Side by Side Comparison of: Takeya vs Pure Leaf

This is the second Takeya Tea Maker that I have bought. I bought the first one for work and like it so much, I wanted one for home, too. I bought this so I could control the flavor of my tea (strength and sweetness), and to save money from buying it from a coffee shop everyday. Initially, I was worried about the integrity of the plastic when filled with hot water. No need - there have been no changes to the shape and it feels as firm as the first time I used it. I have an electric kettle that heats the water in less than one minute, and I let the tea steep while I finish making my breakfast. It doesn't leak when I shake it to flash cool it when the lid is on correctly (sometimes I have to try an extra time to make sure it is lined up right for the seal). Definitely worth the money as I have saved on buying pre-made tea from a coffee shop that is often not made to my specifications.My only complaint is that the second one is missing the extender piece for the infuser, so I have to put my hand in the hot bottle to get it out before adding the ice.

I drink iced tea year-round and every day and this is the possibly THE greatest product ever made (well, maybe second to the wheel). I have owned and used all the other iced tea maker products made during the past 25+ years and this blows them away. This is my second one and bought only because my son managed to break the heavy plastic pitcher when he was having an 18-year-old "tantrum" and slammed it on a hard floor. He's paying for this one! I also bought just the pitcher which is all I really needed to make iced tea since the infuser wasn't harmed in the rage. But the pitcher alone is a great one for anything. The top tightens so well that you can lay it horizontally in the refrigerator. It doesn't stain or come discolored and can be hand washed or put in the dishwasher. But back to the primary purpose-making iced tea. I make at least 2-quarts/day (and often a gallon) and it is so easy. I use loose tea which I buy online in a variety of "tastes" and caffeine levels but have also used tea bags in the infuser which is incredibly hardy. The directions say to use the water at the temperature that is supposed to be used for your tea but I just boil a tea kettle and when it whistles, I just pour the water into the infuser in the pitcher up to the top. I don't measure the tea all that carefully-I have sense of how much is needed and often make it strong on purpose and then when it's "dark", I pour it all into a separate gallon pitcher that has ice in it. And then immediately make another 2 quarts using the same tea so I have over a gallon of tea to drink. I only use the directions (fill with hot water 2/3 of the way and let steep for 3-5 min and then add ice and shake) when I have friends over who may not want my random mix of teas. I usually just dump the used tea leaves/bags out and rinse it but have also put it through the dishwasher. Maybe I've made it sound more time-consuming or confusing than it really is but I don't drink soda or alcohol or juice-just iced tea. And the whole thing can also be used to make cold brew coffee. After I saw Takeya's cold brew maker, I called them and asked if the Iced Tea maker could be used for cold brew coffee and they confirmed that it could and gave me the directions on how to make the coffee (which I rarely drink). Just a great product in every way.

This iced tea maker is by far the easiest and best tea maker I've used to date. The plastic is very sturdy and doesn't get too hot to touch even when filled with boiling water.I simply add 1.5-2 tbsp of loose leaf tea and allow it to steep at the recommended time. Once the tea has been steeped, simply add sweetener and ice and shake for 10-20 seconds.Easy as that. No plugs/cables required which really makes this easy for anyone to use.Highly recommended and looking to buy another soon!

I had one of those tea makers manufactured by a company that makes popular coffee makers. You know the one. It was the kind where the carafe has to line up oh so perfectly to the water heating thing or else it will drip all over your counter. Also the one that makes weak tea. I got sick of it and decided to look at my other options. THIS is it! I finally found the world's best ice tea maker and here's why.1. You control how long the tea steeps. In this way the tea is as strong or weak as you like or you dare.2. The item claims to seal in the flavor. All I can say is wow...tea never ever tasted this good.3. I can use my favorite grocery store tea bags. I don't have to buy anything fancy if I don't want to.4. The item is easy to store.I love this item so much that I'm going to purchase another one so I can always have some fresh tea in the fridge. Yes, I do love my ice tea.I just can't say enough good things about this.It's easy to use. Easy to clean. No drips on my counter. No weak tea. AND most importantly, I can now have the world's most delicious ice tea right at home!Don't hesitate, get this NOW.

