These Iced Tea Maker Machines Quench Your Thirst Quickly

Buying an iced tea maker is the quickest way to make a ice cold pitcher of tea for the whole family to enjoy. I grew up in the South, so pitcher of sweet tea is a MUST in my household. In fact, we drink so much tea that I make two pitchers almost every day.

Before I bought an iced tea making machine, I was making it the old school way - boiling water in a pan on the stove and then letting tea bags steep for a good while. You know what? That takes a long time! And I have other things to do around the house, which is what led me to try out an electric iced tea maker.

The end result? I retired that stovetop tea pan. I still drink just as much tea, but the process is a whole lot quicker for me now. And, cleanup and the amount of dishes has not increased. I call that a win-win. Keep reading to learn more.

all images via Amazon

Checking Iced Tea Maker Reviews

A friend first told me about the convenience of iced tea machines, which is why I decided to check them out. Since I did not really know much about these little counter top appliances, I did some research by reading up on the features of the top models and checking out the reviews of current owners on different tea sites.

One of my first concerns was that the tea would not taste as good as it does on the stove. When I make tea on the stove, I let it steep for quite a while and I just did not see how I could get the same taste from one of these electric tea makers.

I was also unsure if any type of tea could be used with one of these or if it had to be black tea. You see, I like to make ice green tea sometimes and I wanted to make sure that I could do that. And every so often I will make a pitcher of iced chai tea or iced ginger peach tea. And every so often, I visit the tea shop at Balboa Park in San Diego and buy some loose tea. Usually, I have to use that in my stove top tea kettle, but I was interested in using it with the electric iced tea maker if possible.

I started my research with the Amazon iced tea maker best sellers list since I knew it would be easy to see a lot of products in one place there. After looking through all of the items on that list, I identified the three best iced tea makers - and I bought one of them. Keep reading to see which one I got!

image credit: GIS@Sam-Flickr

Here are the top three best electric iced tea making machines that I found in my research for the best of the best for my own home use. I read the reviews for a LOT of different models, but many of them had problems that made me not even want to consider them. These three are the cream of the crop though. You can click on the product for more info or just keep reading to see what I found out about each model's pros and cons. And feel free to let me know if you have any questions for me down below in the comments section.

When I did my research, this iced tea maker from West Bend had a solid 4.0/5.0 star rating on Amazon out of around 100 customer reviews. At the time I looked, it was actually at number three on their best sellers list. Upon first look, it seems to be easy to use and even allows you to customize a little bit on how your tea comes out. You can see how it looks in the image above (credit: West Bend). It seems to be an attractive addition to a kitchen counter without looking large and clunky or cheap next to a nice coffee maker machine.

The easiest way for me to tell if this iced tea maker is a good product for me, is to make a list of its pros. Here's what I really like about the West Bend iced tea maker machine.

Use Any Type of Tea - This iced tea maker machine takes both loose and bagged tea with no issues.

Sugar Compartment - I jut love that there is a dedicated sugar compartment for sweet tea lovers like me! The sugar dissolves into the tea while it brews.

Auto Shut-Off - With kids in the house, it is important that a small appliance that gets as hot as this one does comes with an auto shut-off. This means no fire hazard and less of a chance of someone getting burned.

Reusable Filter - I am very conscious about both not creating excess waste or trash and of harmful BPA in plastics. This iced tea maker has a reusable stainless steel filter, which means no BPA and no paper filter trash.

Brew Strength Setting - Whether you like your tea weak or strong, or somewhere in between, you can easily make that happen with the steeping setting.

Easy Clean-Up - There is a drip tray to catch any mess, which makes clean up super easy.

Use Any Pitcher - This iced tea maker comes with a pitcher, but it is designed so that you can use one you already have, if you want.

Fast Brewing - It takes less than 10 minutes to get a full pitcher of tea!

While it is easy to look at the list of pros and decide to purchase an item, that is not the whole picture. I also looked at the cons of owning this machine to determine if this was really the one I wanted to buy. Take a look at what I found out.

Higher Price Than Other Iced Tea Makers - This iced tea machine is priced higher than the other models I looked at. It is by no means expensive, but it is around double the cost of the other brands/models.

Sugar Doesn't Always Dissolve - Some reviews state that the sugar doesn't always completely dissolve from the sugar compartment, which leaves a mess. It seems like you have to use a full cup of sugar to get it to dissolve properly, but that it doesn't always work as promised. The only workaround is putting sugar in the pitcher bottom instead.

Drip Tray - While the drip tray sounds like a good idea, it is actually just something that you have to clean each time you make the tea.

Every time I looked at the Amazon list of best selling electric iced tea makers, this Hamilton Beach iced tea machine was at the top of the list. In fact, the last time I checked it had a 4.4/5.0 star rating out of over 400 reviews! It was by far the most reviewed of all the iced tea makers at Amazon. Image via Hamilton Beach

Even though it has a high star rating from a high number of reviews, I decided to make a list of the pros of this particular iced tea maker from Hamilton Beach. Here is what I found out about it.

Large Pitcher Handle - The handle on the included pitcher is large and easy to grasp. As a somewhat weak person, this easy-to-hold handle is perfect for me.

Slim Pitcher Size - The pitcher holds 2 quarts of tea, but is slim so that it easily fits in the fridge door. Great for saving on space.

