Using a coffee maker simplifies the process of making coffee, ensuring minimal effort and that your brew reaches the optimal temperature for flavor extraction. However, have you considered using a coffee maker to prepare tea? The question arises, how can one brew tea in a coffee maker using tea bags. Is such an approach feasible?
In this article, we will let you know everything about preparing the tea in the coffee maker. Keep reading the article to find out all the information you need to know.
So, Can You Make Tea in a Coffee Maker?
The answer is yes for most cases. You can easily brew tea in a coffee maker. However, it will be hard to prepare the tea in some of the variations. That is because not all the coffee makers out there arrive with the same feature. Such as, using an automated coffee maker for preparing tea will not be a good idea. That is because you will end up with a bad bitter taste in these coffee makers most of the time.
If your coffee maker arrives with features like adjustable water temperature and steeping time, then it will be very easy to prepare the coffee. French Press and Turkish ibric typically arrive with these controllable features. Allowing you to easily make the coffee. Before making the tea in the coffee makes, you also need to be aware of the type of tea you are using.
Some variations of the tea are not suitable for the coffee maker. As an example, we can talk about green tea. It can be get ruined by highly hot water. Finally, we can say that a coffee maker can make tea but there are some exceptions and concerns you need to be aware of.
How to Make Tea in a Coffee Maker with Tea Bags
Making the coffee in the usual drip coffee maker isn’t that hard. But the issue is you need to go through a cleaning step first. This is going to help you to get rid of the coffee flavor that can affect the taste of the tea. Let’s see what you need to do to make Tea in a Coffee Maker with Tea Bags:
Clean the Coffee Maker First
Here is the procedure you need to follow for cleaning the coffee maker:
- Begin with turning off and cooling down the device properly. Then bring out the basket from the machine and get rid of the ground coffee from it, if there is any. Use a damp cloth to clean its surface. You should also clean the carafe using a damp cloth to remove the coffee flavor.
- Now fill the coffee pot with vinegar and water solution. The solution should consist of 1:2 water. The amount should be enough to brew a full pot.
- After adding the solution, run a normal cycle and let the machine complete it. Once you are done, damp the vinegar-water mixture. After that, take out the carafe and rinse the inside properly using warm water at first and then cold.
- Now run a new cycle in the coffee maker using freshwater. Make sure you are not adding anything else but the water. This cycle should remove the vinegar residue from the machine. Once you are done, dump the water. You may repeat the process to remove the vinegar smell completely.
That’s it; the coffee maker is now perfectly cleaned. And, it’s ready to make the tea.
Determine Measures
The next thing you need to determine is how much water you should add based on the amount of the tea. Give a close look at the package of the tea bags to find it out. They should mention how much water to add to each bag of tea. One trick for you is to add double the amount of tea for the same amount of water.
Because of the mechanism of the coffee maker, the water will pass very quickly through the teas. As a result, less amount of tea may not provide you with a perfect cup. Doubling the amount of tea will help you to get the best outcome. The usual rule of thumb is to use one bag of tea per 6-8 ounces of water.
Preparing the Tea
Now, this step is important and you need to follow it carefully. At first, add the measured amount of water in the carafe of the coffee maker. Then, pour the water into the coffee maker. The next thing you need to do is to set an empty filter in the basket. Note that it should be clean and you mustn’t add anything to it. However, if you want to prepare the tea without the tea bags, you can add the tea there.
Now you can start a brew after adding the water and filter. Allow the coffee maker to complete the cycle.
Brewing the Tea
Now you can simply put the tea bags in the coffee maker’s carafe where the hot water is stored from the brew. Note that if you are adding the tea to the filter, there is no need to add the tea bags. Give the tea bags a few minutes to get absorbed by the water. Once they are done, pour the tea into the cup or mug.
That’s it, your tea is ready. Now you can add sugar to the tea or enjoy it without the sweetener. As the tea with not be much heated, it would be better if you enjoy it immediately. As you see making tea is very easy in the coffee maker. But is this the simplest way to make the tea? That’s definitely not. It is rather like a waste of your time and effort. Now it is up to whether you will make tea in the usual procedure or using the coffee maker.
Conclusion
The coffee maker is the best way to make a perfect cup of coffee whenever you want it. The good news is it can be also utilized to make tea. Although the procedure is not that much convenient, you can use this procedure to make tea when you have no other option.