We have been looking for an airtight pitcher to make tea in and chill overnite because we go thru at least a pitcher a day. The requirements were• it had to be a minimum 2 quarts,• be airtight so that last night's roasted garlic chicken didn't permeate the pitcher and make for garlic tea the next day• it couldn't be another gadget to plug in and set on the counter (I wanted to be able to put in hot water, add tea, put in the fridge and steep) and• it had to be easy to use and clean.This search had been going on for months and I was determined not to buy something that might be ok only to use it for watering plants or filling the dog's water bowl.After seeing this pitcher on a flash sale site and reading more about it I was cautiously optimistic. I checked the flash sale's web price against Amazon and sure enough, cheaper. Plus I could use my prime account and get free shipping (something not available on the OTHER site). We love this thing. It met all of the "must have's" and passed beautifully. I set up a pitcher of tea at the end of each day, put it in the fridge and the next morning my family has cold, fresh brewed, clean tasting iced tea. The filter is simple to clean when loose leaf tea is used with a few shakes in the garbage and a bottle brush and it's good to go. It fits easily on any shelf in my refrigerator that would fit a normal 2 liter of pop (since it's a rather tall pitcher) and, as long as the lid is screwed on tight, I can shake the pitcher after adding some ice to the filter basket and the tea chills without leaking.Bonus: I noticed from the promo material in the package that there is a thermal sleeve you can get for traveling and keeping you beverages cold and a citrus juicer that you can attach to the mouth of the pitcher to juice citrus directly into the beverage.

I got this tea maker for my wife who is really into loose leaf teas right now. Amazon's price was much cheaper then local tea shops like Teavana, etc.I had not seen this "Flash Chill" model before and based on the pictures, like that the brewing cup was much longer then others so you do not have to brew a whole pot if you only want half. I later realized why it is called the Flash Chill and that the longer brew cup has extra bonus uses.Unlike the other models were the brewing area is only about 1/3 of the way into the pot, this one goes almost to the bottom. It is intended for brewing a double strong half pot and then filling the rest of the maker with ice so it chill very fast, hence the "Flash Chill' name. It works great for it's intended purpose and brews great tea that can be chilled very quickly and consumed right away without waiting.I also discovered that the longer brew cup is great for teas that expanded greatly. We have a couple of loose leaf teas that triple or quadruple in size and this handles them with room to spare. I am not a tea expert, but I believe this tea maker lets the tea expand and seep much better then if the tea was constricted like it would be in a smaller tea maker.You can also use this large brew cup to add fresh fruit to teas after brewing, or lemonades, etc. without the seeds or pulp getting in the beverage. This additional use as an infuser is a great bonus.Pros:Large brew cup gives lots of optionsHandles boiling water right from electric kettleWater tight seal so it can be stored on it's sideFlash Chill preparation option gives you fresh time without the waitCon:May be too big to stand up in all fridges, but can be laid on it's side

Pretty good with some caveats. First off, I use it solely for cold brew coffee and it works pretty good. The design is good because it has several different parts that attach together. Seems pretty well made. Now for the minor gripes. 1. It is really tall. Much taller than your standard stuff like half gallon of milk. You may have to make adjustments to your fridge shelf. 2. It is really narrow. So, it is difficult to clean because you can barely fit your hand in it. Cleaning with a brush is awkward. 3. Sort of leaks a little every time you pour.It is still a good cold brew container.

We use this constantly, but not quite as intended. Instead of brewing a half pitcher and adding ice, we brew a full strength full pitcher and let it cool. The ice method made our favorite pear white tea too weak.Three criticisms, none are deal breakers:1. Tall, so can be difficult to fit in the fridge2. Tall, narrow design makes it difficult to the clean the loose tea from the screen after brewing3. The pitcher does absorb odors. It has a permanent pear scent and adds that flavor to other teas, so we only use it for pear tea now.

I was excited to try this out as soon as I opened it. Made a fresh pitcher of tea in about 6 mins. I used an electric kettle to bring water to near boil, then transferred to this pitcher to steep for 4mins, sweeten and flash chill. Love the pitcher. My only disappointment is that I thought it would be glass. But it seems durable BPA free plastic and is made in USA, another plus!

I mostly use my 1 quart Takeya for making hot, loose leaf green tea in the morning. It works well for this purpose except that the container has no real insulation, so your tea is lukewarm at best by the second pour. Technically it is sold as an ice tea maker, which it does reasonably well. But the way you make ice tea is by brewing hot tea and then dumping in some ice and shaking...effectively watering down your tea. So there isn't some special scientific function that this has over any other sealed container.I'd really recommend this for making some quick ice tea for a small group versus using it as your daily go-to hot tea maker. I'm considering going back to the Finum brewing basket for making hot tea which does a better job at catching very fine particles (gunpowder tea).Pros:- does make ice tea for a group fast- works well for hot tea for 1 since the filter extends far down into the containerCons:- no insulation- base is too wide to fit in a car cup holder making it annoying to transport- makes ice tea by watering down hot tea- a little annoying to wash because you have 4 separate components to pull apart- filter could be a little better at catching very fine particlesOverall: It really is a well made device and does what it claims; it is perhaps just not what I was looking for in terms of a daily hot tea maker.

