Why you shouldn’t make tea in your coffee maker
You might have received the question, could you make me some tea? As a coffee fan, you might lack the proper equipment for brewing tea and thus you consider making tea with a coffee maker!
Is it really possible to make tea with a coffee maker?
yes, but we simply don’t advise it because you won’t get the best results and it goes against everything we know about brewing: be in control and upgrade your brew.
We all want to give the best possible to our guests right? Don’t use a coffee maker if you want a good cup of tea!
Should you make tea in your coffee maker?
By all means: NO!
It’s not the best fit to get you a great cup of tea. It’s like brewing beer in a coffee maker or anything else. The coffee maker is made for… coffee.
It’s possible though but we don’t advise it.
Coffee and tea do have hot water in common but at different temperatures.
In fact, you can make your tea like you make in instant coffee: in your mug or coffee cup! This and a teapot will be enough.
Can you make tea in your coffee maker?
Yes, you can make tea in your coffee maker. Coffee makers are made for brewing coffee and can heat your water in an instant.
There are a lot of things that come into play for getting the brew right. There are, just as with coffee, different types of tea that require a different approach.
Within this article, we won’t go deeper into the different types of tea.
Pros and cons of making tea with your coffee maker
We’ll cover some pros and cons of making tea with your coffee maker. There are however not a lot of positives to mention about this, but you already knew that right!
Pros
The only alternative?
The only pro we define is that you can do it if you don’t have an alternative to heating your water to the desired temperature. It’s a solution to get you a tea but it won’t be the best result.
Cons
Brewing tea in a coffee maker has several disadvantages that you might not have considered.
Water Temperature
Coffee can be brewed cold or hot. Coffee makers are designed to get the water temperature to just under the boiling point.
Most coffee makers are not designed to reach the lower water temperatures that are necessary for brewing tea.
This can result in a bitter or astringent taste, especially if you are using more expensive teas.
Not all teas require the same temperature. This can differ heavily.
Steep Time
There is no way to control the steeping time when brewing in a coffee machine. This can be a major problem because most loose leaf teas need to steep for a certain amount of time for the best taste.
Steeping is “soaking” in water or other liquid to extract the flavor.
Not steeping will get you a weak and bland cup. Steeping it too much will result in a bitter taste.
Paper Filter
Most coffee makers use a paper filter, which can make your tea taste a bit papery.
In this article we’ve covered a few alternatives to the paper coffee filter for brewing coffee, if you don’t have a paper filter, try one of these but the advice should be clear by now: don’t use a coffee maker unless you don’t have a choice.
Cleaning your coffee maker
Cleaning your coffee maker is a very important job to increase the longevity of your coffee maker and sustain the quality of your brew! Check here for more info on cleaning your coffee maker!
The thing is: to get your guest a good tea (if you even know what temperature), you’ll have to clean it well because you want to get rid of the coffee taste (or what’s left of it ;)).
You don’t want to spoil that tea. Clean it well and scrub everything, including the carafe and smaller parts.
Just to conclude, cleaning your coffee maker for 1 brew of tea and then cleaning it again to get you that great future coffee? That’s a lot of effort…
Are you brewing multiple batches and not coffee in between? Our answer still says the same, coffee makers are for coffee…!
How to make tea in a coffee maker?
Since you can’t just put your tea in the paper filter and start brewing to get your tea. You’ll need to clean it before your start brewing it.
1. Cleaning
You’ll need to clean it thoroughly:
- Take the filter out and clean the basket and get rid of the coffee grounds
- Clean the carafe and other parts
- Use vinegar and water as you would brew coffee and start the process
- Remove the vinegar and clean the carafe with warm water
- Brew another batch but now only with water to get rid of the vinegar and repeat this if you’re not sure. About 2 times should be enough.
2. Brewing
Are you brewing with tea leaves (loose-leaf tea) or tea bags?
Before starting, of course, check if your coffee maker is plugged in and your water reservoir is full.
If you’re unsure about the amount of tea, use 1 teaspoon of leaves per cup. You can serve them in tea cups if you would like.
Tea leaves
- Add the leaves to the coffee filter and put them in the basket
- Start the process
- Let the brew cool off until it’s hot enough for consumption.
- After the brew: remove the leaves
Tea bags
You can put the tea bags in your carafe and just brew with nothing so the hot water can reach the carafe and thus the tea bags.
F.A.Q.
What happens if you put tea in a coffee maker?
A coffee maker brings the water to nearly the boiling point, it’s a device for heating and brewing coffee but could be used to brew tea but this is not advised. Put the tea leaves without a paper filter in the basket. Before brewing tea, a good thorough cleaning is advised to get rid of the coffee or vinegar taste.
Can you use a coffee maker to make hot water for tea?
Yes, but before you start brewing, you’ll need to clean it thoroughly to get rid of the coffee or vinegar taste. After the cleaning you can brew your batch. If you want to brew coffee after this batch, you’ll have to clean it again of course.
Conclusion
You simply shouldn’t brew tea in a coffee maker. Period!
However, it can be a solution if you don’t have an alternative but it requires a lot of work.
Brewing is about control. Brewing tea in a coffee maker won’t rule out the following factors: steep time, water temperature, the papery taste of the coffee filter, and cleaning your coffee maker (get rid of coffee and vinegar taste).
Yes, you can, but don’t do it if you have a better alternative. A mug, tea leaves or tea bags, and hot water are enough. No need to ruin your future coffees for this…
Enjoy your coffee!