Brewing Iced Tea Using Your Bunn Coffee Maker

Quick answer

• You can make iced tea in your Bunn coffee maker.
• Use a Bunn iced tea pitcher.
• Follow the coffee maker’s instructions for brewing.
• Use the right amount of tea for your pitcher size.
• Ensure your pitcher is clean.
• Adjust brew strength to your liking.

Who this is for

• Bunn coffee maker owners who want more versatility.
• Tea drinkers looking for a simple, large-batch brewing method.
• Anyone who loves iced tea but hates the fuss.

What to check first

• Brewer Type and Filter Type: You’re using a Bunn coffee maker, specifically one designed for batch brewing. For tea, you’ll likely use a paper filter, similar to coffee, or a dedicated Bunn tea basket. Check your machine’s manual to see what’s recommended.
• Water Quality and Temperature: Good tea starts with good water. Use fresh, cold, filtered water. Your Bunn brews hot, which is what you want for steeping.
• Tea Freshness and Type: Use good quality tea bags or loose leaf tea. Stale tea tastes flat. For a Bunn, tea bags are usually easiest. Think about what kind of tea you want – black tea is classic, but herbal or green teas work too.
• Tea-to-Water Ratio: This is key for flavor. Bunn iced tea pitchers often have fill lines. The general rule is more tea than you’d use for hot tea, since it’s being diluted by ice. A good starting point is one tea bag per cup of hot water, but adjust to taste.
• Cleanliness/Descale Status: Just like with coffee, a clean machine makes better tasting tea. If you haven’t descaled your Bunn in a while, now’s the time. A dirty machine can impart off-flavors.

Step-by-step (brew workflow)

1. Prepare the Pitcher: Place your Bunn iced tea pitcher under the brew basket. Make sure it’s seated correctly.

• What “good” looks like: The pitcher sits snugly, ready to catch the brew.
• Common mistake: Not seating the pitcher properly. This leads to hot liquid splashing everywhere. Double-check it’s locked in.

2. Add Water: Fill the Bunn’s water reservoir with fresh, cold, filtered water to the desired level. Bunn machines usually have markings for coffee or tea.

• What “good” looks like: The water level is accurate for the amount of tea you want.
• Common mistake: Overfilling or underfilling the reservoir. This messes up your tea strength. Stick to the recommended lines for your batch size.

3. Insert the Filter/Basket: Place a clean paper filter or the designated tea basket into the brew funnel.

• What “good” looks like: The filter or basket is properly seated and won’t shift during brewing.
• Common mistake: A filter that’s folded or not properly placed. This can cause overflow or uneven brewing. Make sure it lies flat.

4. Add Tea: Place your tea bags or loose leaf tea into the filter or basket. Use more tea than you would for hot tea. For example, a standard 12-cup coffee maker might need 12-24 tea bags for a full iced tea pitcher.

• What “good” looks like: Tea is evenly distributed, ready for hot water.
• Common mistake: Cramming too many tea bags in, or not using enough. Too many can restrict water flow; too few makes weak tea.

5. Start the Brew Cycle: Turn on your Bunn coffee maker. The machine will heat the water and begin brewing through the tea.

• What “good” looks like: Hot liquid starts dripping into the pitcher.
• Common mistake: Forgetting to turn the machine on. Yep, it happens.

6. Brew Until Complete: Let the Bunn run its full cycle until all the water has passed through the brew basket.

• What “good” looks like: The brewing stops, and the pitcher is full of hot, strong tea concentrate.
• Common mistake: Interrupting the brew cycle. This results in a weaker, uneven brew. Let it finish.

7. Remove Filter/Basket: Carefully remove the brew basket and discard the used tea bags or leaves.

• What “good” looks like: The basket is empty and clean, ready for the next use.
• Common mistake: Leaving the hot basket in place. It’s a burn hazard and can make the tea bitter if it sits too long.

8. Add Ice: Fill the iced tea pitcher almost to the top with fresh ice. The hot tea concentrate will melt some of the ice, diluting it to the perfect drinking strength.

• What “good” looks like: The pitcher is packed with ice, ready to chill the concentrate.
• Common mistake: Not using enough ice. Your tea won’t be cold enough. You want that hot tea to hit a wall of ice.

9. Stir and Chill: Stir the tea well to ensure it’s thoroughly chilled. Let it sit for a few minutes to fully cool before serving.

• What “good” looks like: The tea is uniformly cold and ready to drink.
• Common mistake: Serving immediately without stirring. You’ll get hot spots and cold spots.

10. Serve: Pour over more ice if desired, and enjoy your homemade iced tea.

• What “good” looks like: A refreshing glass of perfectly brewed iced tea.
• Common mistake: Not tasting before serving. You might want to add a touch of sweetener or a lemon slice.

