How To Make Tea Without A Kettle (Using Tools We All Have)

You want a cup of tea, but you don’t have a kettle.

What to do? How do you make tea without a kettle?

The kettle provides the hot water, so you really just need a another way to get that. And we all need boiling water from time to time and manage to get it without a kettle, right?

Use one of those methods to make your tea without a kettle.

You can heat water in a pot on the stove, in a microwave, using a coffee machine and in many more creative ways. Obviously, none of these methods are as fast and convenient as a kettle, but they work just fine in a pinch.

Let’s take a look at some ways to make tea without a kettle and at the process itself. By the end of this article, all your questions should be answered.

 

Making Tea Without A Kettle

There’s something special about brewing your own tea in the comfort of your home, first thing in the morning. You break out all your tea tools, brew your tea, and sit down to a cup of hot tea on your balcony.

But if you’re not at home or your kettle is on the fritz, there are some tricks you can try so you can still enjoy a fresh pot of tea, even if you’re without one of your most important tea making tools.

Of course, you’ll still need to get your hands on a pot of hot water and use your usual blend of tea, whether it comes in a tea bag or you prefer loose leaf.

If you simply don’t have a kettle, but you plan on drinking tea often, I recommend getting one. A whistling tea kettle is best. But if you’re not big on drinking tea daily, then the methods I cover here for that unique cup of tea, will work just fine. No need to spend money on a kettle you will rarely use.

 

Hot Water Prep

While there’s no doubt there are many benefits to drinking cold green tea, most prefer a hot cup of tea first thing in the morning. If you don’t have access to a kettle, it’s all a matter of getting your hands on a pot of hot water.

You don’t want to use room temperature water or warm water, so you’ll need to use a saucepan or some type of small pot to boil enough water for a cup or two.

Allow the water to reach a rolling boil, which should only take three to five minutes, depending on how much water you’ve added.

Before you add the water to your tea, you may want to allow it to cool for two to three minutes if you’re making green tea or white tea, since using water that’s too hot can make these delicate teas taste very bitter.

Using a microwave to heat up some water is another alternative, but you’ll have to be careful here to avoid burning yourself. IT also makes for a substandard cup, for a few reasons. Read “Can You Microwave Water For Tea?” for more.

If you’re making a delicate tea like white or green, make sure you don’t overdo it in terms of temperature. And for any tea, you’ll want to let it cool a while before drinking.

 

The Coffee Maker Solution

Can you brew tea in a coffee maker? While it may sound silly, making tea using your coffee machine is actually pretty smart.

If you don’t want to go through the process of searching the kitchen cabinets for a pot to use, before waiting patiently as the water boils on the stove, then just use your handy coffee machine.

However, instead of adding coffee grounds in the filter, just leave it empty. This is key.

Fill up the water reservoir only and switch the machine on to brew. When the machine is finished brewing, you’ll be left with a full carafe of hot water, which will be the perfect temperature for most types of teas.

If you’re making green tea or white tea, you may want to let the water cool a bit and use a thermometer to check the water temperature, since these teas should not be brewed with boiling water like black tea. If you’re making black tea then the water temperature should be perfect at this point.

While this does work well, there is a good chance you tea will be imbued with the flavor of coffee, unless you clean your coffee machine very thoroughly first. Overall, we generally recommend against using a coffee maker, but if you have no other way to boil hot water, it is a good solution.

 

Preheating

Some tea drinkers don’t bother to preheat their teapots, infusers or teacups, while others always include this step in their tea-drinking ritual. If you fall in the former camp, you may want to reconsider.

Preheating your cups and teapot helps keep your tea hotter for a longer period of time. Before you make your tea, make sure you pour some of the hot water in the teapot and the cups you plan to use. Allow the water to sit in the teapot and the cup until both feel warm, then toss out the water and go about making your tea.

 

Teatime

If you’re using tea bags, now is the time to add one to your cup and allow it to steep for three to five minutes, depending on the type of tea you’re drinking. I don’t recommend using tea bags since they’re often just filled with older, broken tea leaves, and debris, such as tea dust and stems.

But if you’re desperate for a cup of tea, they’ll tide you over until you have access to your favorite loose leaf variety. For tea bag use, you’ll only need to use one bag per cup.

If you’re making loose-leaf tea, then you can now add the loose leaf infuser or tea ball to your cup. Generally, you want to add one teaspoon per cup of tea of loose leaf to the infuser.

If you don’t have a tea ball or infuser handy, then you can try using a standard strainer to strain the tea debris out of your cup of tea before you drink, but often, this is more hassle than it’s worth. You could also try making your own tea bags.

Now you’re ready to pour the hot water over your tea. As I mentioned earlier, for certain types of teas, like black, you want to use hotter water, while delicate teas such as white and green require a slightly cooler water temperature. Our article on brewing has all the details.

 

Steeping Time

Once you’ve added water to the tea, cover the cup to retain the warmth. Steep the tea for one to five minutes, depending on the type of tea you’re making.

Whole leaf tea generally needs to steep for a longer period of time than tea bags, which contain broken tea leaves and thus don’t require as much time to fully steep.

For loose leaf green tea, allow it to steep for two to three minutes. If you’re using a tea bag, it should only take approximately two minutes. Black tea in loose leaf form can take up to five or six minutes to steep, though it is generally less. With tea bags, you only need to steep them for three to four minutes. The best chai teas also need around three to five minutes.

 

Related Questions

How Do You Make Loose-Leaf Tea Without Hardware?

Getting stuck without any tea tools when you’re craving tea can happen. One easy method you can try is using cheesecloth to strain loose tea leaves. It may not be the best alternative, but it’s a nice quick fix if you’re far from home without any of your essential tea making tools.

To do this, take a piece of cheesecloth and cut a three by three-inch section. Next, place a teaspoon of loose tea in the middle and wrap the cloth into a nice little ball. Tie the ball at one end to avoid it opening up once you add the hot water.

While this method is far from perfect, you’ll get your tea fix. However, you may have to deal with drinking a little tea dust in the process.

 

What Kind Of Milk Do You Put In Tea?

If you love adding milk to your tea, the general rule here is: the creamier the better. Adding non-fat or low-fat milk can make your tea taste a little watery, while using half and half or whole milk gives your tea a nice, thick, creamy consistency that enhances the flavor, instead of making it taste weak.

 

Do You Have To Use A Tea Infuser?

Infusers aren’t mandatory when you drink loose-leaf tea, but they’re preferable, because without them, you’ll end up with a cup of tea leaves and tea dust that floats to the top of your cup. Of course, the amount of tea dust you have to deal with is usually linked to the overall quality of your tea leaves.

But if you’d prefer to drink a cup of hot tea without dealing with tea leaves and tea dust floating in your face with every sip, then use a teapot with an infuser or a tea infuser mug.

 

Final Thoughts

For most tea drinkers, going without their morning or evening cup of tea just isn’t an option. That is why many of us find ourselves going to great lengths to enjoy our tea, even if we don’t have all the supplies we need.

Making tea on the fly can be a hassle, but if you’re a serious tea drinker, then it’s definitely worth the extra effort. Now that you know how to make tea without a kettle, you can enjoy a random cup of tea whenever the mood strikes.

However, if you’re a daily tea drinker, then I recommend investing in a good kettle for faster tea prep. Some models of electric kettles also allow you to adjust the water temperature settings, which you can do based on the type of tea you’re preparing.

But if you don’t have a kettle or the one you have is not working properly, then boiling a pot of water on the stove or making a fresh pot of hot water using your coffee machine are both great alternatives that will work in a pinch.