I own two of these and they are in use constantly - cold brewing my tea
358879
Does the job of cold brewing tea and does it easily.  A mesh filter attaches to the lid which you can fill with tea leaves or tea bags.  Fill the pitcher with cold water - it's about a gallon, and let sit overnight in the bottom rack of your refrigerator door.  The pitcher is tall and may not fit on an inside shelf.
108567
I use this to make cold brew coffee. I put water and coffee in a glass pitcher each evening. Then in the morning I pop this strainer into a mason jar and it fits perfectly. I then pour the coffee mix through and voila! Delicious cold brew coffee with no errant grounds. Try putting a little shaved coconut in the mix over night or even cinnamon. I haven't used it for tea yet but I'm sure it would work just as well.
2425624
I had one of these for years and it lasted a long time. We used it mainly to heat water to make tea. Eventually the coil or something went but I would buy another. At this price, you just have to realize you are lucky to get a year out of it. Anything else is gravy.
2637992
I run a small tea and coffee shop. This water boiler has been an essential piece of equipment since day 1. I purchased this boiler after seeing a similar model in another establishment else ware in the state. This boils water FAST and I can trust that it will always be at an appropriate temperature as long as I can keep it full. I fill it up and plug it in in the morning and I can ignore it until the lunch rush when I fill it again. It takes maybe 2 min to get back up to temp if you start with hot tap water (ours is 110 deg F) One thing I did not know when purchasing was that the electric chord has a fancy little magnet clip on it to prevent it from getting swept off the table if someone catches the chord. I worry about the little mechanism wearing out after 2 or 3 years of constant plug-unplugging but it seems to be doing great so far. So great in fact that I am about to purchase another model exactly the same for our catering events. Thank you Zojirushi for making such a wonderful and relatively inexpensive machine!

