Can You Make Tea With A Coffee Maker? Simple Steps To Follow

Making coffee in a coffee maker is effortless and produces excellent results. Those with a coffee maker at home are their own baristas.

You can try a long list of coffee recipes with your coffee maker. But is your coffee maker only capable of making you a cup of coffee? Have you ever thought of utilizing it to prepare tea? I bet not.

I once had a friend over who, to my utmost disbelief, hates coffee. I looked up Google to check if I could make tea in my coffee maker.

And there you have it, Google validates my idea.

You can make tea in any coffee maker you use!

How to use a coffee maker for tea? Does the tea taste good? I am here to answer all of your questions. Without further adieu, let us dive into the details!

Can You Make Tea With a Coffee Maker?

A Coffee maker can make tea, technically speaking. It doesn’t matter whether you fill a coffee maker with tea or coffee since it uses hot water to run through whatever you put in it.

Both coffee and tea are brewed using hot water to extract their flavor compounds. However, there might be better ways to prepare a cup of tea than a coffee brewer.

How to Make Tea in a Coffee Maker?

I have your back if you wish to make your next cup of tea in a coffee maker. Here is a simple and quick process to prepare tea using a coffee brewer:

What you will need

• A coffee maker
• Tea bags of loose tea
• Water
• A Cup 
• White Vinegar (for cleaning purposes)

Method

Step 1: Clean Your Coffee Maker

The first step is to clean your coffee maker. It is essential because if you usually use your coffee maker to brew coffee, it will have a lingering flavor and odor.  You can use white vinegar to clean the inside of your brewer.

All you have to do is mix one part of White Vinegar with two parts of fresh water. Let this mixture sit in the coffee machine for at least 30 minutes.

Then, run brew cycles till the coffee maker runs out of water. The vinegar solution will eradicate any leftover coffee taste from the brewer.

Step 2: Choose The Type of Tea You Want To Use

You can use any tea you like in your coffee maker. Different teas require different brewing times and water temperatures to extract the flavor fully.

Black tea and herbal tea work best in coffee makers because they can handle high water temperatures well.

Additionally, also choose between using tea bags or loose tea leaves. You will need two tea bags for every 6 or 8 ounces of water. Add 2, 4, or more tea bags to make a pot.

On the other hand, if you use loose tea leaves, use one to two teaspoons of tea for every eight ounces of water.

Tip: Use finely ground tea leaves when preparing tea in an espresso machine.

Step 3:Prepare The Coffee Maker

Fill the reservoir of the coffee machine with enough water to brew tea. Line the filter basket with a new filter and add two teaspoons of tea leaves. You can skip the filter in the basket when using a tea bag.

Next up, pour the loose tea leaves into the filter basket or the tea bag. You can adjust the amount of tea as per your liking.

Step 4: Start Brewing

Start the brewing process as you would normally do to prepare your coffee. You will get a steaming hot cup of tea within a few minutes.

Note: Let the tea steep for a while if you use other brewing methods, like a French press. Steeping will make sure you get a full-bodied and rich cup of tea.

What are the Drawbacks of Making Tea in a Coffee Maker?

You can make tea in a coffee maker, but there are reasons why there are more viable options than this one.

A coffee maker’s sole function is to prepare coffee using coffee grounds; it is not for brewing tea. Here are the drawbacks of using a coffee maker to brew tea:

There Are Steeping Issues

If you are using loose tea leaves for preparing tea in a coffee maker, you won’t be able to steep it. Steeping tea leaves is essential for your cup of tea to be flavorful and rich.

A perfect cup of tea can be achieved by steeping it properly. If you steep it for longer, the tea can become bitter. If you don’t steep it well, the teas will be bland and watery.

The Coffee Maker Will Require Extra Cleaning

If you use your coffee maker for brewing both tea and coffee, it will require extra cleaning. Usually, coffee makers are used to brew coffee, so they have a lingering coffee taste and odor.

When you brew tea in the coffee maker, your tea will get mixed with a weird coffee taste. So each time you use the brewer to make tea, you must clean it thoroughly.

