 "Great way to brew tea! Ours is over 10 years old!" | 2008-09-08 |
| - Reviewed By aaden11 |
We've had one Ice Tea Pot for over ten years. The pitcher still works, so we're surprised to hear about the troubles people have had. We've used it nearly every day and the internal pipes are beginning to clog up with lime from the water! So instead of cleaning its insides, we are thinking to buy another 2-quart! Some helpful notes:
1. The cycle time on ours is 8 minutes.
2. If you want stronger tea, don't add water to the pitcher, just poor in a second batch of water into the heating unit and continue to fill the pitcher! (Two batches of water is all two tea bags are good for!)
3. A 10:1 dilution of household bleach will clean the pitcher and the tea bag holder. This also keeps the tea tasting fresh. Just make enough solution to soak the pitcher in over night and the problem will be dissolved the next morning! The main causes of bad tea in restaurants seem to be containers with built up tea residue and over-brewing.
4. For strong tea, simply place two tea bags flat, side-by-side, over the hole in the holder. The tea should be spread out in the bag, preventing any water to escape without first passing through the tea.
5. Brewing loose tea works great and takes very little tea, if the tea is spread evenly across the entire bottom of a coffee filter. Again, if you want strong tea, just refill the heating unit with water and continue to brew! (Instead of diluting the tea in the pitcher with water.)
6. Our favorite teas are the Bigelow teas, both regular and green teas with the names Constant Comment, Plantation Mint and Earl Grey, in that order. We've tried many competing teas from other manufacturers and like these the best! ;^)
7. Even inexpensive Lipton tea will brew acceptably will in the Iced Tea Pot. However, to remove the residual bitterness, add about 1 to 1.5 teaspoons of lemon juice per pitcher.
8. Sweeten with a tablespoonful of local honey. Not only a good sweetner, but also will make hayfever and sinus problem lessen after a month or so of daily consumption. (Asia honey does no good unless you live in Asia!) ;^) |
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| "Great Product" | 2008-07-16 |
| - Reviewed By User: AF3XRM67ER1HD |
| This was to replace another tea maker that was getting impossible to clean. I have had several of these and other than not being dishwasher safe they are great. After a while they do get quite stained but the product works great. Probably we make 1 or 2 pitchers every day of the year and the product has not failed. |
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| "Great product if you TAKE CARE OF IT" | 2008-07-11 |
| - Reviewed By healthycook |
Okay kids, repeat after me-- treat your stuff like junk, and it will all BE junk.
I have read way too many reviews about this iced tea maker which complain about things that can be avoided if the owner of the unit just had a little common sense.
First, take care of the pitcher. As with almost everything, it will break or crack if abused. Yes, that means washing it out by hand (big deal) and not dropping it. You drop it, it breaks. That's what happens.
Second, the warping issue. Yes, the pitcher is not thick, shock-resistant plastic but it is what it is for being part of a $20 unit. When water goes through the tea bags it is very hot. This is why you are supposed to fill the pitcher (up to the marked line) with ice. The ice cools down the hot liquid and the pitcher will not warp. Period. Read the directions.
Third, yes, you have to clean out the used tea bags from the brewing portion of the machine. Again, big deal. You take it off of the pitcher, you dump out the tea bags, place it in the sink and fill it with hot tap water to clean it out. It's not really that difficult. Why would anyone leave the tea bags in it long enough for them to get moldy, anyway?
Fourth, when brewing it leaks onto the counter only if you do not have it positioned under the brewer properly. Do it right, this will not happen.
I bought this because I had to use a gift certificate from BB&B and couldn't find anything else that day to interest me. Really, I wasn't prepared to like this thing as much as I do. We drink a pitcher or two of iced tea every day in the summer months and it saves me a lot of time. This machine has worked flawlessly. I use tea bags (6, our fave currently are 3 bags of Trader Joe's mango-flavored black tea and 3 bags of Lipton's with a scant 1/4 cup of sugar added)but have never used a filter or loose tea.
I do not like the less-than-ergonomic handle on the pitcher, so after the tea is finished brewing I transfer the contents to a 2-quart Rubbermaid pitcher.
