Making iced tea with an electric percolator.

[polkanut]

Am I the only one who makes iced tea this way?  Some purists may say this is sacrilege.  

 

9 black and orange pekoe tea bags

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

½ cup lemon juice

 

Place tea bags in percolator basket.  Perk like coffee.  Measure sugar & lemon juice into a 1 gallon pitcher.  Pour hot tea into pitcher.  Stir well.  Keep making tea with the same tea bags until the pitcher is full.  Refrigerate.  It will turn cloudy, but I love it.

 

[luxflairguy]

Looks good! But what size is the percolator? 10 C or 12? Greg

 

[tomturbomatic]

I put 6 decaf teabags in a 2 cup measuring cup. I add one cup of water from the Instant Hot and microwave it for about 70-75 seconds or until it comes to a boil. I take it out and let it sit while I add 12 Truvia packs and a half cup of sugar to a gallon Rubbermaid pitcher. I pour the hot tea over that, squeezing the bags  and then sort of rinse the bags with about a half cup of hot water and squeeze that out. I fill the pitcher with water and about two cups of ice cubes and have a gallon of tea.

 

[artcurus]

Only if the percolator was never used for coffee. YUCK! It also depends on the steeping temperature. 190 is optimum which just below boil. In the pot, it's just to the point where the bubbles disturb the surface of the tea, and there's a little foam. If it reaches boiling, throw it out, it will taste thick and burned.

I used Decoty Western Gold, It's a bit more expensive but well worth it. It has such a smooth, clean taste, the brands in the stores taste nasty and bitter in comparison.

http://www.decoty.com/catalogItems/view/teas/western-gold-iced-tea-96-ct-1-oz-filter-pack-servings

The one ounce filter pack will make a gallon but it works also for a 2 quart pitcher.

Fill 2 quart sauce pan a little over halfway with water, and add the filter pack.

For 2 quart, 3/4 cup + 2 tbs sugar.
For gallon- about 1 and 1/3 cup sugar. (or adjust to taste)

Pour sugar in pan with filter pac and water, and turn the burner mid-high. Gas will faster than electric. Monitor until water has become dark colored, and foam is visible on the surface of the tea, also there will be light steam. When the surface begins to bubble slightly, turn heat off and remove from burner.

Place a bowl or saucer on top of the pot, for 2 quarts, steep 10 minutes, for a gallon, steep 15-20. Pour contents of pot into appropriate container, fill rest of container with water, and stir.

 

[fan-of-fans]

No not in a percolator but I thought about trying to make some in my Braun drip coffee maker. Afraid to try it as it might taste like coffee/tea!

 

[askolover]

I have a pan I use only for tea, never for anything else.  Two family sized green tea bags to a pan of filtered water, heat on induction until it just starts to boil and shut off.  Pour into a gallon pitcher with one heaping cup of sugar, stir til dissolved and top off with filtered water to the top.  Never ever any lemon! Tastes better the next day after it has a chance to "mellow".  I used to drink black tea and made it the same way.

 

[ea56]

I just fill a 1/2 gal. pitcher with cold, filtered water and add 5-6 tea bags, place the pitcher in the refrigerator for several hrs. or overnight. Makes very clean tasting ice tea and it stays clear. I sometimes put about 1/4 cup of sugar in at the beginning, we don't like our ice tea real sweet,
Eddie

 

[polkanut]

Greg-Luxflairguy,

I use a vintage stainless steel 9 cup Presto submersible perc that I cleaned up, and now use exclusively for making tea.

 

When I originally brought it home I put a small amount of dishwasher detergent w/ bleach in the basket and let it perk until done.  WOW!!!  You should've seen the schmutz that came out!  I always wash it in the dishwasher now to keep it residue free. 

 

It shouldn't make much difference what size pot you use because you want to keep making tea until you have 1 gallon.

 

[frigilux]

I've never heard of using a percolator for tea, but keeping one tea-exclusive is a cool idea!