You will need to use white vinegar and hot water to remove all the brown coffee grime that builds up in the coffee maker.

The Issue of Optimal Water Temperature

Coffee makers usually heat water to an average of 195-205°F which works fine for brewing herbal or black tea. Green and white tea, however, should be brewed 10 to 15 degrees below boiling.

It means that the water in the coffee maker reaches a temperature too hot to prepare tea. If you prepare it in the coffee maker, your tea might become bitter and burnt.

What is The Best Coffee Maker For Brewing Tea?

When it comes to which is the right coffee maker for brewing tea, there is no definitive answer. It all comes down to your preferences. You can use a French press or a drip coffee maker to make tea.

You can also choose a brewing method depending on the type of tea you are going to use. Finding the correct brewing method for you ultimately involves experimenting with various methods.

Brewing Tea and Coffee: What is the Difference?

Tea and coffee are the most popular beverages around the world. Both have distinct flavors and different brewing methods.

Let’s have a look at the most significant differences in tea and coffee brewing methods:

The Difference in Steeping Time

Preparing coffee doesn’t involve steeping. The hot water and coffee grounds come into contact for a very short time. The coffee maker forces hot water through the grounds to extract flavors and strength.

For an authentic cup of tea, steeping is necessary. Proper steeping is essential to getting the most flavorful tea, but most coffee makers are not designed to steep even for short periods.

To make a delicious cup of tea, you must steep tea leaves or tea bags for at least 5 minutes in hot water.

Both Require Different Water Temperatures

Different teas require different steeping durations and demand certain temperatures for perfect brewing. You must steep tea at a particular temperature to ensure the right flavor.

Some teas require under boiling water temperature, and some require boiling water for steeping. Always follow the temperature instructions given on the tea packaging you are using.

On the other hand, a coffee machine heats water between 195-205°F, below the boiling point. The water temperature in the coffee maker is too hot for green tea and not hot enough for other teas like black tea.

The Flavors Are Different

Tea and coffee are supposed to have different flavors. If you prepare tea in your coffee maker, you are most likely to have hints of coffee flavor in your tea. A coffee maker that usually prepares coffee for you is bound to have traces of coffee flavor and odor.

So, each time you make tea in a coffee maker, you must ensure the brewer has no residual taste. Or your tea will taste less like tea but more like coffee-flavored water.

The steeping of tea is another factor contributing to their flavor difference. It is impossible to achieve the authentic taste of tea when you use a coffee maker because it does not steep tea.

Final Words

Making coffee in a coffee maker is straightforward and requires no particular skill. However, preparing tea in a coffee maker can be tricky.

It is possible to brew your favorite tea in your coffee maker in a pinch; however, consider investing in some essential tea-making equipment.

It’s important to brew tea correctly for the best flavor, as some teas require specific steep time and water temperatures.

If you don’t want to deal with all the hassle, it may be easier to heat the water on the stovetop or in an electric tea kettle to prepare your tea.

FAQs

Can I use a coffee maker as a tea kettle?

You can use a coffee maker instead of a kettle to get hot water. To do so, run a brew cycle without adding coffee grounds. Remember that the coffee maker does not produce hot water like a kettle.

How many tea bags do you use in a coffee maker?

You can use 2 to 4 tea bags to prepare tea in a coffee maker. It all comes down to your preferences. If you want a more robust cup of tea, you can increase the number of tea bags. Use fewer tea bags if you wish to have a more diluted tea.

Can I use a coffee percolator to boil water?

A coffee percolator boils water to prepare coffee. So, you can use that water however you like.

Can I put loose tea in K-cups to make tea in a Keurig?

Yes! But for using loose tea in a K-cup, you will have to grind it into powdered form.

Can I make Indian tea with a coffee maker?

Yes, you can make Indian tea in a coffee maker. Mix all Indian tea ingredients in a blender; cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and tea. Add a coffee filter and pour the mixture onto it. Add at least 4 cups of water to the reservoir and start brewing.