In my opinion, this is a great, convenient way to make iced tea and with a less than $20 price tag, it's a great value as well. Take care of it. Read the directions. I plan to be using mine for the next several summers to come.
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| "Fast, Simple, and Good Quality" | 2008-06-18 |
| - Reviewed By chromiumv12 |
When I was younger, my father had an older model of this 2 quart Mr Coffee tea maker. He had it for as long as I can remember; at least 10 years. So when I was preparing to move out on my own, I saw this and had to buy one for me and one for my father. The lever and steeping mechanism on his was becoming loose so the tea was draining too fast. This newer model doesn't have that, but it does have a tinier hole in which the tea slowly yet continuously, drips through. My father enjoys it equally as much as the old one and it produces equally good tea.
I love drinking tea, and with just me and my husband in the house, buying a 2 quart model was the right choice. Anything larger would just be a waste of tea and refrigerator space. I enjoy the tea that comes from this tea maker. Everyone has their own way of making tea, but when you buy a new tea maker, it is important to test different ways to make it and find out what works best with that particular unit. My personal way is to use 4 family size Lipton tea bags. Obviously everyone does something different to create their favorite taste.
While I may have little expierence with Hamilton Beach brand; Mr Coffee has always been a standout in both coffee and tea makers. The ease of use of this product is astounding (however my husband tends to disagree) and I can make tea in a flash whenever I like. I have had no problems with the construction of this product and the price just can't be beat. |
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| "Best product for Iced Tea" | 2008-06-13 |
| - Reviewed By faithbrennan |
| This is the best product for brewing iced tea. Had one previously and the on/off switch finally broke. I think I had it for 8 - 10 years. Wanted exactly the same one because I had extra carafes and they would only fit this make and model. Found just what I wanted on Amazon and ordered it. When I received it, found it exactly the same as my old one. I am just thrilled with how easy it is to make excellent iced tea. Just the way I felt about my old one. |
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| "Over 15 years of use and still going strong" | 2008-06-09 |
| - Reviewed By gwtobey |
| I rec'd the Mr. Coffee Iced Tea maker as a wedding gift over 15 years ago. It is the model with the red top. It had two pitchers. One of the pitcher cracked last week (after 15 years of use). I have put the pitchers through the dishwasher on many occasions through the years. I have never had a problem with the pitchers warping. I believe a previous rater may have hit the nail on the head. The problem is likely because the user may not be filling the pitcher with iced BEFORE making the tea. This cools the tea down immediately and will prevent warping or overheating of the pitcher. I use only 1 family sized Lipton tea bag and either sugar or splenda and do not use a coffee filter but I DO fill the pitcher with ice before making the tea. It makes great tea like this. I would love to have replacement pitcher (in case my other pitcher finally cracks) but I don't know which one to order as I cannot find a model # on my unit. |
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 "Pitcher breaks too easily" | 2008-02-04 |
| - Reviewed By itslookingatme |
I bought this, my first iced tea maker, about 3 weeks ago. I'm not an iced tea connoisseur by any means but I was initially pretty satisfied. I got good results with 6-8 tea bags. I thought the unit was very easy to use. I've made about 6 pitchers a week and have had zero problems with it leaking or with it making weak tea. For the people who've had leaks, the only thing I can suggest is that maybe they didn't push the pitcher up close to the brewing unit. Or maybe they had the pitcher spout facing the brewing unit, which will create a gap.
That all said, the whole affair is done as quickly as it began. I knocked the empty pitcher off the counter, it skipped once then split right across the bottom. You can tell it's a little brittle when you first handle it but it's still pretty disappointing!
I'm sold on the concept and will be looking for an alternative product. If you decide to buy this, be careful with the pitcher. |
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| "Great inexpensive product" | 2007-09-21 |
| - Reviewed By duby65 |
| This is a great, inexpensive product. You make the tea and have storage for the extra. Cheep, easy, how could it get better? |
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 "Good Product for the Money" | 2007-07-16 |
| - Reviewed By bentleydog |
The Mr. Coffee TM1 2-Quart Iced Tea Maker is a good value for the money. I read the other reviews and I agree with some and disagree with others.
