Customer Reviews

Mr. Coffee TM1 2-quart Ice Tea Maker

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(32)

 

 

I had the old one with the orange top. That one has a top basket to hold the tea bags which incorporates a side lever to plug the bottom drain hole, and an overflow channel so just the last couple of cups steep the tea until you pull the lever to release them. The new one with the blue basket has done away with that lever (I'm guessing to cut costs) and just put a little bit smaller hole at the bottom. They also tell you to use a coffee filter in the basket in addition to the teabags themselves, which after all are little paper filters. This is probably to slow down the run-out of the tea to help it steep it a little bit longer. My favorite combination of bags is one bag or Celestial Seasons Red Zinger, one Lipton Mango, and two Red Rose decaf's. In the old one I would let this combination of tea steep for maybe 10 minutes, and it came out perfectly. Using the same bags with the new one makes *really* tasteless, watery tea.

I just found a new model that makes 3 quarts and has a dial on the front for what they call "brew strength". This is a decided advantage over the other revised model. Also, you get a quart more of tea per cycle. You pour the water directly into the unit, where there is a window on the front with markings for 1, 2 and 3 quarts. The container has markings for how much ice to use for 1, 2 and 3 quarts. This is a better design, IMHO. Also, the pitchers are shorter, so fit in more places in your fridge, and the handles don't attach at the pitcher bottom, so you can nest them for storage. This is a big advantage over the old style. The new one comes with 2 pitchers. You can turn them both upside-down over the base unit to save even more storage space.

My recomendation: don't buy the newer 2 quart blue basket model. Hold out for the 3 quart model. And here's the kicker- I found mine at Wal-Mart for $2.00 less than Target was selling the 2 quart model!

Once you get into the habit of drinking iced tea instead of soda, you'll never go back. The savings in calories, money and hassle of returnable bottles and cans will have you hooked.

I was born and Raised in North Carolina so i know Ice tea especially sweet Ice Tea! I do not drink coffee but I drink 4 gallons of sweet tea on a slow week, and I make it all in one day on the weekend so I have to do it as efficiently as possible! This pot works great to brew the tea easily but god help you if you try to pour it into a glass from the included pitcher! It runs all down the front of pitcher onto the floor, your dog, your feet, etc! Personally I have the older 3qt model with the round pitcher and it works great, but at my urging that newer must be better my mom and dad bought this newly designed model (They were making tea in a pot like grandma did it) Well between my mom, my dad, myself and my wife none of us can pour tea out of this thing without having to wipe down the pot, the counter and even the floor and your feet on occasion! Do not buy this triangular shaped 3qt Ice tea pot, instead buy the one with the round pot. It is also made by MR coffee, and it works quite well both brewing and pouring, no wet feet, no sticky counter and floor. I am willing to bet the engineer that designed this thing never even tried to pour a glass of tea out of it! It looks good, but lacks function. Like I said if you want fast easy ice tea get the Mr coffee 3qt model with the round pitcher and save a lot of hassle and mess! If you have to mop up the counter and floor it defeats the purpose of using a time-saving appliance!

Just wanted to add mine to the list of voices pointing out the the design flaw in this product... which is that the included pitcher is useless for pouring without spilling tea everywhere. I don't even try anymore unless it's over the sink... Expect to get rougly 2.5 of the three quarts in your glass.. the rest? floor, counter, pretty much whatever surface was near the glass you were pouring into.

The lid that doesn't fit and gets tea all over the floor. The fact that tea is down inside double layer pitcher but one more is the fact that after the tea cuts off you need to wait at least fifteen minutes before removing the tea pitcher from under the maker because thats how long it takes for all the tea to drain out of basket. Hot tea running down counters is not a pretty sight.

This product has been redesigned. The new model number is TM30P. The new pitcher is round, and pours easily. The lid is still a bit tight, but no problems so far. Got mine on sale for $17.94, including a second pitcher at a local retailer that begins with a W. ;)

Okay kids, repeat after me-- treat your stuff like junk, and it will all BE junk.

I have read way too many reviews about this iced tea maker which complain about things that can be avoided if the owner of the unit just had a little common sense.

First, take care of the pitcher. As with almost everything, it will break or crack if abused. Yes, that means washing it out by hand (big deal) and not dropping it. You drop it, it breaks. That's what happens.

Second, the warping issue. Yes, the pitcher is not thick, shock-resistant plastic but it is what it is for being part of a $20 unit. When water goes through the tea bags it is very hot. This is why you are supposed to fill the pitcher (up to the marked line) with ice. The ice cools down the hot liquid and the pitcher will not warp. Period. Read the directions.

Third, yes, you have to clean out the used tea bags from the brewing portion of the machine. Again, big deal. You take it off of the pitcher, you dump out the tea bags, place it in the sink and fill it with hot tap water to clean it out. It's not really that difficult. Why would anyone leave the tea bags in it long enough for them to get moldy, anyway?

Fourth, when brewing it leaks onto the counter only if you do not have it positioned under the brewer properly. Do it right, this will not happen.

I bought this because I had to use a gift certificate from BB&B and couldn't find anything else that day to interest me. Really, I wasn't prepared to like this thing as much as I do. We drink a pitcher or two of iced tea every day in the summer months and it saves me a lot of time. This machine has worked flawlessly. I use tea bags (6, our fave currently are 3 bags of Trader Joe's mango-flavored black tea and 3 bags of Lipton's with a scant 1/4 cup of sugar added)but have never used a filter or loose tea.

I do not like the less-than-ergonomic handle on the pitcher, so after the tea is finished brewing I transfer the contents to a 2-quart Rubbermaid pitcher.

In my opinion, this is a great, convenient way to make iced tea and with a less than $20 price tag, it's a great value as well. Take care of it. Read the directions. I plan to be using mine for the next several summers to come.

I currently own this product and LOVE it! It makes a nice quantity of tea in a short period of time and you can use bags or loose tea if you prefer. However, I ordered a new one here from Dynadirect and they sent me a different model number and made me pay shipping to return it. If you want this particular item, buy it from a more reputable retailer. You will LOVE the tea maker!!!

I purchased this after my sun tea jar broke. I have used it twice and it is very easy to use. The tea comes out just like the sun tea. No more glass jars for me. It also has a special brewing for Iced Coffee.

This was my first iced tea maker and it lasted 1 year. The lid never fit correctly on the pitcher from the very beginning, it was very tight. As a result, the pitcher began to split apart where it was welded together. Water and coffee would get inside the outer layer of the pitcher, and it was never quite clean. Also, you can't pour very quickly from the pitcher, otherwise it will come out all over the place, not just the spout.
The ice tea maker itself works great. The company just needs to fix the pitcher.

I curse this product everytime I use it. It was a gift so I feel obligated to make use of it. The pitcher leaks when you pour. Even if you are extra careful it dribbles all over the place. Also, when you pour water into the brewing receptical there is a hole at the top to prevent overflow. Unfortnately it's almost invisible and you only notice it when water starts gushing out of it. I've never taken the time to write a negitive letter about any product but this is such a piece of crap. It should be taken off the market. Will not buy any Mr. Coffee product again.