Takeya 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/Avocado

I bought this to replace my old, cracking pitcher that was not leak proof, and i was extremely skeptical this one would be. I was okay with that. I almost bought just the pitcher to brew tea as usual, but i decided to try the whole unit (with the tea strainer/basket). I brew a lot of tea. I go through about 1L/day. This thing has made the routine much quicker and easier. And my tea is ready as soon as i deem it strong enough! I fill it about 3/4 with boiling water, put my tea bags in the basket and shake them to the bottom, screw the lid on partially (to allow steam to escape), let it steep for 2-4 hours (i do like it strong), take out basket and fill the remaining area up with ice, screw cap on tight, and shake vigorously. Done. Perfect tea every time! And it is absolutely leak proof. I really could not be happier with the design of this thing. I wasn't so sure I'd like the tall, thin design, but it's great! Takes up less fridge space, and it even fits in the door. The tea basket is thoughtfully made too. The top part screws off to make cleaning with a brush easy. The addition of the little cup for putting the tea basket in to drain was an extra bonus that is unnecessary but nice. It has held up through several months of heavy use now, and i like it so well, i bought another for my husband, who likes his tea made differently. Honestly, at this point, I'm kind of an unpaid spokesperson for Takeya. Lol

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.

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.

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 previously had one of the Takeya iced tea makers that comes with two pitchers -- one tall, like this, and then a smaller one with a smaller mesh infuser. Well, I knocked the smaller mesh infuser off the counter and onto the (tile) kitchen floor, where it cracked. Since I drink iced tea daily (we probably go through 5-6 pitchers a week at my house) I had to order another one right away. I went looking for the previous set that I had and found them all going for eighty plus bucks. So I bought one of these instead. In some really happy news for me, I found that the large pitcher here is identical to the large pitcher from the previous set, so I can use the infuser that came with this pitcher with the other pitcher too, so now I basically have two iced tea makers, which is lovely and convenient. Here is my procedure for using this product (I don't know if it is what the directions say, but I got used to this procedure with my other set and know it works): *Boil water in a tea kettle *While the water is boiling, take 3 tablespoons of Davidson's Irish Breakfast loose leaf tea (I buy it on Amazon by the pound) and put it in the infuser *Fit the infuser into the cap *When the water boils, pour it in the bottom of the pitcher (I'd say I usually use enough water in my tea kettle to fill this 40-50% of the way) *Put the lid back onto the pitcher and leave it (I may leave it 30 minutes or 3 hours, it sort of depends on what else I am doing and whether I remember to remove the tea leaves) *Remove the infuser; add ice and cold water; stir if necessary I have a spot in my refrigerator door reserved for this pitcher. One nice feature of this set is there is a black plastic cup where you can set the infuser while you are finishing up making the tea, so you don't make a mess all over the counter. For reference, it is safe to pour boiling water in the clear plastic part. I have done this many times with different Takeya pitchers made of the same plastic, as well as a handful of times with this pitcher, and it has been just fine. There is absolutely no weird taste in the tea (i.e., I don't think anything is leaching from the plastic into the tea). As for cleaning, the clear pitcher can be washed by hand or in the dishwasher (I do use a no heat dry; don't know whether that is necessary; bottom rack is probably necessary because of the height). The top green part (well, mine is green but I see some other colors are available as well) can go in the top rack. For what it's worth, the top green part is actually two parts: the one with the vertical pour handle and the one with the horizontal handle on top. It is nice to be able to take these apart and really clean around the top and neck of the pitcher. It is a bit difficult to get all the tea leaves out of the infuser part, but really, it just takes a few minutes, and I find that to be true of pretty much any container designed for brewing loose tea leaves. It is definitely better to remove the tea leaves completely before washing (the infuser part can also go in the dishwasher) so you don't get gunk stuck on other dishes in your load. Of course the top green part and infuser, like the clear pitcher, can also be washed by hand. Anyway, I love this thing and use it multiple times per week. Definitely glad I purchased it and would do so again if I broke it like the last one (though I will try to be more careful in the future!).

I love using this Takeya Iced Tea Maker! Very easy to use. This container fits on the fridge door. I have only used tea bags. I personally do not use loose tea. I am very pleased with the purchase.

I drink iced tea year-round and every day and this is the possibly THE greatest product ever made (well, maybe second to the wheel). I have owned and used all the other iced tea maker products made during the past 25+ years and this blows them away. This is my second one and bought only because my son managed to break the heavy plastic pitcher when he was having an 18-year-old "tantrum" and slammed it on a hard floor. He's paying for this one! I also bought just the pitcher which is all I really needed to make iced tea since the infuser wasn't harmed in the rage. But the pitcher alone is a great one for anything. The top tightens so well that you can lay it horizontally in the refrigerator. It doesn't stain or come discolored and can be hand washed or put in the dishwasher. But back to the primary purpose-making iced tea. I make at least 2-quarts/day (and often a gallon) and it is so easy. I use loose tea which I buy online in a variety of "tastes" and caffeine levels but have also used tea bags in the infuser which is incredibly hardy. The directions say to use the water at the temperature that is supposed to be used for your tea but I just boil a tea kettle and when it whistles, I just pour the water into the infuser in the pitcher up to the top. I don't measure the tea all that carefully-I have sense of how much is needed and often make it strong on purpose and then when it's "dark", I pour it all into a separate gallon pitcher that has ice in it. And then immediately make another 2 quarts using the same tea so I have over a gallon of tea to drink. I only use the directions (fill with hot water 2/3 of the way and let steep for 3-5 min and then add ice and shake) when I have friends over who may not want my random mix of teas. I usually just dump the used tea leaves/bags out and rinse it but have also put it through the dishwasher. Maybe I've made it sound more time-consuming or confusing than it really is but I don't drink soda or alcohol or juice-just iced tea. And the whole thing can also be used to make cold brew coffee. After I saw Takeya's cold brew maker, I called them and asked if the Iced Tea maker could be used for cold brew coffee and they confirmed that it could and gave me the directions on how to make the coffee (which I rarely drink). Just a great product in every way.

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!

Excelente producto y lo encontré a muy buen precio, de muy buen material si lo cuidas bien te duran mucho tiempo

I bought this for my husband's birthday and it is the most fantastic product. The lid is really air tight, it makes a whole bunch of tea, you can cold brew in the fridge overnight and it is the easiest thing in the world to maintain and clean. i got this to replace the electric ice tea machine I had in America and this is so much cheaper and easier and makes tea just as good, I would choose this over a machine now if I had the choice! The materials are really good quality, the handle has a nice rubber cushioning and it looks attractive. Could not be happier.

I somewhat bought this by mistake as I was after the cold brew coffee maker but decided to keep it and give it to my wife who is a tea drinker. So far I have found that using regular tea bags work great. I steep for 12 hours in tap water using 6 bags instead of the recommended 8 and it makes a great brew. I prefer it sever on ice with a dash of bitters and Elder flower cordial and it is so refreshing on a hot day. Otherwise it is easy to clean, doesn't leak when stored horizontally, looks good, takes up little space as slim and is well designed for function and form.

If you love iced, it’s quick and simple and makes great iced tea

I adore iced tea, and this is a good substitute for the electric iced tea makers available in states. It's fast and easy to use, and the seal on the lid is very tight so there's no leakage, even if you store the carafe on its side in the fridge. I'm very happy with this purchase - I've used it loads this summer.