Coffee, Tea and Me» iced tea maker

It's Time to Get a New Iced Tea Maker and other Appliances

RT Cunningham — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 21:13:52 +0000

I need a new iced tea maker because a few weeks ago, my local electric company did something stupid and overloaded the 110v line coming into my house. The end result is that everything using 110v (that was plugged in at the time) no longer works. I know how to make iced tea the old-fashioned way, so it's more of an inconvenience than anything else. Still, it burns my butt that I have to replace appliances due to the actions of stupid people. I would sue those clowns, but it would probably cost me more in the long run than just replacing everything I need replaced.

A New Iced Tea Maker

I still have the burned out Hamilton Beach Iced Tea Maker. I'll probably toss the machine while saving the decanter (or pitcher, if you prefer that term) once I get a replacement. They're not sold locally, so I have to rely on my wife to send a new one (she's in the United States until she decides she's had enough of our son's family) and it may or may not be the same brand.

It really doesn't matter which brand of ice tea maker I use, as long as it isn't more complicated than doing the saucepan routine with the teabags.

A New Coffee Maker

Luckily, I didn't own one when everything got fried. It was one of those "wait for the opportunity" kind of things because the only brand I found locally wasn't very good. I would prefer a locally made coffee maker with 220 voltage because then I wouldn't have to unplug it all the time when not in use.

I'm okay with instant coffee – I really don't have much of a choice until my wife or my son decide to send me something that's a lot better than what I can find here.

Other Appliances

An old TV, which used either 110v or 220v was plugged into the 110v line. It was my other son's TV (the one that lives with me) that he bought in 2005. It was a CRT, so it needed to be replaced anyway. He's using my 19" LCD TV temporarily – I never watch TV anyway.

My rice cooker, made in Japan, was purchased in the US, so it ran on 110v. Yep, it got fried too. I've temporarily replaced it with a local brand, but that rice cooker sucks. It burns the rice if I leave it plugged in. I need my wife to send another one because neither of us is going to be hunting for rice cookers outside of Olongapo.

I'm sure other appliances got fried, but I can't think of any right now. I have brain freeze.

Anyway… I'll be sure to mention what I get when I get it. I shouldn't complain about anything at all, though, because it's not like I'm working for living anymore. I have all the time in the world, or so it seems.

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Iced Tea or Iced Coffee?

RT Cunningham — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 06:35:33 +0000

When it's a hot day here in the tropics, I usually drink iced tea during the day. I make just enough with my Hamilton Beach iced tea maker (which is really just a tea brewer with a pitcher you can add ice to) to finish off by the end of the day. Very recently, I started drinking homemade iced coffee instead of iced tea.

I like iced coffee.

Over the past week, I had all of my upper teeth extracted. I have been in no position to make anything for myself until today.

After the first batch of teeth were pulled, and I needed something cold to drink, my wife made me iced coffee instead of iced tea because we were out of tea bags. She stirred sugar and instant coffee into half a cup of hot water and then added cold water and ice cubes.

I was surprised that I liked ice cold coffee. My wife continued to make me iced coffee until a couple of evenings ago when I fried my computer keyboard. Afterward, I couldn't bring myself to ask her for more. I was too embarrassed by my own stupidity. That's when I started making my own.

Better than store-bought iced coffee.

Although it's only a temporary thing because I like hot coffee better than iced coffee (but my gums can't take it right now), I find making iced coffee at home to be easy and quick. There's no need to stock up on iced coffee in a can or a bottle… ever.

You could argue that the cold coffee sold by Starbucks is better, but I can't agree with you. I've tasted so many brands of cold coffee (which isn't really iced coffee anyway) over the years, going back to 1987 in Japan, that I can only remember a few brands which weren't worth buying.

Well, I don't need to buy any iced coffee at all anymore.

