I Use This “So Smart” $33 Pitcher to Brew Iced Tea All Summer Long (It’s Shockingly Quick!)

After watching my husband painstakingly brew and cool a pitcher of green tea last summer, I knew there had to be an easier way. A quick search on Amazon led me to this 2-quart Takeya Flash Chill Iced Tea Maker. I had heard about cold brewing but hadn’t tried it, so I eagerly clicked “add to cart” — and I’m so glad I did.

The Takeya Flash Chill maker isn’t the fanciest pitcher you’ll ever own (check out these picks if you’re looking for something truly gorgeous), but it does come in four bold colors: avocado, black, blueberry, and raspberry. The blueberry version arrived on my doorstep, and I got right to work making our first pitcher of iced green tea.

This pitcher is dishwasher-safe — but more on that in a moment — and comes with an infuser that screws into the lid, which then screws into the pitcher. It also has this little cup that you can drain the infuser in when you pull it out of the brewed tea later. 

Using the pitcher is super simple — here’s how:

1. Fill the infuser. We use bagged decaffeinated green tea, usually Bigelow but sometimes Lipton. I cut off the strings so it’s just the bags that go into the infuser. (I’m sure this step is easier with loose leaf tea, but I haven’t found a decaf one just yet.) Allow for a bit of trial and error here for your first few pitchers to see how much tea you like; I’ve landed on 10 tea bags per 2-quart brew.
2. Screw the lid on the infuser. The lid to the pitcher is also what you screw the infuser into. This isn’t hard to do, but make sure it goes on straight.
3. Fill the pitcher with cold water. Remember, this is a cold brew pitcher. I use our Brita filter to fill it just about to the top while leaving room for the infuser. (Although the brand says iced tea can be ready in minutes if you steep it half-way full with boiling water then fill the rest with ice and shake thanks to “flash chill” technology). 
4. Insert the infuser. Slowly lower the infuser and screw the lid on tight.
5. Give it a shake. As soon as you put the infuser into the water, the tea bags will float up and almost disappear. I used to try to tamp down the bags by putting a spoon or something into the infuser before figuring out that all you had to do was give it a good shake, and they’ll eventually settle.
6. Refrigerate for at least four hours. Leave it in for as long as you like, but for at least four hours. We’ve gone as long as 24 hours before enjoying a glass, but it will brew nicely enough in four hours. 
7. Remove the infuser. When it’s time for your first glass, unscrew the top and slowly remove the infuser. It’s got water in it, and that’s where that little cup comes in handy. Put the infuser standing up in the cup and let it drain. You can dump this little amount right back into the pitcher, or you could be like me and sample a sip right there.

That little cup that holds the infuser is actually handier than I first gave it credit because it’s perfect as a place for dumping the soggy tea bags from the infuser, then taking it directly to my compost bin.

Pro tip: Before pouring the first glass, I like to screw the lid back on and give the whole pitcher another good shake to ensure everything’s mixed well.

This pitcher makes consistently good tea every time. The brew will obviously get stronger the longer you leave the tea bags in, and I like to make a pitcher in the morning to let it steep in the fridge all day so that we’ve got a fresh pitcher by dinner time. But we’ve also enjoyed a tasty glass shortly after the four-hour mark, so the brew time is totally up to you, as is the amount of tea you infuse.

What I love most is that cleanup is a breeze. I put the entire thing in the dishwasher, infuser and all, and it comes out sparkling clean without fail. It’s not worse for wear for being in the bottom rack, either. I’ve since removed the silicone handle because even though it’s safe for the dishwasher, I didn’t want the handle to get waterlogged, and it’s just fine without it.

If I had one gripe with this pitcher, it’s that it’s very tall. It only fits on the bottom shelf of my refrigerator door, so I would measure to see if this would fit in your fridge before ordering. I would prefer a shorter, wider pitcher that would fit on a regular shelf, but I do like the handle on the top of the pitcher lid that makes it easier to reach from the bottom shelf. The pitcher is also available in a quart size, featuring the same four color options. But at $28 for the half-size version, I’d rather upgrade to the 2-quart one for $32.99 and deal with storing it on the door shelf.

Yes, we still buy Turkey Hill from time to time, but it’s great knowing that we have a cold brew option at home for when we don’t feel like running out to the grocery store when we run out. We actually celebrated the one-year anniversary of having this pitcher during July Fourth weekend, and it’s still looking good as new, despite using it several times a week.