Used to have a Mr. Coffee Iced Tea Maker, but it was a victim of the Great Downsizing Of 2014. It made up to three quarts, but never cared for the taste of iced tea that's been sitting for more than a couple of hours.

I use the Keurig, now. Fill a glass with ice, brew a K-cup of your choice over it and voila! I like Lipton's Unsweetened Classic Iced Tea; Celestial's English Breakfast Tea; and Honest Tea's Black Iced Tea the best.

 

[norgeway]

I ALWAYS do

I use a Hamilton Beach immersible and a Westinghouse Pressure Flo, 5 family size decaf tea bags in the basket, perc full of cold water, let perk, in a gallon container I dissolve 1 cup sugar in cold water, pour in the hot tea add water to fill, stir well and into the fridge, come to the wash in and you can try some.

 

[DADoES]

 
I use a 3-qt West Bend iced tea maker but have taken to filling the pitcher to the ice line with cold water instead of ice so the result is warm instead of chilled.  Two family-size tea bags, two or three Earl Grey.  Pour the 3 qts into a 1-gal pitcher with 1 to 1.25 cups sugar.  Stir thoroughly ... then stir-in enough ice to make the gallon.

 

[rp2813]

I take the passive off-the-grid approach.

 

Fill a 1/2 gallon juice bottle with water.

Push 3 teabags into the top.

Screw the cap on.

Place outside where it gets sun all day.

 

I'm currently using English breakfast tea.  No sugar, and usually no lemon.

I like the spicy Good Earth decaf too, but it seems Safeway has stopped carrying it.

 

[circlew]

I've never used a perc at home to make tea, but we have used a large coffee urn at the church to make tea a few times. Occasionally we use the Mr. Coffee tea maker, but that seems to be more trouble than making it in a pan.

At home I use a stainless steel 2 qt. pan (Revere). I clean it every few weeks with Bar Keeper's friend, and after using it for anything else before making tea again.

I pour about 1.5 qts. of purified water into the pan & bring to a boil. I then remove from heat and add either one 1 gal. tea bag, or four regular sized bags. I let it steep for 5-6 mins. and remove bag(s). Next I add 1.5 cups cane sugar, stir and let cool approx. 20 mins. I then add the remainder of the water to make one gal. I keep it in the jug the water came in, and keep it tightly closed. It will stay fresh tasting up to four days at room temp. If kept in a pitcher that doesn't seal good, it always goes bad after two days.

I always make sweet tea for the church dinner, and picnics. It always gets compliments.

 

[dermacie]

Every Sunday

I use a big 10 cup electric corning ware electromatic percolator to make iced tea and drink it all week. I keep it clean, but almost never use it to make coffee.

 

[yogitunes]

14 tea bags, usually Liptons......into a quart mason jar.....hot water from what ever source is available, right now we have a pot that just boils water automatically......

1 gallon pitcher......1-1/2 cup sugar......fill half way with water and stir......

after about 5 minutes of steeping, the concentrate of tea is added to the gallon jug, holding back and squeezing the tea bags, and discard.....

stir and continue filling the jug until full.....and refrigerate.....

its usually best the first day as warm tea is poured over ice....sort of dilutes it some versus chilled out of the fridge and poured over ice...

but I do love all the variations of how you guys make tea.....thanks

 

[circlew]

14 bags!

Wow Yogi, do you ever go to sleep? That strong of tea would keep me awake for days!

 

[yogitunes]

coffee and tea doesn't affect my sleep......although tea can have a factor in kidney stones.....

as for too strong, as mentioned, pouring it over ice waters it down.....

 

[circlew]

That's good. I sure hope you won't get kidney stones - I hear they are no fun!

 

[xraytech]

Most of the time I'll just boil 2 quarts of water in my Corning SauceMaker pan then I add 6 tea bags and let steep for 6 minutes. Tea is kept in a Tupperware pitcher and is always unsweetened. I add a wedge of lemon when I drink it and sometimes 1/2 of a packet of sweet n low.

If I need a larger batch I'll do 1 1/2 gallons of water with 18 tea bags in my Westinghouse coffee urn