The pitcher is a good solid plastic. The handle has a no-slip grip. I liked the big tea steeper. It gives the tea room to open up well. I can pour boiling water straight into the pot to steep my tea. Then I can remove the steeper and add ice and/or the fruit infuser (I purchased separately). The pitcher is quite tall and only fits on the bottom shelf of the fridge with the lid screwed completely closed. It's also a little awkward to pour and leaks if you don't turn the cap open enough (2 revolutions).I like this one and will continue to use it. But if I find myself wanting another one, I will look for one the fits better in the fridge.

Bought this to make and store iced tea in the same container to save time (and dishwashing) by eliminating the need to boil tea in one container, then transfer it to another for storing in the frig. The Takeya Flash Chill does that fairly well.I initially got the version with the fine mesh strainer even though I always use Lipton Family size tea bags. But the fine mesh acquired a dark tea stain immediately and was a pain to clean. Then it dawned on me that if I'm only using tea bags, then the Takeya Fruit Infuser (another $10) would work as well and be easier to clean. It was, and I used the Fruit Infuser for few weeks before it dawned on me (I'm apparently not always bright) that I don't need either the mesh filter or the Fruit Infuser to make tea with bags. This hallelujah moment allowed me to put both of those items on the back shelf and just use the jug alone. I add sugar first, a little water, shake to dissolve it, then add tea bags and let them steep (usually overnight - I like my tea strong, but sweet).Takeya's claim to have a leak proof lid is mostly true. It's only leaked a few times, and only a few drops. But I store it upright and would not trust it enough to lay it on its side. Another con is that it's made by our frenemy, China.It comes with multi-page instructions on how to "flash chill" but I found the process unnecessarily involved. If you don't want sweet tea, just add tea bags and hot water, let it cool, refrigerate.The only improvement I can think of is to offer a 3-quart version and sell it without any inserts, filters, or baskets.Bottom Line: recommended, but if you use tea bags, you don't need the mesh filter at all.

I researched Iced Tea makers a while before I bought this one. Here are my Pros and Cons about the Takeya Iced Tea Maker:Pros:Fun ColorsEasy to follow directionsCan add tea as well as fruit to the infuser to make your own "concoction" of fruit flavored water or teasCons:When you go to pour yourself a nice tall glass of tea, make sure to pour OVER a sink. The poor design of the lid/spout has caused many a spills. The flow is not "consistent" so it can make a mess.The infuser itself is a mess when you try to clean all of the tea out of it. Just when you think you have shaken it all out, there is still some more in there.If I am going to go through all of the trouble of making a delicious concoction of tea/water, I wish the Tea Maker was a little bigger - maybe 2 1/2 - 3 quarts.I am an avid tea drinker. I drink it all day, every day. It is kind of a hassle to make it in the Takeya. I love to drink it. Can't say that I love to make it. But I do.....because I love to drink it.

I like this product because it makes fresh tasting tea. I gave it three stars because my product came damaged. The infuser had a chipped rim. The bottom of the container is not round like the top it has an oblong shape. Very weird. I know it wasn't the packaging because it came secure. Amazon just happened to give me a flawed product. It's still functional which is why I gave it three stars. Hopefully it will hold up in the near future.

My wife's is good but mine leaks tea leaves (course whole leaves) into the water if I swirl it around at all.

For the most part it was great, but it takes a little tightening to get the lid on well. Unfortunately, today I guess I overtightened it and the lid broke. I wasn't doing anything differently than the dozens of other times I've used it, but the plastic handle broke off and took a portion of the lid with it. I'd really like to give it a better rating because it's really handy, but it's just not durable enough to highly recommend.

I bought a 1 qt pitcher that I liked so I got a couple more of the Takeya 2 qt models. The best part is the airtight feature. This product is quite tall, taller even than my 4 qt Rubbermaid pitcher I got these to replace. I bought 1 regular pitcher and 1 with the tea infuser insert which is interchangeable with either.(-1) Star minor issue but both of the 2 qt pitchers I got had a slight misshapen/crushed look to them. The tops were round and no issues with the lid sealing but the bottoms were slightly oval.

