Hamilton Beach 40911 2-Quart Electric Iced Tea Maker, White
$2
- Measures 17-1/2 by 11-1/2 by 4-1/2-inch; wash only by hand.
- Slim, 2-quart pitcher fits in refrigerator door
- Indicator light and automatic shutoff
- Adjustable brew-strength selector
- Product Built to North American Electrical Standards
Specification: Hamilton Beach 40911 2-Quart Electric Iced Tea Maker, White
|
2 reviews for Hamilton Beach 40911 2-Quart Electric Iced Tea Maker, White
Show all
Most Helpful
Highest Rating
Lowest Rating
Add a review
Related Products
Primula Press and Go Iced Tea Iced Tea Brewer and Tumbler For Loose Leaf or Bagged Teas, Double Wall Travel Tea Mug with Stainless Steel Infuser,…
★★★★★
- Camera: -
- Flight time (m): -
$50
T2 Tea Jug-A-Lot Iced Tea Jug , BPA Free, with Removable Infuser, 1.2L Aqua, H999ZZ247
★★★★★
- Camera: -
- Flight time (m): -
$66
YJINGRUI Commercial Fully Automatic Pearl Pot Pearl Tapioca Cooker Pearl Maker 5L for Boba Tea & Bubble Tea & Milk Tea Touchscreen 110V
★★★★★
- Camera: -
- Flight time (m): -
$462
50CalAL –
After reading through the reviews here I decided to take a chance and order this product. Not too many iced tea makers get great ratings, but this one does everywhere. I’m sure glad I did! I drink a lot of ice tea regardless of the weather and this product makes it so much easier. I use lose teas so this product takes all the work out of making iced tea. Fill the brew tower with water, fill the pitcher with ice (fill markings on both the brew tower and pitcher), put in your tea in the the brew basket (I put my sweetener in here as well) and turn it on. In ~10-12 minutes you have 2 quarts of ice tea ready to go.
The good: The brew tower doesn’t take up much space. Its narrow design allows it to remain flat against a wall when it’s not in use (the pitcher is always in the fridge as I always make sure there’s iced tea available). The pitcher itself is also narrow so you can put it on the door or right up against the side of the fridge. The brewing section is part of the pitcher itself so there’s only water going in the brew tower and coming out. There is a brew tray that slides out from the brew tower to hold the pitcher in the correct position, this helps ensure the hot water coming out of the spout on the brew tower goes into the brew basket and not all over your counter. There’s a brew strength selector on the brew basket so you can choose how strong you want your tea. I use the strong setting and I find as the loose tea expands it covers the filter and slows down the drip process allowing the tea to brew a little longer.
The bad: Plastics are a little on the cheap side and are not dishwasher safe. I’m not abusive with any of the parts so hope this product will last me some time. It only makes 2 quarts. Wish they made a 3L version (I consume on average 2 quarts a day of iced tea).
I’ve only had this product for about a month so can’t comment on longevity/lifespan, but I have already used it about 23 times so far. Haven’t had any problems. Definitely happy with this purchase and recommend it to others.
Making the iced tea: I use a peach-appricot loose tea I get from a local tea house. I use about 2 levels tablespoons. I use Splenda as a sweetener (before you bash me for this I have high blood-sugar so have to watch what I consume), about 8 packets. I fill the pitcher with large ice cubes a little above the fill line (not too many to prevent the brew basket from seating properly). I also add an extra 8 oz. of water to the pitcher. I place the tea/sweetener between where the hot water gets injected into the brew basket and the filter. I put 1 tablespoon of tea in 1st, then the sweetener, then the 2nd tablespoon of tea. I also make sure the filter is installed parallel to the brew basket so as the tea expands it fills the basket evenly and allows the tea to steep a little longer (I use the strong setting also so the tea drips out slower). I also fill the tower above the fill line (between the fill line and top of the brew tower). Makes just a little more than 2 quarts 🙂
Since I use extra water you will end up with tea sitting in the brew basket as the pitcher will fill up to where the tea drips out of the basket. This isn’t a big deal because as you drink some tea the remainder will drip out and it’s already sweetened.
I recommend letting the plastics (namely the cover and brew basket) to cool a little before popping the pitcher in the fridge. After the brew tower shuts off, I disconnect the pitcher from the brew tower and I pop off the cover which helps the cover and brew basket cool down faster.
Conclusion: This product is a great idea! They have coffee makers so makes sense to have iced tea makers for those that love iced tea. Takes the hassle out of making iced tea, no more boiling water, steeping the tea then waiting for it too cool down so you can pop it in the fridge. If you drink a lot of iced tea then this product will ensure you always have iced tea at the ready!
BP –
I read the reviews from others and, because of them, decided to give this iced tea maker a try. I was not disappointed. I’ve had it for about a month and have used at least once everyday. I love it. I agree that the pitcher could have been made a little sturdier(the only reason it didn’t get 5 stars from me) but, since I immediately transfer the tea to another container and hand rinse everything it’s not going to be an issue. It will hold up for a very long time.
The machine is very simple to use. I, per directions, put one quart of water into the machine and then put about 1 INCH of cold water in the pitcher and add ice until almost the 1 quart line on the pitcher. I do this because the container that I transfer the tea to doesn’t have a very large opening(2qt. juice bottle). To fill the pitcher with ice to the 2qt line on the pitcher(per mfg. directions) would require me to wait a long time for the ice to melt enough to make it an easy pour into my “holding container”.
Either way, the pitcher needs to be protected by ice/cool water from the very hot tea dripping into it or it could heat fracture over time. The 2qt rectangular type juice bottles are great because they take up less room than a round Tupperware type pitcher and they can also be stored on their side. And, if they break they’re easily replaced when you finish drinking your cranberry juice.lol I digress.
My recipe for iced tea to my liking:
Selector on tea holder/”seeper” set to “strong”
Two Lipton large size tea bags(on their side at the end where the hot water flows in). I also adjust the tea in the bags so it’s spread out as it lays flat in the holder/”seeper”. The large Lipton decaf bags are $3.46 for 24 bags at Walmart.
While it’s brewing I pour 13 packets of Equal type(Walmart brand 200 packets @$2.14) sweetener into my juice container and then squeeze in a good dose(1-1½ oz???) of Sicilia brand lemon juice. Unless you’re using actual lemons Sicilia brand is the only way to go. IMHO, the other lemon juice brands, i.e. Realemon, are horrible and make for a lousy tasting tea. My local Walmart does not carry Sicilia but the other stores in my area do. It’s 99¢-$1.50 for 4oz. Look in the produce section if they’re not in the aisles near Realemon, etc…
When the tea is done brewing, the ice(prepared my way) should be just melted and the tea will be room temperature. I take apart the unit, hang the just used tea bags in the pitcher of tea to cool off while I wash the tea holder/seeper and cover, and then squeeze out the tea bags into the brew and discard them. The brew then gets poured into my juice bottle with the waiting sweetener and lemon, shaken, and stored in the refrigerator until it’s cold. I find that “aging” the brew for at least a couple of hours(while it’s getting cold) brings out the flavor of the tea. Seeing as how I always have two containers in the “fridge” I don’t have to worry about diluting the brew any further by pouring room temperature tea over ice to cool it. By the time I get to the “reserve” bottle it’s cold. When I start drinking my “reserve” bottle I make a new batch to replace it.