Flash Chill Iced Tea Maker - Versatile Tea Brewer for Loose/Bagged Tea - Patented Flash Chill Tech Hot/Cold Use BPA-Free Tritan Dishwasher Safe - Airtight Lid Made in USA - 2 Quart/Raspberry

This is wonderful! First, if uncertain, this is 1 quart size. It is smaller in all ways from what I think of as a "regular pitcher" size. Its geography in the fridge is small on the bottom and shorter bottom to top. Awesome for those with cramped fridge space. Second, that handle: It stretches down top-to-almost-bottom full-hand size even though this is a smaller pitcher. Firm steady grip, whether cold or hot liquid is in it. And even better, covered with silicon! Third, adding boiling water to it was a delight! Truly I eye in suspect even glass pitchers that I pour a little then wait then baby them until finished. It is asking a lot to withstand that kind of temp change, and who knows how or what things are made anymore. But this one, it was smaller, very light in weight, I thought just do it, and I did. All at once, no babying, and it took it like a pro yay! And the seal is tight on the top, no leaking, no worries. To pour, no magic just functionality: Twist slightly until the under-opening parts a little and pour with confidence, not too fast/slow, then tiny bit of twist and pitcher is sealed securely again. I have not tried lying it on its side in the fridge (leaks), or in the door (fit), but what I have seen so far leads me to believe likely no worries. Fourth, the design seems thoughtful. Tight twisty seal of handle-top, with easy tight quick well-seated twist-in inside seal of the nicely-sized filter, feels durable but little weight to it, and floor of it is large enough that as I pour boiling water in it maintains a firm position on the counter. Pre-purchase I needed: Smaller pitcher due to fridge space, that I could make tea, fruid-ade, or coffee in, that went from boiling water to counter room temp to fridge chill until finished, all in a single vessel. 1-4 cups only, for now and maybe later. That wasn't a nightmare of tiny gadgets and attachments to find/use/wash/lose/rust/cut me. The supplied cup at the bottom I will use, and it came in handy for quick and not-messy initial removal of the filter from the pitcher. I found everything here, how great is that!

A great container that makes it easy and fast to make great iced tea. Below is a recipe for green tea that I had been making for some time...this is perfect for it. 5-Minute Fresh-Brewed Iced Green Tea This iced tea preparation method is FAST, and still delivers unsurpassed taste. Amazingly simple and effective (did I mention fast!), the method is adaptable to any tea variety. Best of all, if you use the brand of green tea recommended, it costs ~$1 to make 2 quarts (64 ounces) of iced tea, or about 15 cents per 8 ounce serving of tea! Ingredients: • 2 qt container • 8 x 1.5g bags (12g) green tea (or to taste) • Dash matcha (optional) • I qt water • ~1 qt ice Directions: 1. Bring 1 qt water to 175 deg F (NOT boiling) 2. Transfer hot water to container 3. Add tea (and dash of matcha) 4. Remove tea after 45 seconds - 1 minute 5. Add ice to make 2 qts (i.e. 1 quart tea + 1 quart ice = 2 qts) 6. Agitate (stir or shake) to melt ice 7. Pour into a glass over ice 8. Enjoy Notes: • This method is adaptable to any type of tea desired by using 8 tea bags (or the equivalent in grams), and modifying the steeping temperature and time as appropriate. I like to make an iced hibiscus tea (16g hibiscus leaves per 2 qt final volume, 212 deg F boiling water, steep 5 min). • The time it takes to heat your water is really the time-limiting factor in this preparation. You might be able to beat 5 minutes, or perhaps it will take you 8 minutes. I use an electric tea kettle that has an adjustable temperature control. As explained below, temperature does matter. • Yes, that's right, that's how green tea is done. The Japanese have studied green tea for centuries, and you use water heated to 175 degrees and steep it for 45 seconds to 1 minute. They tell you to bob the bag three times, then hold it above the tea and shake it three times before discarding. Seriously, they have studied this issue. If you like stronger tea add more, but steeping it longer just makes it taste bitter, or so say countless generations of people who have made it their business to know something about such things. Of course you can burn it with boiling water and let it get bitter, just saying. Or maybe it’s different with Chinese green teas, I have found I prefer the Japanese teas. • The container can be any sort of pitcher or jug, and it is especially nice if it has a lid that seals so you can shake it to melt the ice. Takeya makes a good one that includes a strainer. Make sure to think about how you will remove your tea ahead of time if you don’t have a strainer or the strings aren’t long enough…chopsticks work in a pinch. • I recommend Costco Kirkland Signature Brand green tea, which is manufactured by Itoen in Japan. Costco picked the best supplier they could find, and then provide it to members at the lowest price possible (that’s what they DO). It includes a bit of powdered green tea called matcha in each bag that really adds to the flavor of the tea. • Matcha is a finely ground powder of specially shade-grown and processed (the stems and veins are removed) green tea. Many Japanese restaurants use matcha to make their green tea, both hot and iced. If you don't use the Costco tea, you can always add a bit of matcha, or you can flavor the tea entirely with matcha. • If you like your iced tea sweetened or with other flavorings like ginger or jasmine, add it after steeping but before adding the ice (between Steps 4 and 5). Agitate it a bit to help combine the sweeteners/flavorings if that helps.

