I love my iced tea maker! I use it to make decaf iced teas for me to drink at work with my lunch. I always joke about using decaf cause regular might keep me awake then I'd have to do more work. :hah: So, I'd like to share some tips that I use when making my teas.
1. You can use the quart/family size tea bags for easy measuring of how much tea you'll get out of it. This is easier than using regular sized tea bags although it is not hard to figure it out. These work especially well with Iced Tea makers since the portions are usually measured in quarts anyways.
2. If you like your tea strong, like me, use a little less water or less ice. You can always add more water or juices later to dilute it. If you are using regular tea bags then add an extra tea bag to the party.
3. Using an iced tea maker has an advantage over making teas the conventional way. After making the tea, you can store it in the fridge. If you like your tea hot, pour the amount you need in a cup and stick it into the microwave. It is much faster to heat it up in the microwave than in a kettle on the stove. You'll always have tea ready to be served and quite quickly.
4. I like my teas flavored. I add juices (about 1/4 of the amount I'll be making) to the tea after it has finished brewing. My personal favs are apple, cranberry, pineapple, and grape juices (100% real juices, of course). Sometimes, I mix them. I also like to keep a bottle of ReaLemon concentrated juice on hand a to add a little before I brew the tea. No cutting and juicing of lemons here. LOL
5. Use coffee filters in case your tea bags are broken and leak tea leaves into your tea. This also has an added advantage as you'll see in the next tip.
6. I like to use cinnamon and nutmeg in my teas but pouring it into the container directly will yield a gritty taste from the spices. Use a coffee filter and add the spices to it. You'll get hot water poured over the spices which will bring out more of their flavor than the spices just sitting in cold liquid which would take longer to extract the flavors. I use about 1-2 teaspoons of cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg per 2 quarts of tea. Freshly ground spices are better, of course.
7. Don't be afraid to experiment with different flavored teas, juices and spices. Ground cloves works well and if you do not have cinnamon and/or nutmeg you can use Chinese Five Spice powder. It works very well in teas. It contains cinnamon and nutmeg as well as other similar spices.
Enjoy!