First, the product does make 2 quarts of cold ice tea and does a credible job. The instructions, however, are not very well written and can be confusing. For example, it references a top water level mark which is suggestive that there is more than one. There is only one. It really meant to read to the top "of" the water level mark; and when I called customer service before using it for the first time, they explained the typo.
Second, the cord is extremely short and I think that it is short more for stability than for safety. It does make it difficult to place if you do not have room immediately in front of a plug. Although it does indicate that you can use an extension cord "if care is exercised in its use". Honestly, I think the 2 quart capacity is all that I would want at one time. You can always purchase a second container and make more if you are expecting guests etc. I think a bigger container would make it more difficult to store in the refrigerator.
Third, the directions refer to a steeping valve which the directions never show what in fact they are referring to. The instructions stated "Make sure the steeping valve is closed by pushing the steeping lever in and then down." There is a picture; but the drawing and the way the directions are written are not terribly clear (especially when you look at the lever which only says "OPEN" with an up arrow). I guess one can assume that the opposite direction means close; but the side lever only goes up. Also, the placement of the steeping valve lever on the product looks a little different that the picture. Since the lever can only move upwards; which actually then opens the steeping basket bottom (which you would not see when the steeping basket itself is in place); I am frankly not sure what they are talking about in terms of pushing it in and then down.
Fourth, you have to make sure to line up the pitcher and make sure that it is snug against the machine and set properly; otherwise I imagine there would be quite a bit of leaking. I did not experience any problem with any leakage.
Fifth, you are instructed to take off the steeping basket and put on the separate pitcher lid so it is very easy to dump the contents of the tea bags etc. and rinse the top out immediately with no mess at all.
Sixth, one problem is that the instructions state that you should place an 8-12 basket size Mr. Coffee paper filter into the steeping basket; yet Mr. Coffee doesn't even include any samples or even one filter for your first use. There is absolutely nothing on the outside of the box which indicates this necessity, the box picture itself showing the inside of the steeping basket with tea bags has absolutely no visible sign of any Mr. Coffee paper filter. In fact, it states that if you are using loose tea, you should use two! One for the bottom and one for the top. I think this part was and is a little deceiving and maybe was meant to be purposely deceptive. I cannot understand why neither the box nor the picture on the outside of the box would not state that this was a requirement for the use of the machine and had to be purchased separately. So if I did not already have these inside my house, I would have not been able to use my machine until I went out and made another purchase.
Seventh, Mr. Coffee states to only use fresh tap water not hot water. I noticed that another reviewer stated that some teas need very hot water. The water temperature itself is heated inside the Mr. Coffee machine which may or may not be hot enough for some teas. It appears to be hot enough for the variety that I am using.
As far as the Adjustable Steeping Control, aside from that lever that simply opens by going up, there is virtually nothing else. Not very useful from what I can see. And once again the directions are unclear and more than likely were written for another model and not updated.
When you plug it in and press the button, a red light comes on. I would have preferred a green light to come on when the brewing started; but unfortunately all you are going to see is the red light and then you will hear the brewing starting. It shuts off automatically and then the same light goes out.
The machine also is capable of making iced coffee. I have not tried that out yet.
Overall Recommendation: A buy (good tea and inexpensive)
Pros:
Easy to use once you figure out the directions
Good iced tea
Simple design; once confirmed with trial run
Excellent Price Point
Easy to Pour Pitcher
Auto Shut Off
Cons:
Poorly written instructions with known typos, etc.
No mention of Mr. Coffee 8-12 cup basket size paper filters being needed on the side of the box and none are shown on the picture on the outside of the box
The on/off indicator light is simply one red light which is either on or off.
The Adjustable Tea Steeping Control is really not much to write home about and is not the same as a Brew Strength control lever or adjustment control button. This feature was a non feature as far as I was concerned.
Mr. Coffee TM1 2-Quart Iced Tea Maker |
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| "Give me iced tea!" | 2007-06-06 |
| - Reviewed By mbsoul33 |
| I bought mine over a year and a half ago and love to have iced tea all year round (I live in a hot climate and hate it.) Never had any problems with it, it comes with 2 pitchers so you can keep filling them and have plenty on hand for guests. So far it's durable, but it this point it looks like the water boiling section needs to be cleaned and I don't know where to get the blue liquid it tells you to use. |
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