So, you want an easy way to steep coffee and an easy cleanup?
You're in the right place!
Let me get straight to the point: brewing coffee with a tea infuser is not only possible but also tastes great!
I must say that I am pleasantly surprised by the outcome of the coffee brewed with a tea infuser.
The coffee tastes a bit lighter-bodied than many other brewing methods, but it’s a fun and easy way to make coffee.
Below are a few simple ways to brew coffee with a tea infuser, perfect for travel, small kitchens, or when you don't have your usual coffee maker!
Why should I use a tea infuser to brew my coffee?
I recommend using these techniques when you don’t have access to a coffee brewer, such as when you are hiking and want a cup of coffee, but only have a tea filter bag available at the moment.
I hope these tips and tea infuser coffee brewing techniques will give you access to a great cup of coffee whenever you need it the most.
Which coffee grind will work best?
For these steeping methods, use a coarse grind (similar to French press/cold brew) to keep the cup cleaner and avoid excess sediment.
Using a finer grind can over-extract more easily and make the coffee taste bitter/astringent (and it can also slip through the infuser as grit).
Coffee beans that have been coarsely ground look like this:
I will provide you with several options to try out, all of which utilize some type of tea infuser.
The coarsely ground coffee beans will be extracted the same way, regardless of the brewing option.
What is the difference in taste compared with other brewing techniques?
Using coarsely ground coffee beans, as mentioned earlier, yields a more natural coffee taste.
Because this is an immersion-style brew, it usually tastes closer to French press than paper-filter pour-over: fuller-bodied, with more oils.
I believe that the flavors of coffee made with a tea infuser closely resemble the flavor profile of French press coffee.
It has the same full-bodied mouthfeel because French press coffee is made in a similar manner by steeping ground coffee in water.
A tea infuser typically produces a fuller cup than a paper-filter pour-over (more oils), but it's still easy and surprisingly clean if you use a coarse grind.
Most pour-overs use a paper filter, which removes most of the oils from the coffee.
Most pour-overs use paper filters, which trap more coffee oils/diterpenes and fine sediment.
That’s one reason why pour-overs taste 'cleaner' than metal-filter brews.
Can you make coffee with a tea infuser?
Yes, you can make coffee with a tea infuser. You can use the different tea infusers you have at home to brew some amazing coffee.
For example, you can use a tea ball, tea bags, and a teapot to brew coffee.
Honestly, you can serve coffee from a teapot, and it’s a great way to impress your friends.
For this technique, you will need one of those fancier teapots to really show off.
Your teapot will need to have a tea filter, to which you can add your ground coffee.
Add 18 g of coarsely ground coffee to the infuser, place it in the teapot, then pour 250 g of hot water (just off the boil). Give it a quick stir and steep.
Place your tea filter into your teapot and add your ground coffee beans to the filter.
Steep for 4-5 minutes, then remove the infuser and pour.
Can I use any other filter to brew my coffee with?
If you only have paper filters (like Chemex filters), you can improvise a coffee bag and steep it like a tea bag.
Fold the paper filter into a pouch, add your grounds, and steep it in hot water, then lift it out and let it drain (like a giant tea bag).
Now, let this steep for at least 4 minutes before removing the coffee filter.
The coffee filter will extract some nice coffee oils from the coffee. Nonetheless, it will still have a coffee-like taste.
Expect a cleaner, lighter-bodied cup than a metal infuser method.
Don’t worry. You can always leave your coffee filter in your cup a bit longer to extract some more coffee flavors.
Make sure you are not over-extracting your coffee by leaving your coffee filter in too long.
I recommend not exceeding the 8-minute mark for this brewing technique.
Making cold brew coffee using a tea bag
You can create an amazing cold brew coffee using tea filter bags. I am using these tea filter bags.
Using this technique for cold brew making is great for a single serving of cold brew coffee.
To use this technique, fill your tea filter bag with 20 grams of coarsely ground coffee beans.
Next, pour 200 grams of cold water into a nice cup and add your tea filter bag with the ground coffee.
Leave the teabag in the cup for up to 12 hours. You now have a great-tasting cold brew coffee.
The ease of use, achieved by adding a tea filter bag to cold water and letting it sit for a few hours, is really all you need in life.
Most cold brews are made using a French press, but you will need to clean the French press after leaving it pressed down on the plunger and pouring out your cold brew coffee.
Using tea filter bags cuts down on cleanup to almost nothing; simply toss the bag.
Using a tea ball to brew coffee
This is undoubtedly the most enjoyable way to brew coffee at home!
I think everyone has one (or more) tea balls at home. Personally, I don’t use them very often as I like to use tea filter bags to brew my tea.
But the tea ball never goes out of style. For this technique, use as much coarsely ground coffee as fits into your tea ball.
There are multiple sizes out there. If you have a big tea ball for brewing in a teapot, you will want to steep your coffee a bit longer.
I have just a single serving tea ball at home, but this works great either way. I could fit 12 grams of coffee in my tea ball.
Here are the steps:
- Boil 250 grams of water.
- Add your water to your favorite cup.
- Now, put the tea ball into the cup.
- Let the coffee steep for 4 minutes (or longer, depending on the size of your tea ball).
You now have an amazing tasting coffee using a tea ball, one of the most fun ways to make coffee.
The coffee may taste a bit lighter than you’re used to; consider using a little more coffee (or steeping it slightly longer) if you prefer a stronger flavor.
Conclusion
I must say, this was a fun article to write!
The amount of great coffee I have tasted, testing out all these different techniques, blows my mind.
While this is not the most commonly used coffee technique, I can recommend trying it out at least once.
This will be pretty nice when your favorite coffee brewer breaks down on you, or you feel like trying out something new.
Will you make coffee with a tea infuser anytime soon? Let me know by leaving a comment down below.
If you have any other questions about coffee, you can also contact me directly by clicking the “Contact Me” button at the top!
Coffee recipes to try
If you’d like to try some amazing coffee recipes, I’ve listed a few below for your review. These coffee recipes are all very unique, and I’d love for you to try them out:
