Drinking tea has many health benefits. Tea contains antioxidants, can help with weight loss, can reduce the risk of stroke and heart attacks, and contains significantly less caffeine than coffee, so it’s not hard to see the appeal of drinking this centuries-old beverage.
Tea has long been a staple drink in England and China, and its popularity is spreading across the globe as more varieties of tea are becoming readily available to everyone. There are so many different types of tea to choose from, including green, black, white, herbal, and specialty; a trip down the tea aisle at your grocery store will quickly reveal there is a flavor of tea to suit anyone’s tastes. Tea lovers believe that brewing tea is nothing short of an art form, with different types of tea requiring different temperatures and different steeping times to properly reveal their flavors.
If you want something to help you easily prepare the perfect cup of tea, this list of the 12 best tea makers should help you to narrow down your search. Whether you’re looking for a premium fresh tea brewer, a budget iced tea maker, or a stylish tea-making accessory for your kitchen countertop, this list has something for every tea-drinking enthusiast’s preferences.
Breville BTM800XL One-Touch Tea Maker
This one-touch tea maker from Breville is just that: perfect tea at the touch of a button. It features several pre-programmed functions to ensure the temperature and brewing time of your drink is ideally suited to your tea type. Pre-programmed functions include those for black, white, green, oolong, and herbal teas. You can also customize the function buttons to suit your own personal preferences if you like your tea stronger or weaker. The options with this machine really are endless, allowing you to perfect your ideal cup of tea. The tea maker also has a timer function that will start brewing your tea at a set time in the morning, meaning you will have your hot beverage waiting for you when you wake up. The keep warm function will automatically keep your tea warm for up to an hour, allowing for lay-ins or unexpected delays and preventing you from having to waste time and energy re-boiling your tea or warming it up in the microwave.
Users of this tea maker love how easy it is to operate, and how compact and stylish it is on the countertop. The ability to make tea sommelier quality beverages at home in your own kitchen is very appealing. Made of brushed stainless steel and glass, this tea maker is solidly constructed and should have a long life, thanks to being made by small kitchen appliance experts, Breville.
Some users of this product dislike the fact that the inner tea basket is partly made from plastic. In a premium machine such as this, some would expect the whole item to be constructed from more sturdy materials. The plastic does come into contact with the boiling water which may be a deal breaker for some buyers, though Breville assures it is BPA-free plastic. Some users also experienced issues with Breville’s customer service. However, the vast majority of users rave about this tea maker as an essential item in the tea lover’s kitchen.
ICOOKPOT Multi-Use Electric Kettle Borosilicate Glass Tea Maker
This impressive electric kettle can be used to make tea, as well as many other things such as soups, eggs, porridge, noodles, yogurt, or even sterilizing and disinfecting baby bottles or other kitchen equipment. It has 16 built-in programs for making the perfect cup of black tea, green tea, white tea, herbal tea, oolong tea, or coffee. Each program has slightly different variations based on the recommended water temperature and steeping time for each specific type of tea.
This tea maker also features a slow cook function for cooking meals at a low temperature over several hours, allowing you to get on with your day while your next meal is safely preparing itself, ready for when you get home. It also has a warming function, enabling you to warm milk or other drinks up to a suitable temperature for babies or children.
Users or this product love how many uses it has, which is impressive for under $50. It keeps water warm for an extended period of time once boiled and boils quicker than your average kettle. Many people have complimented the customer service received when buying this product or when encountering issues with it. ICOOKPOT customer service will go out of their way to resolve any problem you may have, but, unfortunately, problems with this unit seem to be fairly common. Users experienced glass breaking during boiling, broken plugs, ineffective wiring, and bases which simply don’t work. Users who did receive working tea makers have been very happy with the product; however it doesn’t seem likely that this will be a long-lasting tea maker.
Teavana PerfecTea Tea Maker
This Teavana tea maker will be your best friend if you love loose leaf tea. Brewing loose-leaf tea is usually seen as a bit of a hassle, but this tea maker takes the stress and mess out of steeping tea, making it quick and easy for anyone. It’s such a simple item to use that enjoying a loose leaf tea can become part of your daily routine instead of an occasional treat when you have the time. To use the tea maker, you simply put your required amount of loose leaf tea into the compartment and pour in hot water. The unit will then steep your tea evenly, and you place the base of it onto the lip of your tea mug, where it will slowly pour itself out without any spillages or mess. All of the tea leaves or kept contained for easy removal.
