WestBend IT500 Instruction Manual - Page 5

TEA & COFFEE MEASUREMENTS: Adjust to taste and strength. Green and herbal teas may require additional amounts to achieve desired strength and flavor. All amounts are based on making 2 quarts of iced tea or coffee. Tea:  Regular size tea bags (2g): 6 to 9  Family size tea bags (6-7g): 2 to 3  Loose tea: 1 to 3 tablespoons, depending on type  Green tea bags (regular size): 6 to 9  Herbal tea bags (regular size): 6 to 9 Coffee:  Coffee (drip grind): 8 to 12 tablespoons HELPFUL HINTS  If the brew cycle doesn't start immediately after pressing the power button, or if attempting to brew multiple batches, unplug the appliance from the wall and allow to cool for 15 minutes before attempting to brew again.  The bitterness of the tea may be caused by not using the correct amount of tea or tea bags. If you find your tea is too bitter, move the steeping control to a lower setting. You can also adjust the strength of the tea by using more or fewer tea bags or tea leaves to suit your preference.  Iced tea brewed from tea bags or loose tea can become cloudy or look milky. Tea is a blend which is rich in solids, called tannins, to provide a full-bodied flavor. The hardness of the water used to brew and quick chilling of the hot tea over ice can cause clouding. If the tea is cooled too rapidly, the tannins in the tea will settle out and cause the tea to become cloudy. After your tea has brewed, let it sit on the counter and cool to room temperature before placing in the refrigerator. Or, to prevent your tea from cooling too rapidly, substitute cold tap water in place of ice cubes. Another common cause of cloudy tea is using tea bags specifically designed for hot tea versus iced tea. Iced tea blends tend to have fewer tannins, and therefore less chance of clouding. Brewing iced tea with hard water can also cause cloudy tea. If you have hard water, use bottled, distilled, or spring water to brew your tea.  To make sweetened iced tea, add up to 1 cup of sugar to the brew basket, on top of the tea. Use a basket-style coffee filter in the brew basket, rather than using the filter basket for tea. Loose tea works better with sugar than bagged tea. There will be some sugar remaining in the basket after the brew cycle. This is normal.  Infused teas cannot be made while brewing over ice. After the brew cycle is done, the cover and infusion tube can be added to the pitcher. If brewing iced tea with cold water rather than ice, the infusion tube can be in place during the brew cycle.  In addition to infusing your tea or coffee with fruits and herbs, try making flavorful combinations of ice cubes to brew over. Add fruit or herbs to your ice cube tray before freezing, milk, honey water, etc. Experiment to see what works best for you.  Here are some common ingredients used for tea and coffee infusions. This is just a platform to begin your experimenting! Anise Whole Cloves Mint Leaves Berries, sliced or crushed Ginger Nutmeg Chamomile Ginseng Orange or Lemon peel Cinnamon Sticks Lavender Sprigs Rosemary Sprigs Citrus Fruit Slices Lemongrass  Note: small ingredients may float out of the infusion tube during infusion. This is normal and will not affect infusion flavor. English - 5