5 of the Best Iced Tea Makers

Hot tea is a year round beverage for me but I won’t say no to a thirst-quenching glass of iced tea, especially when it’s homemade! Richard Blechynden popularized iced tea at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. He poured tea over ice before serving to customers since he wasn’t profiting from the hot tea he was selling during the heat wave. Iced tea can be made at home that easily and when you have an iced tea maker, you can get the job done more efficiently, too. The benefit of making iced tea at home is that you can experience true tea flavours and control the sweetness. Here are 5 of the best iced tea makers that make the process quick and easy.

Manual vs. Electric Iced Tea Makers

My recommendations below are manual iced tea makers only. When comparing manual to electric, it does take a bit more time to make iced tea. However, that’s simply because most electric tea makers are similar to coffee makers. They extract the flavours from tea leaves by dripping hot water over the tea. There’s no real “steep time”.

Generally, manual iced tea makers are more affordable and don’t require extra counter space, too.

3 Different Ways to Make Iced Tea

There are a few ways you can make iced tea at home. The recommended iced tea makers below highlight all 3 of these methods.

• Hot brew/steep method – Make tea hot as you normally would and cool it down in the refrigerator before serving. I consider this the “standard” method as it’s what a lot of people seem to know/use.
• Iced/flash chill method – Steep tea double strength and flash chill with ice immediately for a quick, but still refreshing, glass of iced tea.
• Cold brew/steep method – Steep tea in cold water (no heat used!) overnight in the refrigerator.

3 Tips for Perfect Iced Tea, Every Time

1. Don’t over steep the tea just to get a stronger glass of iced tea. Of course you want your iced tea to be stronger as it may get diluted when you add ice, but increasing the steep time is not the answer. It will become bitter. Instead, add more tea leaves to create a tea concentrate that will be able to handle the addition of ice.
2. You don’t have to sweeten your iced tea but if you prefer to be sure to add the sweetener before adding ice. Most sweeteners dissolve better in hot tea. If you would like to sweeten your iced tea after making it, simple syrup is recommended. It will be easy to mix into a colder tea.
3. Let your tea come to room temperature before placing it in the refrigerator to cool. If you set hot tea in the cold right away it may cause the tea to get cloudy.

5 Best Iced Tea Makers I Recommend

This list is in no particular order.
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1. Takeya Flash Chill Iced Tea Maker

This iced tea maker from Takeya was designed for the flash chill method. It is a BPA-Free Tritan pitcher with airtight leak-proof lid that also has a fine mesh infuser that twists on the lid. I love this infuser because absolutely no tea leaves go through it, so you never have to worry about serving a glass of iced tea with leaves floating around. You can also get accessories for this iced tea maker. For example, I have another infuser to attach to the lid if you want to infuse fruit in your iced tea and an insulated sleeve for the pitcher that will help keep it cold and not make a mess with any condensation.

Available in a variety of colours and 1 or 2 quart size.

2. Loose Leaf Tea Maker

I love using a device like this when I want to make a quick and easy glass of iced tea for one or two. Perfect if you don’t want to make a full pitcher! Many tea brands actually sell a product just like this but design and branding differ. However, the concept is the same. The tea dispenses from the bottom. You add loose leaf tea, hot water and close the lid. Once it’s done steeping, you place it on top of a glass filled with ice and when you press down on the bottom the steeped tea strains out.

3. FORLIFE Mist Glass Iced Tea Jug

If you prefer glass when making iced tea, check out this glass jug from FORLIFE. Instead of an infuser basket, the sealed lid doubles as a stainless steel strainer. This allows you to steep your tea leaves directly in the jug which gives them more room to expand and extract full flavours. You can use this iced tea maker many different ways. Steep hot tea half way then fill with ice, fill the jug with hot water to steep then pour over ice or cold steep tea overnight in the fridge.

Available in different colours and 50 ounce size.

4. Hario Cold Brew Tea Bottle

Similar to the iced tea maker above, this glass one from Hario does not have an infuser. Instead, the top has a built in filter so you can add the tea leaves directly to the bottle and let them roam free when steeping. When you pour the bottle, only the steeped tea will come out. I love that this design is quite different from the other iced tea makers on this list. It’s a sleek, yet simple design similar to a wine bottle (tea infused wine, anyone?!). Get this one if you’re not into pitcher designs. This bottle is recommended for the cold brew method, however you can easily steep the tea hot and pour it over ice.

Availabe in different colours and 750ml size.

5. Tea Forte TEA OVER ICE Pitcher Set

This iced tea maker is best for the flash chill method. It’s a unique design from Tea Forte that is meant to stack and present at the table before serving guests. It is technically designed for their signature tea bags, but you can use any tea in here with an infuser or steep loose and strain over the bottom pitcher.

To use, steep tea in the top pitcher and place it on top of the bottom pitcher that is filled with ice. After steeping, pour the hot tea from the small pitcher into the large pitcher. I think this product is best when you want to make a pitcher to consume immediately as the larger pitcher does not have a lid to store in the fridge. You can easily cover it with a wrap though.

To help you get started, this set even comes with an assortment of teas that are great iced. Each pitcher makes 24 ounces of iced tea.

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Do you have an iced tea maker? Let me know which one you use often in the comments below!