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The way I make tea at home is per the following:

  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup milk (or sometimes 3/8 cup)
  • 2 teaspoons of tea
  • 3-4 spoons of sugar
  • Few inches of ginger
  • Mint (occasionally)

I put all of them in a pot until it brews to the top of the pot. (Small pot, could hold maybe 2-3 cups of water)

Anyway, my question is how can I make this at work where all I have is

  • Fridge
  • Microwave
  • Hot water dispenser
  • And K-Cup machine

I usually make tea at work per the following but it just doesn't taste that great:

  • 1 bag of tea
  • 3-4 spoons of sugar
  • Add milk until cup looks like the right color.
  • 8 oz. water

ideally I would like it to taste just like the contents of this packet (without artificial milk) http://shop.khanapakana.com/wagh-bakri-instant-tea-premix-3-in-1-ginger-9-18-oz-260-grams/

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    Are you using the same tea at home and at work? You said two teaspoons of tea (loose leaf?) at home, and a bag at work. Also, you said half a cup of water at home, and 8oz (one cup) at work. Are you just using too much liquid for your tea bag?
    – Cascabel ♦
    Jan 26, 2014 at 8:44
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    You're being a little vague about certain important things. Are you talking about fresh ginger/mint? Because I don't see why you couldn't take the powdered variety to the office. And you measure milk at home, but eyeball it at work... why? If you're able to measure 8 oz. of water then surely you can measure the same amount of milk? And, as Jefromi asked, why are you using double the amount of water at work? And what exactly do you mean by "it just doesn't taste that great" (lots of people make tea that way and think it's fine)?
    – Aaronut
    Jan 26, 2014 at 13:48
  • @Jefromi : To answer your questions , Do I use the same tea? Not always, but I can (and have been doing so this week). Two teaspoons of tea and a bag at work? Yea, i figured one tea bag would be equivalent. Guess its not, am trying two tea bags now. Are you just using too much liquid for your tea bag? Its possible, though I would imagine the water - milk - tea bag ratio would work regardless of whether it was 8 oz as long as the other two went up too.. (hmm ill experiment more on this)
    – Nilesh Tailor
    Jan 29, 2014 at 22:21
  • @aaronut : I didn't think of trying dry ginger or mint. I guess I could give those a shot (didnt even think of it). I eyeball it only because for some odd reason when I apply half a cup of milk the milk/tea ratio is out of proportion and its a very milky tea. See the edit I've made.
    – Nilesh Tailor
    Jan 29, 2014 at 22:25
  • If your home recipe is a 50/50 water/milk ratio, then of course the ratio will be off if you add 1/2 cup milk to 8 oz. water. 8 oz. is a full cup, so you need to add twice that much milk. I believe your problem may be as simple as a wrong conversion between metric and imperial?
    – Aaronut
    Jan 30, 2014 at 0:48

3 Answers 3

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Why not make it how you like it at home? Here's your best bet (and a very simple suggestion); buy a good thermos. You can get a 24 ounce one for about $30 which will work incredibly well, and last you a lifetime unlike most cooking appliances. When you properly prime a thermos with boiling water, it can keep beverages piping hot for upwards of 12 hours. This lets you avoid trying to come up with a complicated solution at work.

Boil water and put it in the thermos, and seal it. Leave it alone for a few minutes while you brew your tea exactly as you want it. When your tea is ready, dump out the boiling water and pour in the tea, and reseal.

We do this daily for my wife, since she is unable to brew tea at work. She just uses hot water, but it stays hot enough that she can actually drop in a teabag or two midway through the day and brew with no issues. Here is the one we use: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008FK9NIC

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Proctor Silex makes a 32oz hot pot that you can cook in. My husband travels a lot and always packs it. He makes oatmeal and ramen noodles in it. I don't see why you wouldn't be able to make your tea in it. We always get it from Bed, Bath, and Beyond, but I'm sure other places carry it. Plus it's only $15!

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/Proctor-Silex-reg-32-Ounce-Hot-Pot/1018232286?Keyword=kettle

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  • hmm. i'll give that a try. looks promising!
    – Nilesh Tailor
    Jan 29, 2014 at 22:26
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The trick I found to making iced drinks with a Keurig machine at work is to use separate cups for the hot liquid and cold liquid (or ice). Run the K-Cup through as normal, filling a hot cup. It works best to mix in sugar with the hot liquid. Pour the cold liquid (or ice) into a separate, larger, cup. I usually used big cups in the 32-42 oz range. Then you mix the hot into the cold.

It may take you a few tests to get the portions correct for your taste. If it's too cold for you at first, pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds or so to heat it up a little.

There are also chai K-cups available but I've heard from some chai fans that they weren't all that good. Maybe adding some sugar and milk would help them out. This certainly helps with the iced tea and coffee K-Cups.

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    I have two problems with this answer. 1- The OP wants to make warm tea, not a cold drink. 2- I'm sure the OP would rather use their own tea rather than Keurig's. I think they were just accentuating the lack of resources in the kitchen.
    – Kareen
    Jan 26, 2014 at 5:13
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    Thanks for reminding me why I shouldn't support any Stack Exchange sites other than Stack Overflow.
    – jfrankcarr
    Jan 26, 2014 at 12:06
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    The question pretty clearly says "brewed tea" in the title, not "iced tea". I don't see how the site is at fault for people not reading the question (and it happens just as often on Stack Overflow).
    – Aaronut
    Jan 26, 2014 at 13:44
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    And people on Stack Overflow certainly don't hesitate to point out when something doesn't answer the question, or is flawed in any way, no matter how tiny...
    – Cascabel ♦
    Jan 26, 2014 at 17:53

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