I can not recommend this product enough. The only think I wish is that it came bigger. I would love to have a 6 or 7 liter machine if they made them.
4584772
As a frequent tea drinker, this machine has suited my needs wonderfully. With its multiple temperature settings for tea types and its keep warm setting, I enjoy the perfect cup o tea EVERY time. Steeping certain teas in water that is too hot will cause a bitter flavor, especially in green tea, but this doesn't happen as the temp is set with the tea type, AND it has a suggested steep time for each type. It is dishwasher safe, so cleaning isn't to big of an issue. Though it does not automatically drop or raise the tea in and out of the water like some automatic machines, it works well and is quite functional for those willing to do so at the sound of the beeping timer. I love this machine, and I would purchase again whole-heartedly.
4478226
I am using it on a daily basis. The inner strainer is well-cut and does not catch too many leafs and is pretty easy to clean. The outside aesthetics are amazing and the day-to-day usability is great; greatly helped by the lid acting as the strainer support and the double walls, making sure your tea keeps being warm while you aren't burning your hands while you drink it.
2357978
I bought this three and a half years ago and have used it _all the time_ since.  I mean _all_ the time.  I drink way too much tea and i often boil water but forget it so i have to re-boil the water.  Ive accidentally gotten water on it, in the base (on more than one occasion), or not had it filled to the minimum level while boiling, and i have no doubt dropped it at some point since i have butterfingers  And it was always great!  And, it always worked quickly (much faster to boil water in that than the equivalent amount on the stove).  Sadly, the past-tense is because after that amount of time and over-use, the lever mechanism broke so it no longer knows it is supposed to boil water.  Considering it was the cheapest auto-shut-off electric kettle i could find at the time, one would have expected it to break ages ago.  It may not have lasted forever, but it lasted a long time and gave me five star service and looked good doing it :)
1348359
This is without doubt one of my most favorite possessions!  Living in TX it is next to impossible to keep anything cold and yet I can leave this in the car when it is 103 out and 6hrs later still have ice in my drink.  It works equally well in cold weather for hot drinks.  This is my third one-mostly because the other two were "borrowed" and are currently living in other states.  Not complaining because I borrowed one from my daughter in WA and she just happened to have the set that comes with the tea strainer. I like a good cup of tea!  Trying to give a fair review here so I'm thinking the most negative thing I can say about this cup is that my second cup was green and the green tended to come off , doesn't affect the cup in any way other than appearance. If looks are important stick with the plain stainless steel. The green one is residing in NY so flaking color will in no way help you keep your mug!  Best defense plan is give them as gifts and hide yours when company comes.
1885689
I am a big fan of green tea, and can quite often drink as many as 4 or 5 cups a day while going about other business. For the longest time I used makeshift combinations of strainers and kettles or pots to brew loose-leaf tea, until I decided something like this was worth investing in. I have used it for several months now, including several times today, and the best thing I can say about it is that I cannot think of anything about this product that annoyed me in all that time period. It is relatively sturdy for being glass, easy to clean (except the nozzle, which is understable), good to carry around since the rubber at the top of the filter keeps it from shifting around, and fast to fill up with new leaves to brew more tea. As I have not owned a comparable tea pot I can't say if it is better or worse than other design, but having used it hundreds of times I can definitely say I recommend it.
515097
I use it to make our moring pot of tea the night before I go to bed. Come morning it is still hot and well brewed as we like it.  No stanging around and waiting or rushing to get breakfast ready. I liked it so well I have bought a second for keeping the coffee hot at work.
209934
I love these mugs, I own 6 of them so when my guest come over and I make a big pot of loose leaf organic tea, after brewing, I simply pour the tea into the ceramic strainer on these mugs and they work great. There is always some very fine residue that seeps through, but that is to be expected with loose leaf tea. You can either you the tea lid as a hold for the strainer or to put on top of the tea cup to keep the tea warm. I do not use metal anything with my loose leaf tea, which is why I love these mugs. I would recommend them to anyone who does not want a metallic flavor to their tea. I use a glass tea pot, and ceramic large tea pot to put my loose leaf tea in.
112201
I know this teamaker.  I'm on my 3rd one in almost 4 years and I use it at least once a day.  Sometimes twice a day.  I love tea!  This tea maker is fabulous.  If you want to solve its one problem - not having multiple temps - just add ice to the chamber above the bottom pot.  2 cubes of ice make a liter of boiling water 195degress.  Test it out with your own ice cubes.  If you are making green tea and need your temp to be 175, add 4-5 cubes.  It works great and this teapot will steep for as long as you could possibly need (from 2 to16 minutes).  The only other tea maker I have found that has the features needed to be able to pour your water and add your tea, set your settings and go get other stuff done is the Breville and it's $275!  Granted, it does not have BPA like this one does.  But my research that I have found is this:  the newer the plastic the less the leaching; and this machine is getting replaced every year or two due to electrical issues anyway.  Besides, register receipts have like 1000 times the BPA transfer to us than plastic, so I just stopped handling those, and decided to enjoy my reasonably priced teamaker!  I would buy it again.
367019
I really love this kettle and use it everyday. its great for my black teas and green teas, but not for those in-between and delicate teas.  For people that are just a bit too obsessed with accurate brewing temps for tea, you'll notice that those in-between temps are not always consistent and often change based on how much water is in the kettle.  I did however get the Cuisinart CPK-17 and am totally in love with it.  the Utillitea is a hit at the office though.
1345958
My original purchase of a Braun electric tea kettle is still going strong three+ years later.  We use this product multiple times every day for water for tea, coffee (I grind my own beans and use a Melitta one-cup maker for each cup - makes wonderful coffee), and for boiling water very fast for cooking when I'm in a hurry.  I have purchased four more kettles for gifts for family and friends (in white and in black).
1272023
My best friend bought this little pot for me for my birthday, and I have to say that aside from my Kindle, it's one of my favorite possessions!  It does have a little bit of a drip issue when pouring, but if you just pour quickly it tends to drip much less than a slower pour.  Everything else about this pot is ace, though - and it makes enough to fill my huge tea mug up twice in one go.
3961966
For the price, this tea kettle is just what I need for brewing green and specialty teas.  After watching the video showing exactly how to use and steep tea in the kettle, I purchased it immediately and I haven't been disappointed in its use.

As previously mentioned by other reviewers, I do wish it had a longer or even a detachable cord.  I also wish it had a feature that would automatically turn off the kettle when it reached the desired temperature instead of having to constantly watch the gauge on the kettle.

But, in keeping this in mind, such a kettle with these features would cost much more than this one does and it all depends on what you want to spend and what conveniences you want to have with it.

It's a good little kettle for the money and for what it does and I'm very pleased with it.
3438121
I have owned the Mini Kettle for a year and a half and it is exactly what I wanted.

1. Heats to the boiling point.
2. Turns off automatically.
3. Has a snap in lid with a pour opening.
4. Designed for one person.
5. No clean up. You only use water.

I fill it about 3/4 full with tap water, switch it on and get back to work. If I get distracted and don't get back to it, I just turn it on again. As soon as it boils, it turns off. Great safety feature. I use it for tea, bouillon cubes, dry soups, chocolate, anything that just needs hot water added.

I am fussy about my coffee but when not motivated to leave my remote office and walk through 100 plus degree temperatures, rain or snow to my home to brew up one cup I do one of the following.

1. I filter the water through regular drip coffee. (See note below.)
2. I use prepackaged individual coffee bags.

Note: I make my own dunking bags. It started just for tea but now I dunk coffee and flavorings as well. On Amazon, look for XDOBO Corn Fiber Bags. I secure it with one staple before dunking. There are other brands, as well.