Iced Tea Makers

The answer as to which iced tea maker you should buy does not lie in the tarot cards or tea-leaves where many of those in the psychic know have claimed to find answers in the past. It seems to be an answer that can be found very close to the surface and with very little research. There are several brands of iced tea makers on the market, but the two most popular are Hamilton Beach and Mr. Coffee. While they are both in the running, one definitely appears to be in the lead.

Most reviewers claim that the Hamilton Beach series simply makes better tea. It seems to boil down to a very simple feature that Hamilton Beach makers have and Mr. Coffee does not; namely, a dial that allows for weak, medium or strong tea. The Mr. Coffee series specifies that you first “close” the brewing area for a period and then turn a dial to “open” before it starts filling the pitcher with tea. (Do not, whatever you do, say the words, “open sesame” or it will really get confused!) This manual step slows down tea production (not in Ceylon, but in your kitchen) and risks a bad mess should you forget to open the dial.

Another major difference between the Hamilton Beach Iced Tea Maker and the Mr. Coffee Tea Maker is the fact that the Mr. Coffee series requires that the pitcher be very close to the brewing station with the tea just barely getting into the spout. It can and does often drip onto the counter while in the brewing process. The Hamilton Beach series come with a pullout tray that holds the pitcher in the correct position, and because of this the tea drips where it should, namely, directly to the center of the pitcher.

In a final bash of the poor Mr. Coffee Iced Tea Maker (Joe DiMaggio, I am sorry), the pitcher is large and round and takes up a lot of space in your fridge even when there is only a glass or so left. The Hamilton Beach pitcher is an elongated oval that fits more compactly into most refrigerators, even in the fridge door or on a shelf with a low overhead.

In summation, if you still can’t figure out which one of the two to buy, look at it this way. Mr. Coffee is a bigger mess, involves more cleaning, makes weaker tea for a shorter lifetime. The Hamilton Beach Iced Tea maker is easy to clean, lasts longer, makes better tea and offers more options when you do make it.