tea in a coffee maker.
Can you make tea in a coffee maker?
Yes, you can brew tea in a coffee maker, but it is not the best way to do it.
Why brewing tea in a coffee maker is not a good idea
Below are a few reasons I do not recommend you make tea in a coffee maker and stick to the old fashioned way.
Steeping
The biggest is is the steep time. Steep time allows the flavors and essence of the tea to be infused into the water. This is what makes tea so special and really promotes those flavors and aromas.
Most teas do need to sit for a bit before it is served, with a coffee maker the water just runs through the tea leaves and does not get time to sit. The result of this is a very weakly flavored cup of tea with no real flavor or smells to smells.
Some teas, like our Hibiscus tea or Chamomile tea can require a bit of steeping time to get those delicious flavor notes.
Temperature
In most coffee makers you cannot adjust the temperature of the water. The temperature of a coffee maker is typically around the boiling point. While many teas do need water this hot some teas require lower temperatures as noted in this tea temperature guide.
Green teas are a great example of this. I am a big green tea drinker and learned a long time ago that they should usually be around 175 degrees when pouring into a cup too steep. So, if you know you will be testing a few different blends of teas, a coffee maker is not the best option.
Cleanliness
The cleanliness of your coffee maker may be an issue as well. We use our coffee maker every single day, sometimes more than once a day. I know there is some buildup going on of coffee grinds going on. No matter how much we clean it, it is hard to get into those nooks and crannies.
This can cause an issue with the flavors from the tea. It can make them test very bitter and just change the blend to something that is not as good.
How to brew tea in a coffee maker
So, maybe you still want to brew that tea in a coffee maker anyway. That is OK! Maybe you results will be better than expected. So, below is how you can make make your tea in a coffee maker.
1
Make sure the coffee maker is as clean as possible.
Remove all residue and old grinds then add a 1/2 cup of vinegar to the coffee maker and run it threw a brew cycle to really get it clean. When that is done you can throw out the vinegar and do one more cycle with hot water to remove the vinegar remnants.
2
See how much water is recommended for the tea you would like to make. Add the proper amount of water to your coffee maker.
3
Add double the amount of tea the package recommends to a coffee filter that you will place in your coffee maker. The reason for this is it will help make the tea a bit stronger. Because we are not steeping tea, which is usually recommended – the flavors can be very poor if we only use the recommended amount of tea. Adding the extra will make the flavor profile stronger.
If you are using tea bags and not tea leaves, you can break open the bags and pour the tea into the filter. I would NOT recommend putting a whole tea bag in the filter.
Once the tea is done you can go ahead and pour and enjoy! Just remember to let it cool a bit first since it may be hotter out of a coffee maker than you are used to.
So, while you can absolutely make tea in a coffee maker, you can see it will cause some waste of the product since you need more and may not have the best flavors or aromas. I highly recommend you invest in a tea steeper and teapot – especially if tea is going to become a part of your vegan lifestyle!