How can you use an old-fashioned coffee percolator to brew iced tea?

Question

I collect all sorts of antique appliances. I would like to use an old Art Deco style percolator to make tea. (I don't drink coffee!) I have a modern West Bend Iced Tea Maker and use it frequently. However, I'd love to make use of this old percolator.

Answer 1

The Twinings Tea Blog has weighed in on iced tea several times recently, including an overview and an article examining some of the many options available to fans of this drink. While those options also include a wide variety of bottled tea, there's no substitute - and nothing so economical - as making your own iced tea. There are several ways to accomplish this goal. Here are a few of them.

One of the most popular and time-honored methods for making iced tea is simply to make hot tea and chill it. While this is nearly as simple as it sounds, there are a few variables that can affect the end result. Check out some pointers from Twinings, as well as an illustrated tutorial and this primer on making loose-leaf iced tea.

For what's arguably an even simpler take on iced tea, consider the cold-brewing method. As the name suggests, it uses no heat. Here's a method that uses ice cubes to make shincha, a type of Japanese green tea. For more information, check out these articles from the Me and My Tea and Miro Tea blogs. iced tea, iced tea maker

If you've always wished for a mechanical assistant that could do much of the work of iced tea making, you're in luck. There are a number of iced tea makers that succeed in various degrees in automating this process. For a quick look at a few of these models, refer to this overview. For a new and unusual take on iced tea brewing, look here. For more tips, as well as pointers on using a coffee maker for iced tea, look here.

While there are fans of sun tea, or tea made by solar power, tea drinkers should be aware of some potential health concerns with this method. For additional thoughts on making iced tea, as well as a number of links to even more iced tea tutorials, refer to this article from the Start Cooking Web site.

Answer 2

It is possible.  The problem is the high heat of the water will make the tea bitter.  I would not recommend it.