Users of this tea maker struggle to remember how they ever lived without it and often go on to buy more as housewarming gifts or make recommendations to friends and family members. The tea maker is sleek and stylish, built from hard-wearing, high-quality materials. The main complaint from users of this item is that it is difficult to clean, making it too much of a bother to use at work.
Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System
This brewing system from Ninja delivers an array of freshly brewed beverages, including tea, coffee, iced drinks, and specialty brews. It includes two individual brewing baskets so that you can keep coffee and tea separate, preventing any flavor crossover. You can choose from six different brew sizes depending on your thirst or preference, and also have the option of frothing your milk. No pods are required with the use of this brewing system, which is a great benefit as disposable pods have been highlighted as an environmental concern.
Users of this brewing system particularly like the ability to select serving sizes, from single small cups to half or full carafes. The Ninja systems are the only beverage makers currently on the market to offer this option, so if you’re a fan of multiple size choices, then this is the brewing system for you. Users also love the ability to make coffee shop quality hot and cold drinks from the comfort of their own home, saving lots of money from making numerous coffee shop trips each week. Some users have experienced dripping or leaking issues with this product, though this does not seem to be a common problem, and this brewing system, for the most part, comes highly recommended.
Saki Tea Maker
This tea maker is both an electric kettle and a detachable teapot. You can use it simply to boil water when you need to, or for brewing tea. The body of both the kettle and teapot are a high shine stainless steel, which gives an elegant effect along with the sleek-style design of the product. It features a boil function and a keep warm function for greater economy.
Users of this tea maker love how authentically Turkish the taste of the tea is produced by this item, as well as how stylish it looks when out on a kitchen countertop. It is also available in a red finish, so you can color-coordinate your tea maker with other appliances in your home. This product is very highly rated by its users and could be just the tea maker for you if you love traditional Turkish brewed tea. However, for just under $100, some people may prefer tea makers that also have the capability of making other hot foods or beverages.
Home Story Cold Brew Coffee Maker
This cold brew coffee maker will appeal to those who enjoy their iced teas and iced coffees. The body of the brewer is made from thick borosilicate glass, which is resistant to high temperatures, while the filter and lid are made from stainless steel. Two seals and a small spout reduce the likelihood of other smells or tastes from your refrigerator from entering your beverage while it cools. The high capacity is perfect for serving multiple drinks, meaning you only have to make one batch and will have enough cold drinks to see you through the day, or to share with friends.
The design of the beverage maker is modern and attractive and is the perfect size to fit in your refrigerator.
Adagio Teas 16 oz. ingenuiTEA Bottom-Dispensing Teapot
This teapot is described by its designers as the simplest way to make loose leaf tea. French presses can bruise and crush the tea leaves, which can result in bitterness or tiny but visible fragments of tea leaf seeping into your drink. This teapot uses gravity to steep your tea, resulting in clear, pure tea that drains directly into your cup when it is ready.
Users of this teapot claim it produces exceptional-quality tea and is similar to devices used in specialist tea cafes and restaurants. In spite of being dishwasher safe, some users found this teapot difficult to clean due to the strainer being almost impossible to remove.
Viante KET-100 Electric Glass Tea Maker Kettle
This kettle features a tea strainer to infuse your water with tea while it boils. With four preset temperatures, you can select the ideal temperature to suit the type of tea you are brewing. It also has a rapid boil feature for occasions when you are short on time, as well as a keep warm function. This tea maker can also be used to make oatmeal, noodles, soup, baby food, or other instant types of food. It is made from BPA-free plastic and food-grade stainless steel.
Users of this product love how many different uses it has and how quickly it boils. Some users found that the instruction manual is difficult to understand, with no reference on how to operate the various temperature tea settings. Some users also experienced rusting on the bottom of their product after only a few weeks’ use, indicating a possible flaw in the materials used.
