The Anatomy Of An Iced Tea Machine: Learn More About Brewing Systems

Serving a delicious brand of iced tea at your restaurant or convenience store is a great way to get customers in the door.

Fresh brewed tea has a better flavor than bottled tea, and so it’s often a destination product. Just think about all the customers who buy gallons of iced tea at a time from Chick-fil-a.

Brewing tea at your business is much different from making a cup of tea at home. Iced tea machines offer more performance-boosting features than the electric kettle in your kitchen. At the same time, the brewing process is more automated.

If you’re new to using an iced tea machine or previously worked with one that was too complicated to operate, you simply need an easy-to-use solution.

Learn more about the latest brewing systems and the anatomy of an iced tea machine before you choose a new iced tea provider.

The Basic Elements Of An Iced Tea Machine

Most iced tea machines include standard elements that allow you to heat water, brew tea and monitor freshness. The usual parts include:

• Heating element
• Iced tea urn
• Water source
• Brew funnel
• Spigot
• Ready-to-brew indicator
• Temperature controls
• Thermostat
• Freshness indicator

These machines are pretty straightforward. Newer models are even simpler to use and include added features that improve the brewing process.

Advanced Features On State-Of-The-Art Iced Tea Machines

Not all iced tea machines give you the ability to brew in different batch sizes. This feature has a major impact on your profitability.

For example, Monday mornings may be a slow time for you. If you’re only likely to sell a couple of glasses of tea, you should brew just two gallons.

On the other hand, you may want to brew five gallons around lunchtime on Fridays if you usually have an influx of customers at this time. With customizable batch sizes, you save money on product during slow times and boost profits by having tea available during busy times.

State-of-the-art iced tea machines also offer the following performance-enhancing features:

• Automatic sweetener
• Alert messages that flash on screen when tea is no longer fresh
• Customized iced tea urn wraps that improve your business’s branding
• Patented easy-to-clean valves

How To Brew Using An Iced Tea Machine

With a modern machine, you can brew refreshing iced tea in just six easy steps:

1. Ensure the urn and brew funnel are clean
2. Remove the spigot and clean it
3. Place the tea bag or bags in the brew funnel
4. Re-install the spigot and make sure it’s in the closed position
5. Make sure you have the correct-sized urn in place
6. Hit the brew button

Tea may be the second-oldest beverage next to water, but that doesn’t mean innovation has stopped. The latest iced tea machines are easier to use than older models and help you automate the brewing process. It’s never been easier to serve customers a flavorful glass of freshly-made iced tea.

Are you ready to learn how you can make more money selling iced tea? Discover five tips for boosting convenience store iced tea sales.