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When Good Tea Turns Bad — Bad Tasting Tea

RT Cunningham — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 04:43:53 +0000

As I recently alluded to, I've been using my Hamilton Beach Iced Tea Maker since my wife returned from the US. After leaving a partial pitcher of brewed tea in the fridge for a couple of days, I remembered why I started drinking instant iced tea in the first place. Saying what was in the fridge became bad tasting tea is putting it mildly.

What Makes Brewed Tea Turn Bad?

I've been searching the net for days, looking for an exact answer to this question. The best anyone could come up with is that it starts to ferment or starts to sour due to some form of bacteria or tea leaves decompose just like any other plants and the "extracted" ingredients don't stop decomposing. All of it makes sense, but I can't find an authoritative answer anywhere. Perhaps you could enlighten me and point me in the right direction?

I don't know what causes iced tea, which has been sitting for more than about 15 hours, to suddenly develop a smell and a taste akin to gasoline (or chlorine). I really can't say what it smells like, but it's really bad. I have quickly learned not to store it for longer than the same day it's made. Does that make sense to you? It doesn't sound quite right to me, but what I'm trying to say is that I'll brew one pitcher, pour a glass and then put the rest in the fridge. If I don't finish it off the same day, it gets tossed in the sink.

Go Back to Instant Iced Tea?

The only reason I will EVER return to drinking instant iced tea is when I can no longer find teabags (any brand). Brewed tea, from tea leaves, tastes so much better than instant it's ridiculous.

I've found that I can drink tea, hot or cold, without sugar if I make it strong enough. It's when I make it too weak that it seems to need more taste to it, and sugar gives it the taste. I prefer the taste of the tea over the sweetness although I know a lot of people prefer sweet iced tea, especially southerners.

Anyway… now that I know I can't store iced tea for longer than a day, I don't think I'll ever "accidentally" take a swig of bad tasting tea again.

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Iced Tea — When It's Too Hot to Drink Coffee

RT Cunningham — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 08:46:28 +0000

It's summertime in the Philippines and it's just too hot to drink coffee (hot coffee) except for when it's before 9 am. Only someone more insane than I would any drink any kind of coffee other than iced coffee after that hour of the day.

I switched from hot coffee to iced tea and plain ice water when the weather started to become unbearably hot. Lukewarm water, or even chilled water from the dispenser, just doesn't cut it.

Does Hot Coffee Cool You Down?

If you listen and believe some of the old-timers, it does. It really doesn't. It makes you sweat (perspire) and air blowing against the sweat is what cools you down. What happens if you're already sweating? It does nothing for you at all, except make you feel hotter than you already are.

If you're already hot and you drink hot coffee, you're going to sweat profusely. Sweating causes dehydration and sweating profusely can cause you to dehydrate faster than you may realize. That's a dangerous situation to be in, regardless of what you drink.

Iced Tea and Iced Coffee

In some places, iced coffee is preferred over iced tea. The Philippines is not such a place. Iced tea (with lemon) is served in every restaurant I've been to here. Iced coffee is never served (but you can buy it in the stores).

I don't know about anyone else, but iced coffee just doesn't work like iced tea. Iced tea cools me down quick. Perhaps it's because I drink it faster than I can drink ice water. I can't do that with iced coffee and as expensive as iced coffee is, I really wouldn't want to do that anyway.

I still have an iced tea maker sitting in the kitchen that I haven't used even once. I still have jars of instant Nestea in the cabinet and I won't be using the iced tea maker until those jars are empty. I still don't have any teabags either. I'm sure I'll be doing the iced tea making thing when the instant tea runs out. That is, if summer continues to drag on like it did last year.

Iced Tea instead of Ice Water

I have never been able to drink ice water quickly, although my wife can guzzle a glass of it without stopping. I don't know why I'm any different. I can drink iced tea like that, but not ice water.

Ice water would be considered healthier, but if I want to cool down, nothing works better or faster than iced tea. I've tried it with fruit juices and other things and still go back to drinking iced tea.

(Image source: The Myth of Perfection: If You Want to Live, You Have to Grow at Totalpossibility)

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