GROSCHE Aberdeen Perfect Tea Maker Set
This tea maker is along the same lines as the Teavana and ingenuiTEA models, though it is slightly larger and shorter than both of these. The result it a tea maker that is easier to clean and also holds more tea, therefore making it useful if you are serving drinks for more than yourself alone. It is made from BPA-free plastic, which means it is shatterproof compared to glass tea makers. The strainer holds your loose leaf tea while boiled water is infused with the tea flavor before it drains directly into your mug. For cleaning purposes, the strainer is removable, and all parts of the item are dishwasher safe.
Users of this tea maker have been very impressed with how easy it is to use and how good the tea tastes. Some users did experience leakages after several months use, though this isn’t a common occurrence, and most people found the product to be well-constructed and hard-wearing. The fact that the product is made from plastic rather than glass is a positive for some users because it is shatterproof and can withstand knocks and bumps, though, for some people, plastic construction is a negative because of the environmental impact.
Hiware Good Glass Teapot with Stainless Steel Infuser
This glass teapot has a traditional style with a modern twist and will appeal to those who enjoy retro or unique designs. Made of borosilicate glass which is resistant to high temperatures, this teapot can be used on a stove top or in a microwave. Simply insert your chosen tea into the infuser and add ready boiled water, or boil directly on your stove top. The stainless steel infuser is rust-resistant for a longer lifespan and will work to evenly infuse tea into your water without letting any fragments of tea leaf into your drink. All of the teapot is suitable for use in the refrigerator, so you can also use it to make iced tea.
Users of this teapot love being able to watch the tea steep through the glass and view the changing colors. Though it is smaller than most users expected, it is perfectly adequate to make two cups of tea at once. The only drawback to this teapot is the fact that the lid does not fit onto the pot unless the strainer is inserted. This presents a problem for those who like to remove the tea leaves from the tea once steeping has finished. If this is your preference, then you would have to immediately scrape out the tea leaves from the boiling hot metal infuser and return it to its place in order to use the lid. If this is not a problem for you, then this teapot would be ideal for a low-cost tea maker. It also makes an excellent gift for tea lovers.
Chefman Electric Glass Digital Tea Kettle
This digital kettle from Chefman has a precise temperature setting, which allows you to adjust the heat of your tea in 5-degree increments to make the perfect brew. The tea strainer is removable, so you can use the kettle to simply boil water or for other uses, such as making oatmeal, soups, or warming up baby bottles.
Users of this kettle appreciate that the tea infuser is removable, so the tea leaves can be taken out and the kettle used simply as a teapot to avoid over-steeping. Another good feature of this kettle is the stay warm function, which keeps tea warm for up to an hour, eliminating the need to re-boil the kettle, saving time, money, and power. The negatives of this product are that it feels quite cheaply constructed and likely won’t last as long as some of the other models on this list.
Mr. Coffee 3-Quart Fresh Tea Iced Tea Maker
This iced tea maker is the perfect addition to your kitchen if you like to enjoy iced tea all year round. Homebrewing your iced tea will save you money from buying bottled iced tea, and it also means you get real tea without all of the additives and flavorings. This machine allows you to adjust the strength of the tea to exactly how you like it, and it comes with a recipe book to give you ideas on other mixes of iced tea to try.
With a 3-quart capacity, this iced tea maker is perfect to use at BBQs, parties, and get-togethers with friends and family. Alternatively, if you like to have iced tea every day, then you just need to make up one batch and can have it ready and waiting in your refrigerator to quench your thirst for the rest of the week.
Users of this Mr. Coffee product love how easy it is to use and how great the taste is of the iced tea it makes. Many users were quite shocked at just how delicious the resulting iced tea was and now couldn’t live without this product.
Mr. Coffee is a well-established and popular brand that has a long history of making functional beverage makers, so despite how inexpensive this product is, it should have a reasonably long lifespan. One drawback of this iced tea maker is that it has a hole in the back that will leak water if you fill it up in a hurry or from the wrong angle. Some users recommend combatting this problem by setting it on a baking tray to catch spilled water or having a dish towel sit underneath it to absorb spills. Alternatively, if you fill the container with care, then the spillage issue shouldn’t occur. Another complaint about this unit is that it isn’t very attractive, but considering the price point of under $20 and the fact that it consistently makes perfect iced tea, this minor issue can be happily overlooked.