Can You Make Tea In An Aeropress?

Have you ever heard of people making tea in an AeroPress before? Surprisingly, I have! I have found that several people have actually tried this and failed. Some couldn’t get the timing down right; some couldn’t get the temperature of the water just right; some got too many leaves in their cup of tea; some had trouble with the paper filter catching most of the good taste.

The scenarios keep going and going but today I would like to say that yes, you can make tea in an AeroPress, but it may take you a few times to perfect this.

Click here to read about making tea in a French press!

How to Brew Tea in an Aeropress

As for any tea, you will want tea water temperature for this (about 190-200 degrees F). It is important that it isn’t boiling but that it is hot. Before you make any tea in an AeroPress, if it has been used to make coffee before, you will need to make absolutely sure that it is clean. You won’t want any residue left because it will affect the taste of your tea. Let’s say you want to make a cup of tea with loose black tea. Here are some steps you will want to take in making tea in your AeroPress:

• Put one tablespoon of black tea in your AeroPress.
• Put your AeroPress plunger out to 4. Fill it with that nice hot tea water over the span of 10 seconds. Use the inverted method, though!
• Stir for another 10 seconds.
• Wait 30 seconds. (While you are waiting, go ahead and put the filter and cap on your AeroPress and then put it over your mug.)
• Press the plunger down until it is close to the bottom but, won’t move without pressing hard. (At this point I would let it rest for about 1 minute to drip before removing it)
• To finish it off, add more hot water to taste. Some people don’t like too strong of a cup of tea, so they add an equal part of hot water. Some actually like it strong and drink it just as it came out of the AeroPress.

If you don’t like your tea strong, or bitter for that matter, then I wouldn’t add more tea than that. If you have a really smooth black tea you might be able to steep for a longer time, though. Here is an excellent example of good quality, yet affordable, tea: Davidson’s. Not only that, but you can probably get 2-3 plunges out of the same tea! Do you ever remember people talking about leaving their loose tea in a pot and re-brewing it? Leaving your tea in the AeroPress would be essentially the same.

Keep in mind that when you make tea, you will have to experiment more with amounts of loose tea to put in and how long to steep. One of the most important things is getting the right tea. I have full confidence that with my generic guidelines you will be able to find the perfect way to make a cup of tea.

Can you Brew Tea in a French Press? Yes You Can!

Brewing tea in a French press seems to be more common, so I am sure you may have heard of this. But the French press isn’t only famous for coffee use, but also for making tea.

The French press is especially useful in making large quantities of tea. Another very beneficial aspect of the French press is its ability to make medicinal teas. Specifically, the kind of medicinal teas that require a larger than usual quantity of tea leaves to create the correct concentration of brew.

You will find that it is actually very easy to make tea in French press pots. Read on for a bit of instruction, also see this post for the differences between French press and drip coffee!

Instruction for Making Loose Leaf Tea in a French Press

Again, just like for the AeroPress, you will need to make sure your French press is clean and free of any coffee residue if it has been used previously to make coffee. Now, let’s go through the procedure of making tea in a French press:

• The ratio seems a little different from that of the AeroPress. For the French press you will want to have 1 teaspoon of loose-leaf tea for every 6 ounces of water, plus one teaspoon of water.
• If you are making black tea you will want water at a temperature of about 190-200 degrees F. If you are making green tea you will want water at a temperature of about 150-170 degrees F. If you are making red tea you will want water at a temperature of about 190-210 degrees F. If you are making herbal tea you will want water at a temperature of about 180-200 degrees F.
• Next, you will want to pour the hot water into your French press and put the lid on it. Don’t push the plunger just yet! Naturally, brew times differ with personal taste, but, like everything, there is a recommended steeping time for these things. For brewing black tea or red tea in your French press, a brewing time of 3-4 minutes is recommended. For brewing green tea in your French press, a brewing time of 2.5-3.5 is recommended. For brewing herbal tea in your French press, a brewing time of 5-15 minutes is recommended. When your tea has finished brewing, then it is time to press the plunger down on your French press.
• Lastly, of course, pour your tea in a cup and enjoy it with some milk or honey (or any other sweetener you like).

Here are some things to keep in mind: If you ever plan on re-brewing your tea leaves, don’t press the plunger all the way down to the bottom of the French press. This does two things: It can damage your tea leaves and on top of that, it will bring undesired bitterness to your cup of tea. Also, if you plan on brewing herbal tea, which requires the longest brewing time, you will want to get a French press cover so that it can keep your tea hot. Here is one of the best ones that I have seen: French Press Cover.

I hope that this article was useful to you. If you currently have an AeroPress or a French press, try these guidelines. I hope they work out for you. I do want to tell you though, that although you can brew tea in both the Aeropress and French press, the French press is the far superior tea pot!