Tea Brews

Make perfect iced tea and chill instantly with this electric easy to use iced tea maker

Coffee drinkers have their automatic brewers, why shouldn’t tea drinkers? Ideal for family gatherings or summer picnics, this ingenious Hamilton Beach machine brews up a pitcher full of iced tea in less than ten minutes. After the pitcher is filled with ice cubes, tea (either loose or bags) is placed in the special paperless filter, and an adjustment for mild, medium, or strong brewing is selected. The lid snaps on. A receptacle slides out from underneath the heating unit which then holds the pitcher snugly in place. Water is added to the heating unit, the power button pushed, and the hot water drips through the tea filter into the pitcher of ice. When brewing is complete, the power automatically shuts off for safety. Complete directions for use are embossed on the slide-out receptacle, which eliminates worries about losing a user guide. Although the iced tea maker looks bulky when assembled, the pitcher inverts snugly over the heating unit for compact storage. Able to fit in most refrigerator doors, the 2-quart pitcher features a hollow, comfortable handle and a thumb release for the lid, but is not dishwasher-safe. Assembled, the machine measures 17-1/2 by 11-1/2 by 4-1/2 inches. –Ann Bieri

Hamilton Beach 40911 2-Quart Electric Iced Tea Maker

Perfect for brewing and serving your iced tea, this Takeya Iced Tea Maker pitcher features a fresh design with a clear AcraGlass body that is BPA-free, as well as stain and odor proof. AcraGlass is lightweight and features glass-like clarity, yet is more durable than glass. The removable rotating lid-infuser fully extracts the tea flavors while steeping, and makes clean-up easy. The airtight avocado colored twist-top lid locks in freshness, while the silicone soft grip handle, accented in an olive color, allows for easy pouring or transporting. This Iced Tea Maker is great for brewing hot or cold tea, or for sun brewing, and holds 66 ounce (8 cups).

Takeya 64-Ounce Iced Tea Maker with Silicone Handle, Avocado/Olive

Since its introduction at the 1904 Worlds Fair in St. Louis, iced tea has been a favorite American beverage showing up at every family gathering, backyard barbecue, 4th of July picnic, and on every restaurant menu. In fact, each day, 120 million Americans reach for a frosty glass of iced tea. Fred Thompson shows us how easy it is to make a wide variety of iced teas right at home: from classics (Southern Style Ice Tea, Solar Tea) to infusions (Iced Mango Tea, Berry Spice Iced Tea), from spritzers (Green Tea Passion Fruit Spritzer) to offbeat and cocktail teas (Tea Smoothie, Beach Bourbon Slush). Thompson discusses basic methods for brewing tea, the types of teas and tea blends that are best iced, as well as a vast array of flavors and flavorful combinations that can be mixed with iced tea to create refreshing new drinks. These 50 recipes make iced tea a truly exciting anytime beverage while still maintaining the pure flavor and goodness that has ensured its place in American tradition. Thompson shares his years of experience brewing, tasting, and enjoying iced tea the way it was meant to be made at home with your own two hands. As Fred Thompson says (and we think youll agree once you sample the delicious results): there really is no substitute for the real thing.

In Iced Tea, author Fred Thompson serves up 50 vibrant variations on “the house wine of the South,” using black, green, and oolong teas (“considered by some to be the Lafite Rothschild of teas”) as well as tisanes, which are teas made not from tea leaves but from flowers, herbs, and spices. Recipes range from Southern-Style Iced Tea–a basic formula of tea, water, and sugar–to Teatotaler’s Sangria, which combines chilled green tea with peaches, oranges, and other fresh fruits. Other notable concoctions include the tropically tinged Bimini Island Iced Tea; Cha Yen, or Thai Iced Tea, which uses condensed and evaporated milk; and the classic Sweet Tea, whose main ingredient is sugar–and lots of it. (“A visitor to the South once said that it made his teeth hurt,” writes the author.) There’s also a section of mixed alcoholic drinks.

“Tea is the world’s second most popular beverage, after water,” says Thompson, and it has noted health benefits; its consumption has been linked to lower instances of cancer and strokes. Iced Tea should help readers pursue good health–and have a delicious time doing it. –Andy Boynton

Iced Tea: 50 Recipes for Refreshing Tisanes, Infusions, Coolers, and Spiked Teas