Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I purchased this at Target. Same price. My husband drinks tons of iced tea and I finally stopped buying premade tea at the stores. Teas like Tejava were his favorite, but the cost would add up, we would always run out at the most inconvenient time, and I wanted to diminish our contribution to recycled waste. I was brewing his tea, yet that became a huge process and could not go into most pitchers while still hot. Overall we have been pretty pleased with this brewer. It is not fancy. Things I really like: * The glass pitcher. It has a large capacity. It cleans quickly and easily and has remained crystal clear for over 7 months of heavy use. * The pitcher is nice enough to use for serving. We do not. But you can! * The ability to set the brew strength. We keep it on strong. Come on. Tea lovers probably all like strong tea. You can always dilute it. * You can use loose tea, several tea bags, one large tea bag designed for brewing a pitcher of iced tea, and even add a coffee filter if you desire. * It brews quickly. * The entire brewer has a neutral black and stainless design that will fit in with most kitchen decor. It wipes clean and does not stain. Okay. Here are the negatives: * You need 2 brew cycles to fill the pitcher. The 2 1/2 quart pitcher is based upon filling it about 2/3 with ice. I don't dilute the fresh-brewed tea like that. I do begin the brew with almost 2 cups of ice in the pitcher to help prevent any glass cracking when the super hot tea hits the glass. This has worked well. * If you use loose tea, like I do, it sort of explodes in the filter area and creates a big mess. The finer the tea, the more likely this will happen as the water wants to drain faster then the fine tea is allowing because it partially blocks the drip opening and some sludge still gets through. Use of a coffee filter will prevent the sludge, but increase the explosion in the filter chamber. The filter lifts out to clean, but the area where it sits is difficult to clean. * Adding sugar or other fine crystal sweetener or flavor in the filter, as some of the recipes suggest, can contribute to a filter area messy explosion. I have worked out a super procedure that works great with only occasional explosions. I brew with China Mist teas exclusively. You can purchase China Mist online. Great tea. ***Update almost 2 years after purchase: I am pleased to say this brewer is still going strong and making delicious tea. As I previously mentioned, I use China Mist loose tea only because it is my husband's favorite and I buy in bulk online from China Mist. I have perfected my brew process and only have minor tea spillage in the brewing area on occasion. When I pour the loose tea into the brewing filter I spread it out evening and assure that the pitcher it lined up perfectly in the little notch so drainage will go smoothly and quickly. If any tea remains in the filter area I wash it away by using the hand sprayer on the faucet while the machine is tipped over the sink - easy. The pitcher remains crystal clear. I still start every brew with ice in the pitcher to temper the glass. Every six months I run one cycle of water with 2 tablespoons of vinegar through the brew cycle, followed by one plain water. This keeps all inner workings clean and fresh. This has been a no regret purchase and worth three times the price!