Can you brew tea in a coffee maker? (5 ways)
In this article, we will answer the question “Can you brew tea in a coffee maker?”, and how to brew tea in a coffee maker?
Can you brew tea in a coffee maker?
Yes, you can brew tea in a coffee maker. The results are not the same as with the traditional teamaking process but there are some methods like Turkish Ibric and French Press that are the safest options to go for. The methods you choose for making tea also depend on what kind of tea you are using.
How to brew tea in a coffee maker?
Using espresso machine
Using a loose leaf tea like white or green tea in an espresso machine is a big no because there’s a risk the tea will burn.
The ideal temperature for brewing green tea is 80℃, an espresso machine usually operates at 90℃. Such a high temperature will burn green tea and ruin its flavor by imparting bitterness to the brew.
The same happens with white tea but the results are more pronounced because white tea is more sensitive and floral than its green counterpart.
Black tea might work because It is usually brewed at 90℃ but again you have to be very careful. Herbal teas especially the flowery ones will also get scalded. The same applies to Roobios tea.
The problem is also the stepping time. Coffee requires to be brewed at a high temperature for a very short time while the tea steeps best when allowed to brew slowly in warm water. Green tea takes about 2-3 minutes, black tea requires 3-5 minutes.
Herbal and Rooibos tea should be steeped for 5 minutes, however, they can be kept for up to 10 minutes.
Last but not the least, an espresso machine that comes with a compartment of tea pods can be used to brew tea. But I warn you the flavor won’t be the same as that of the tea brewed from the loose tea.
Using Moka pot/Percolator
It is basically a stovetop coffee maker. It can also operate on electricity. To understand why brewing te with a percolator is a bad idea, let’s understand its working.
The lowest chamber of the percolator has water, the middle chamber is supposed to have tea bags or loose tea and the upper chamber collects tea after brewing.
Water is boiled and the vapors rise to the upper chambers. This means the temperature of the water is around 100℃. Any tea will burn and scald at this temperature. So there is no use in brewing tea in a percolator.
Using Turkish Ibric
Turkish Ibric is a small and intricate pot and can be used to make a pretty fine brew. All you have to do is boil water in this delicate pot, allow it to sit to lose some of the heat, and then add tea of your choice.
You can control the water temperature and the steeping time. You have full control over how your tea will taste.
Using tea bags instead of loose tea in the Turkish Ibric is better as It will save you time for all the cleanup.
Note that adding sugar to the Turkish Ibric while the tea is brewing might ruin its flavor. So add the sugar only when the brew is ready and in the teacup.
Using Drip Filter
Coffee brewed with Drip Filter is famous worldwide. If you are making just one cup of tea, you can control the steeping time because of the anti-drip system of the Drip Filter.
So we have established that the steeping time won’t be a problem as long as It’s one cup you are brewing. But the problem is with the scalding water temperature.
Black, Rooibos, and herbal tea can be steeped by keeping the nub from dripping but the brew will taste burnt. It can be saved with a little sugar.
However, If you add cold water to the filter before turning on the filter, you might save your tea from scalding. The cold water brew dripping from the filter will combine with the hot water underneath to create a good brew.
Using the French Press method
Brewing tea in a French Press almost seems like working with a teapot. It is even better than the Turkish Ibric method. It allows you to control the water temperature.
Add the tea leaves or teabags in the beaker, add the hot water, lower the plunger and close the lid. Allow it to steep for whatever time the tea requires.
Other FAQs about Tea which you may be interested in.
How to make tea in a coffee maker
How many times can you reuse a teabag?
Conclusion
In this article, we answered the question “Can you brew tea in a coffee maker?”, and how to brew tea in a coffee maker?
