How To Make And Brew Hot & Iced Tea In A Keurig
While you can’t put a tea bag directly in your Keurig, you can certainly still use your brewer to make tea. The simplest way is to use tea K-cups. However, if you have a favorite tea bag or loose leaf tea, your Keurig can still help you brew those without a K-cup. Keep reading to see my tips on how to make tea in a Keurig, both hot and iced.
Tea K-Cup Pods
In addition to coffee pods, there are tons of “specialty beverage” pods out there, including tea K-Cups. Popular brands like Twinings of London, Celestial Seasonings, Bigelow and Lipton all make tea pods. There is a range of types to choose from, including black, green, herbal and chai teas. Making a cup of tea with a tea K-Cup is just like brewing a coffee. Put the pod in the holder and push the button for your desired tea cup size. You can use any cup size. If you have a Keurig 2.0 or Plus model, you’ll want to touch the “Hot Cocoa/Other” button before hitting brew.
Using Tea Bags With Keurig
You can’t put tea bags directly in the Keurig. However, you can use your Keurig to make hot water and then use that to brew your tea bag. If you have the K-Elite, you can simply press the hot water button. Otherwise, make sure there is no pod inside your brewer, then just lift and lower the handle, and then press your desired cup size and/or brew button. Your water should be about 192 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s just about 10 degrees warmer than the ideal temperature for green tea, and 20 degrees cooler than the ideal temperature for black or herbal teas. You can remove the bag after two to five minutes or leave it while you drink – whatever you prefer!
Brewing Loose Leaf Tea With Keurig
If you have a My K-Cup reusable filter to brew your own ground coffee, you might be thinking about using that for loose leaf tea. Unfortunately, Keurig does not recommend using loose leaves in the My K-Cup. Instead, you can follow the same steps described above to use your brewer to make a cup of hot water. Then, steep your tea using a tea filter or infuser. Add about one teaspoon of leaves per 6 oz of water. If you make 8 oz of hot water, use slightly more than a teaspoon. For 10 oz, use about a little more than a teaspoon and a half.
How To Brew Iced Tea With Keurig
Making iced tea with Keurig is easiest if you use K-Cups. You’ll find many pod options from brands like Lipton, Luzianne and Snapple that are specifically formulated to be consumed iced. There are both sweetened and unsweetened options. The pods will still brew hot, so you’ll need to cool the tea down to make your drink iced. The fastest way to do this without diluting your tea with melted ice is to use an accessory like the HyperChiller. You can just brew the pod directly into the HyperChiller and then enjoy a delicious iced tea just a couple minutes later. You don’t have to use these iced tea pods though. The HyperChiller will make a great iced tea from any Keurig tea pod.