I've gotten into iced tea in a big way this summer, and this is a nice, easy way to brew it up. The large brewing chamber is great if you're making a whole potful of tea rather than using the "flash chill" method (where you brew one quart, remove the infuser, and fill with ice).It's nice that it comes with a small cup in which to stand the infuser section before / after brewing, as well.What isn't perfect, and why I only gave it 4 stars, is that it's advertised as sealing well enough that you can store it on the side. I've had trouble with the lid sealing well enough for that. You line up the straight bit on the top with the spout, and supposedly it's usable for pouring in that position. But it's nearly impossible to tighten enough beyond that, that it completely seals.What I've found is that semi-loosely fastened, having the handle portion of the lid in line with the spout lets you pour nicely. Turn it a half turn so the other end of the handle lines up with the spout, and it sometimes dribbles a bit. Try to tighten it further - you'll find it barely budges, but if you can force it, it will indeed seal correctly.Another issue is that it's so tall, it does not fit easily on the fridge door shelves without moving things around. If you succeed in tightening enough to seal, that's not an issue - store it on its side as the manufacturer suggests.Update 12/2015: After using it for a few months, I've decided to downgrade to 3 stars. Don't get me wrong, I still like it and am enjoying it, but the general shape is not user-friendly. As I had noted before, the height of the 2-quart pitcher is too tall for most refrigerators without reconfiguring the shelves and wasting space. It does work OK lying on its side.However, because it is so tall and thin, the steeping chamber becomes hard to manage and clean - it can be VERY difficult to get all the tea leaves out after you've used it. I've had to resort to soaking the chamber in a glassful of water to get the last few leaves to float away. The narrowness also makes it quite tough to pour water in to fill it - I've burned myself by splashing water when filling it.The fact that the infusing chamber is so large does help it worth with the large amount of loose leaves you need when brewing a pitcher full of iced tea - standalone infusers won't have enough room for the leaves to really expand and get thoroughly steeped.I'm still using and enjoying it, but I can't really recommend it until the company does some redesign to make it safer and easier to use.Second update 12/2015: My comments above don't change, but I did some more looking around and found an alternative I like better: a large glass pitcher (Bormioli Rocco Frigoverre Glass Pitcher with Lid, 68 Ounce) and a huge tea infuser (FORLIFE Capsule Infuser). As the pitcher is made of glass, I can simply fill it, set it on a plate (to make handling easier when it's hot) and set it in the microwave - no more attempting to pour near-boiling water into a narrow plastic pitcher. The separate infuser holds as much loose tea as the Takeya, and is much easier to clean.

It stains in weeks other then that it works fine

The filter constantly detaches into my tea. Defeats the purpose when I have to strain it all again.

I received my order yesterday.The good: It worked at making a jug of iced tea. Seal was OKThe bad: The handle was broken clean off right out of the box. I didn't realize it until after I used it and looked at the picture in the booklet. It doesn't really affect the functionality but it does make it hard to unscrew the lid. The broken handle was not loose in the box so it must have been broken prior to shipment.

I used this pitcher quite a bit and was mostly happy with it until I saw that mold was growing up and under the colored part at the top so that your liquid would come in contact with it when you pour. You couldn't hardly see it either, so no telling how long it had been there. Ugh.

Looks used and all scratched up. Not happy at all

Developed a crack in the bottom of the container after almost exactly one year of use. It was a good year, and otherwise it's been a good product, but the warranty's only good for a year. I'm not thrilled about the idea of buying one of these every year.

Did not come with come with all the pieces. Did not come with the top screw in part.

I totally bought this to make cold brewing easier, but boy was i wrong!The whole section where the grounds steep comes off way too easily. So easily that it unscrews itself in the pitcher, making all the grounds mix with the brewed coffee! wth?! I found myself having to filter it over and over with multiple items to fill all that coffee!The filter should be more secure and actually stay on! I checked to see if it was broken but not parts seem to be broken, it just doesnt lock on.

Just bought the 2 quart model to cold brew coffee.Horrible design!All the coffee grounds float up in the middle chamber.When I opened the top after letting it steep for 16 hrs or so, a good 1/5 of the grounds were sitting, dry on top of all the wet grounds.Since the filter section attaches to the top section which screws down onto the jug, it has to be lowered down into the water already in the jug. And all the grounds immediately float up within the filter.At no point is there a chance to pour water over the grounds to saturate them all.Additionally, to get access to the grounds in the filter to try to stir them up or something, you have to remove the entire filter and top piece setup, since they are connected to each other.And the nail in the coffin of this garbage product, was the suggestion the video gives about loosening the top piece and then twisting back and forth to move the coffee grounds around in the filter section, to expose more of them to the water.Well I tried this brilliant idea a few times during the 16 hour steeping process, and wouldn't you know it.... The entire filter section came unscrewed from the top cap section and fell right down into the jug and 1/2 the grounds (especially the dry ones I mentioned) floated right on out into all the coffee.Def returning this.May just get a simple reusable filter bag instead and just drop that with coffee inside in a jug of water.KISS

Loved this tea maker until the handle fell off after only using it a few times.

This was great until the fifth time I used it. Then it cracked on the bottom and the tea just leaked right out. Terrible quality.

Cracked at bottom and leaking water when first opened.