By far my favorite purchase this year. I love iced tea, it is my drink of choice anytime I go out to eat, but I've never been able to capture that same taste at home. I typically do sun tea, but again, the flavor is just never right and the container is too large, and requires me to transfer it to another pitcher. This tea maker/pitcher is perfect in every way. First, it's super easy to use. 2nd, it's the perfect size to keep in your fridge. 3rd and most importantly, the tea is amazing and 4th, it's very easy to clean. I have not tried the "fast chill", but I really don't need to because making cold tea is a breeze. Here's the recipe and method I use....put 8 lipton tea bags, or tea bags of your choice in the filter, fill the pitcher about 3/4 of the way, screw the filter into the lid, then screw the lid into the pitcher. Put it in your refrigerator and leave it over night. Honestly you can probably drink it after 4 hours, but I like the taste to be a little stronger. In the morning, unscrew the lid and unscrew the filter, there is a handy little black cup to put the filter in so it doesn't drip everywhere. Remove the tea bags from the filter, screw the lid back on and now you've got a pitcher full of tea ready to be poured. To pour the tea, you turn the lid so one of the arrow points towards the handle, then tighten it back up after you pour. When I pour my last glass of tea, I just do the process all over again so that I always have tea on hand.

I'm a nut for iced tea really. I drink it all through the winter and go through a quart or more every day when I'm at home/work. (No coffee, this is my caffeine dose.) I've done various things to brew iced tea over the years but none has come close to what this gadget achieves. $25 price might seem steep but it's worth it. The brewing basket is perfectly designed for using only one quart of hot water and then filling the rest with cold (I just top it with water not ice). The lid seals completely. It cleans easily, even in dishwasher if you want. And, to top it off, it has the best-designed pour spout I've ever used. WIth the lid in the pour position or even the lid removed, there are NO DRIPS when pouring! Amazing! I find it totally worth having even though I'm not even using loose tea and have no particular plans to. A couple tiny tiny drawbacks I've noticed over the several weeks I've been using it: It can be a little fiddly to pour the water in then dunk the whole lid/brew basket assembly into there for brewing. There are 3 pieces that screw together if you are using the extended basket. You can assemble beforehand but it doesn't stand up well on its own and is a bit long and unwieldy to set down assembled in my small kitchen. Also the black tea I'm using (it's in a bag, not loose, and maybe that's part of why) stained the mesh of the strainer brown very quickly. I don't think that affects any performance or taste but it doesn't seem possible to remove. I have not washed the strainer in the dishwasher, seemed like that could be a little harsh on it, but all the other parts have been in there and done fine. I make the same tea at work using a simple pitcher and just brewing the tea in a glass measuring cup (don't trust brewing right into that cheap plastic). For some reason, it comes out tasting slightly different (better) at home with the Takeya tea maker I still haven't pinpointed why. I may end up getting a second one both for that and for the convenience of brewing directly into the pitcher and having a completely sealed storage for the fridge. And the drip-free spout. All good reasons to get this! EDIT: Okay so now I'm at 8+ months of using this. I use it daily or nearly so, and I still think it's great. However, I'm going to downgrade it to 4* because of one simple obvious truth: the plastic bottle stains and I've yet to find a good way to clean it. Now, is this not true of every plastic device that you pour very hot water into? Pretty much. I mean, I had an old Mr Coffee Iced Tea Pot and it was one of the things I hated about that too. This is still WAY more useful IMO. It's still very good, and I won't stop using it. But I'm disappointed that running it through the dishwasher won't remove the tea film, using a brush just makes it look scratched, and rubbing down the whole thing with a rag or paper towel would take ages, plus it's a bit narrow to get my arm into! Basically, I use it anyway. I don't think it's doing me any harm, but it's still a little disconcerting to know there is a thin film of tea coating the inside of the bottle that CAN be removed, if only I could figure out a good way. The care guide says for deep cleaning to soak in 50/50 water/vinegar, but I'm pretty sure I tried that and still didn't have a great result. Will have to try that again though. In short, everything I said originally is still true, except for the dishwasher is no panacea in getting it truly clean.