Common mistakes (and what happens if you ignore them)

Mistake	What it causes	Fix
Using stale or low-quality tea	Flat, bitter, or weak flavor. Doesn’t taste fresh.	Use fresh tea. Store it in an airtight container away from light and heat.
Incorrect tea-to-water ratio	Tea too weak (flavorless) or too strong (bitter).	Start with more tea than for hot tea. Adjust based on your Bunn pitcher’s capacity.
Not using enough ice	Tea isn’t cold enough, or it’s diluted too much by melting ice.	Fill the pitcher almost to the top with ice before adding hot tea concentrate.
Not cleaning the Bunn between brews	Off-flavors from old coffee oils or mineral buildup.	Rinse the brew basket and pitcher after each use. Descale regularly.
Using tap water with strong mineral taste	Tea tastes metallic or off.	Use filtered or bottled water for a cleaner, purer tea flavor.
Not letting the brew cycle complete	Uneven extraction, weak flavor, and potential overflow.	Always let the Bunn finish its full brew cycle before removing the basket.
Over-extracting (leaving tea too long)	Bitter, astringent tea.	Remove the tea bags or leaves promptly after the brew cycle finishes.
Not stirring the concentrate with ice	Tea is unevenly chilled, with hot spots.	Stir the hot tea concentrate thoroughly with the ice until chilled.
Using a dirty pitcher	Unpleasant flavors and potential bacterial growth.	Wash the pitcher thoroughly with soap and water after each use.
Not pre-heating the pitcher (optional)	The hot tea concentrate might cool down too quickly before it hits the ice.	Some users pre-fill the pitcher with hot water for a minute, then dump it.

Decision rules (simple if/then)

• If your tea tastes weak, then add more tea bags next time because you likely didn’t use enough.
• If your tea tastes bitter, then use fewer tea bags or shorten the brew time (if possible, though Bunn is usually fixed) because you over-extracted.
• If you’re using filtered water and still taste something odd, then try a different brand of tea because the tea itself might be the issue.
• If your Bunn is dripping slowly, then it’s time to descale because mineral buildup is restricting water flow.
• If you want a stronger flavor without more caffeine, then use a blend of black tea and herbal tea because some herbals add body without bitterness.
• If you’re brewing a large batch, then make sure your Bunn’s reservoir can hold enough water for the whole batch because you don’t want to stop mid-brew.
• If you’re making herbal tea, then you might need more volume than black tea because some herbals are less potent.
• If you notice an oily film on your tea, then clean your Bunn thoroughly because old coffee oils can transfer.
• If you want a sweeter tea, then brew it stronger and add sweetener after chilling because adding sugar to hot concentrate can sometimes lead to uneven dissolving.
• If you’re brewing green tea, then be extra careful with temperature and time as it’s more prone to bitterness than black tea.

FAQ

Can I really just use my Bunn coffee maker for tea?

Yep. Bunn coffee makers are designed for batch brewing hot liquids. As long as you use the right setup (like a tea basket or filter) and the right amount of tea, it works great.

What kind of tea works best?

Classic black tea is a go-to for iced tea. But feel free to experiment with green tea, herbal blends, or even fruit-infused teas. Just remember to adjust the amount based on the tea’s strength.

How much tea should I use?

This is where you experiment. A good starting point is roughly double the amount of tea you’d use for hot tea. For a 12-cup Bunn, that might mean 12-24 tea bags, depending on the brand and your preference.

Do I need a special Bunn iced tea pitcher?

While not strictly required, a dedicated Bunn iced tea pitcher is designed to work with the machine and has markings for ice, which helps with dilution. If you don’t have one, use a heat-safe pitcher and measure your ice carefully.

What if my tea tastes weak?

You probably didn’t use enough tea, or your water wasn’t hot enough. Try increasing the number of tea bags or checking your Bunn’s heating element if you suspect it’s not getting hot.

My tea is too bitter. What did I do wrong?

This usually means over-extraction. You might have left the tea bags in too long, or used too much tea, or the water was too hot (though Bunn water temps are usually consistent). Remove the tea promptly after brewing.

How do I store leftover iced tea?

Keep it in a clean, airtight pitcher in the refrigerator. It’s best consumed within 2-3 days for optimal freshness.

Can I add sweetener during brewing?

It’s generally better to add sweetener after the tea has brewed and chilled. Dissolving sugar or syrup in the hot concentrate can sometimes lead to uneven results.

What this page does NOT cover (and where to go next)

• Specific Bunn coffee maker model comparisons.
• Detailed reviews of tea brands.
• Advanced tea brewing techniques like cold brewing.
• Troubleshooting specific error codes on your Bunn machine.
• Recipes for flavored iced teas beyond simple brewing.