Has anyone ever tried making iced mate in a Mr. Iced Tea teamaker?

Question

I have about 5,000 packages of loose mate left over from Argentina. I also have a Mr. Iced Tea pot. I figured I'd try putting the two together.

The mate is loose, like loose black tea would be. I plan to see if there are coffee filters that will fit in the Mr. Iced Tea pot, and then to just dump the mate in there for 2 quarts' worth, with a filter beneath (putting sugar and lemon in with the ice in the pitcher, as with bagged tea).

Does anyone have any smarter ideas about how to go about this? Have you used loose tea in a Mr. Iced Tea pot? Recipe for success, or for disaster?

Answer 1

5000 wow!  I love tea and would love to try some of that stuff.   Maybe you could sell it on craigslist?  I'm sure there are some local tea drinkers in your area that you could give it to?  

As far as making it, I wouldn't rush it. Loose leaf tea usually keeps for pretty long.

I personally haven' t made any iced tea in those machines.  I think they're  a waste of money.  Just because you can make it easily in a plain pitcher.

Answer 2

I haven't tried mate in that tea maker, but the tea makers I have used use a combination of hot water (to brew and get the flavor out of the tea) and a fill of cold water (so you can drink it faster when it's done brewing).  I'd recommend using a tea ball or other type of strainer and putting your mate in there or those silk bags so the tea maker doesn't get clogged and then brewing.  Since it will go through the hot water it will probably get most of the flavor and caffeine out of the mate.

Answer 3

uhh.. no?