I recently picked up this iced tea maker, and let me tell you, it's been a game-changer. It's the perfect size - large enough to give me a full glass or two for days, yet compact enough to slide into my fridge without taking up space. I've got to admit, I've been hooked on the cold brew function and haven't even ventured into the flash chill territory yet. The cold brew is just too good and so simple! I just drop in about 8 tea bags, let it sit in the fridge overnight, and wake up to fragrant, refreshing tea. Technically if you look up each tea you will see the optimal amount of brewing time, but I’ve accidentally left the tea bags in for days before with absolutely no issue. The design is pretty well thought out too. It comes with an infuser chamber that screws right into the lid so it’s easy to add/remove. And the extra little cup that catches any drips after you remove the infuser? Genius. I never would have thought of it but the small details make all the difference. I've been sticking to tea bags for the sake of convenience, but it's nice to know it can handle loose leaf tea since a lot of the high quality blends are loose leaf. I've experimented with green tea, spearmint, and hibiscus so far, and they've all turned out amazing. Honestly, it's like this tea maker was designed for people who want easy convenience. I've been trying to swap coffee for tea for awhile now, but I kept forgetting about my steeping tea until hours later when it was the steepiest it could possibly be. This iced tea maker's been a lifesaver - or should I say, a tea-saver? I've almost completely cut out coffee now because making delicious tea is just so effortless with this thing. The only little hiccup is the staining from some of the more pigmented teas. I’ve found that it can get a kind of yellowish tint. However a deep clean with baking soda and vinegar every other week keeps it looking fresh and new! I can’t recommend this enough, I’m thinking about getting several in multiple colors so I can color code my teas or do a caffeine/non caffeine blend each time.

Makes great tasting iced tea, just as good as specialty tea and coffee restaurants! In fact, I discontinued my Panera sip club $14.99 per month membership solely because of this product! I fill the pitcher up with the hottest tap water available, put two quart size tea bags in the container, attach that to the lid and let it set for 8-12 hours and voila, I have great tasting fresh brewed iced tea! I did notice a small leak one time when I set it on its side in mini fridge. Maybe 1-2 tbsp total. I double checked, the lid was on tightened fully so not sure how that could have happened. That’s not a deal breaker, and I’m ordering another Takeya today since I discovered I drink more than I quart size pitcher per day. I typically drink a Tervis double wall insulated stainless steel glass full of iced tea in the afternoon and 1 with dinner and in the evening.

I like Arizona Green Tea, and Argo Ginger Twist Tea, but with as much ice tea as I drink, buying from the store was not good for my budget. So, I adapted copycat recipes to get the best-tasting homemade versions and now with the Takeya Iced Tea Maker, I can easily make a week's worth of tea in short order with no other dishes and without over-brewing. Before, it was harder for me make my clone tea recipes as I had to boil two pots of hot water in the water kettle, then leave the water in a bowl (monitoring with food thermometer) till the water cooled to the right brewing temperature, before putting in the tea bags. Meanwhile, in my VitaMix, I'd put in the sugar, spicing, and lime juice, then pour in the brewed tea and blend, before pouring into a pitcher or single serve tea jars (I have more than enough from all the store-bought teas) and put into the fridge to cool down before I could enjoy my cloned iced tea. Now, with the Takeya Iced Tea Maker I only have to boil one kettle of water, can put the water, sugar, juice and spices into the Takuya, along with the tea (and now I can use higher-quality, lower-cost, loose leaf) which makes it easier to brew at the right temperature. The tea itself, which goes into the easy to clean and use infuser, means that I can brew, blend, and cool all in one dish. So, there is much less clean-up, I get a workout shaking up the Takuya (bonus), and I can drink the tea right after making it, instead of waiting for it to cool down in the refrigerator. Also, I can pour the batch of tea into my collection of single serve tea jars, and quickly make the second batch from the same tea while it is still potent without wasting time or having to do any extra work. I don't know how or what the quick flash technology really is, but it works well, cleans up easily and simplifies my clone recipe ice tea making.

I love tea and I love iced tea. But since I do not have an ice maker, there is something very messy about making iced tea. To get a potent tasting beverage, you need to steep it when it's hot. And so you then need to cool it down—that requires a lot of ice or a lot of waiting around. What I enjoy about this iced tea maker is that the seal is watertight, which allows the container to be put on its side. I have used it for a few months now, and it has never leaked or spilled. The second advantage of that seal is that, more importantly, the tea does not "taste like the fridge"—which I'm sure is a frequent problem some of you may have encountered, especially with more delicate or subtle teas, such as green teas. Finally, I find the materials robust, the construction of very good quality, and the pitcher's design is well thought out: for instance, it is not perfectly cylindrical, so as to not roll when it is on its side. Finally, everything rinses out very well—as soon as I empty a pitcher, I just rinse it out, put more tea, and start the next pitcher. That is how you can have on-demand homemade iced tea all summer long with minimal effort. A few tips to brew good iced tea: — Consider using a blender or (clean) coffee grinder to turn your loose tea into some sort of powder (this sounds barbaric and I would not recommend this for enjoying the subtle notes of a sencha; but when brewing iced tea, this helps make the infusion more potent). — If you want to do single-use iced tea that are ready immediately (takes about 10 minutes to make from scratch to actually drinking with a straw), you might consider looking at an alternate solution, such as the award wining Taiwanese teapot: Company Pu'erh Tea Starter Pack Comprising Piao I Teapot (500cc/16 Ounces) (it has less than stellar reviews because at some point a vendor was sending knock-offs, but the teapot itself is a prized possession). This allows you to steep a very concentrated tea, that you can then pour over half a cup of ice cubes, pour a bit of water and mix.