Auto Shut-Off - As you know, making sure no one gets burned is a plus to me. Plus, no fire hazard. Yay!

Use Any Type of Tea - This iced tea maker also accepts both loose tea and tea bags for brewing.

Adjustable Brew Strength - Easily make your tea weak or strong with the brew strength selector.

Fast Brewing - In less than 10 minutes, I can have a pitcher of iced tea that is ready to drink.

Paperless Filter - No extra paper filter trash when you brew = good for the environment!

Compact - Heating unit slides in and out of base for compact, easy storage. This means it doesn't take up much space on counter when not in use.

Despite looking like the perfect iced tea maker, this mode does leave me with some reservations. Here are some of the cons I found with adding this Hamilton Beach iced tea machine to by kitchen.

Drips Water - No drip tray means that you get water on the counter. Fortunately, no tea drips due to the design.

Some Problems With Loose Tea - If you have loose tea that is too fine, then you end up with that tea in your pitcher.

Strong Plastic Smell/Taste Initially - When you first get this pitcher, many reviewers note that there is a strong plastic smell/taste for a while. This could mean BPA, which is supposed to be harmful to the body.

This Mr. Coffee electric iced tea maker machine is also always at the top of the best sellers list on Amazon. When I last looked, it had around 200 reviews from owners with almost 4/5 stars as an average rating. This is a well known brand too, which makes it a good option. Image via Mr. Coffee

There is a lot to say about this Mr. Coffee iced tea maker, so check out the list of pros that I found for it.

Largest Pitcher - Of all the electric iced tea makers that I looked at, this one has the largest pitcher - a full quart more than the others.

Works With All Tea Types - You can use both loose and bagged tea with this Mr. Coffee iced tea maker.

Auto-Shut-Off - Like the others, it has the safety of an auto shut-off once done brewing.

Dishwasher Safe Pitcher - Unlike the other two models above, you can actually put this pitcher in the dishwasher.

Adjustable Brew Strength - You can easily make strong or weak tea with the brew steeping adjustment option.

Non-Drip Pouring Spout - I always seem to spill tea when pouring, so this design is a real bonus for me.

Low Price - This iced tea maker regularly sells for just under $20, making it a super cheap tea maker.

Leakage seems to be the most common complaint with this iced tea maker. Seems that it commonly leaks water, and sometimes tea. But that isn't its only problem. Here are some more items to add to the cons list.

Pitcher Takes Up A Lot Of Space -While the large pitcher is a nice feature, it takes up a LOT of space in my fridge.

Pitcher Doesn't Last - Many reviews point to the pitcher developing cracks after a while. This means you have to buy a $10 replacement pitcher.

Not Environmentally Friendly - It does have a filter basket, but reviews state that you need to use a paper coffee filter in it, creating excess waste.

You MUST Use Ice - If you don't put ice in the pitcher before brewing, then it will warp from the heat of the liquid.

Which One Did I Buy?

After looking over my top three choices, I narrowed it down to the Mr. Coffee Iced Tea machine or the Hamilton Beach Iced Tea machine. Then I had to decide - which iced tea making machine did I want to add to my kitchen.

I was really attracted to the sleek, slim design of the Hamilton Beach. And I thought that the Mr. Coffee tea maker looked both cheap and ugly. However, I was really concerned about the reported chemical and plastic smell and taste from the Hamilton Beach model. I try to keep BPA out of my kitchen when possible. Now, I know that the Mr. Coffee pitcher is plastic also, but there are no reports of a plastic smell from it.

So, I chose the Mr. Coffee iced tea product because of the lack of chemical smell and because it came with the largest tea pitcher. Remember, I drink a lot of tea!

As you may know, these three iced tea maker machines are not the only options you are limited to. In fact, there are several other iced tea maker models on the Amazon best sellers list. Personally, I found too many problems listed in the reviews with most of them to even consider adding them to my kitchen. However, the problems that I see in them might not be much of an issue for you. For that reason, I want to briefly highlight some of the other tea maker machine options that might interest you.

This Oster iced tea maker is one the best sellers list. It has a permanent filter, adjustable brew strength, works with loose and bagged tea, dishwasher safe and a large, easy-to-hold handle. Some reviewers mention problems with it breaking unexpectedly.

I have a Bunn coffee maker that I love, so I have no doubt that this is an excellent iced tea maker. Of course, it's not exactly practical for every day home use. And it has a high price tag.

This Breville tea maker is very nice looking, but it seems to be primarily for making hot tea. Of course, you can use it to make iced tea but it might not be the most practical option since it has a rather high price tag. It looks so nice though, I almost considered it because I do drink a lot of hot tea as well.

I think this Takeya iced tea maker is really nice looking, plus it is BPA free. It is not electric, instead you have to heat water in a separate kettle and add it to the Takeya tea maker to get your iced or hot tea brewing. It doesn't take up a lot of space though, which is nice. And, it's cheap!

Bodum is a well-known brand that I trust, but this iced tea maker is very similar to the Takeya model. You have to heat your water in a kettle and then add it to the Bodum pitcher to brew the tea. The pitcher is made of BPA-free plastic, which is good news. And the capacity of the pitcher is a plus for big families or people who drink a lot of tea like me.

If you prefer to do your own shopping and comparing of iced tea machines, why not get started on Amazon right now with your own search? You can do your search right here - just click on any item that you like for additional info.