Customer Reviews

Bodum Canteen 6-Ounce (0.18-Liter) Double Wall Glass Thermal Tea Infuser Set

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First off, this is beautiful. The glass is even more exquisite than it looks in the box. It's really a work of art. It ships well too, and is in a paper carton that's form fitting to the cup.

The idea is pretty nice - a cup with it's own filter for lose teas, that is reusable. I like reusable stuff. I dig recycling. So, I was down with this idea.

As per the picture, this is merely a glass without a handle. I'm fond of japanese and chinese cups which generally have no handles either, so I figured, no big deal here. Again, while you can see this in the picture, some people in my house did not and complained when I gave it to them to use. So, just throwing it out there. It is thermal, and did not get unpleasantly warm during use.

There was one flaw which was a downer for me. The vents on the insert for the filter as reviewers noted, indeed do let finer tea leaves seep into your tea. Again, having drunk it "old school", a few leaves is no bother to me. However... this prompted my examination of the insert, especially for the review.

This appears to be made out of very lightweight glass, like pyrex but far thinner. If you're used to nice hefty porecelain or stoneware, you'll be disappointed. It's almost feather-light - good for people with hand troubles though, I suppose.

At any rate, staring at the filter, I wondered to myself, how precisely did they cut those holes in the bottom? Rather than being formed, they were indeed incised into the bottom. Not generally a big deal, but there are minute cracks and marks around the opening. No, I don't think you'll get glass chips in your tea, but it seems...well, sloppy. Here's this elegant glass, and they incised holes and left cracks there, although minute...the craftsman in me sort of did a double take. Might just be my tea cup in particular, but I've done some crafting with molten glass, and I only ever see flaws like that from cutting it when it's too brittle. I sometimes wonder looking at it, if the filter was actually an afterthought, and it had a metal one instead.

It's really not a bad tea cup. It's cute, has a lid, and looks pretty. Keeps your tea warm, but it's not optimal overall. When most of us die hard tea fans already have other options for lose tea that are reusable, I can't say I'd go out of my way to buy anything like this for myself again, to be really honest with you. I might for a gift, buy one with some swank loose tea. Overall though, it's in practice not as practical as you might think.

Consider that one of the main reasons you get a thermal reusable cup for your tea or coffee is that you are moving around a lot, or even driving. This is glass - durable glass, but glass nonetheless. This won't be the thermal cup you yank for car trips.

As an aside, one thing it works *great* for are tinctures of herbs and making flavored oils. Since it can hold up to heat, I made a flavored garlic and rosemary infused oil for cooking. The lid is great for storing, and the strainer gets rid of large herb chunks perfectly. Perhaps Bodum should make a version for that too? It actually is sort of useful in lots of ways around the kitchen if you're a foodie. It's perfect to keep small amounts of gravy or sauce warm but off heat, as well, like a hollandaise. The cup is great for eating soup, too, and I found it more useful for that since my tea rarely sits long enough to cool dramatically before it's gone. So, don't just limit it to tea if you get this.

If you enjoy getting unique toys for your tea, then this won't be bad for the collection. It will stand out, and get nice comments when you have company. Chances are though if you're looking for practical specialty tea wares, there are better in general. It really depends on your own tea habits, and what you are looking for. I'd suggest using another filter with it though for fine loose teas, or a tea ball, rather than relying on the glass filter alone if tea leaves bug you.

The Bodum Canteen 6 ounce is nice in that it is glass and double walled so no metal to contaminate tea flavor and no burned fingers but the filtering mechanism consists of slits studded around the lower sides of the base of the inner cup that are large enough to allow some tea leaf particles to escape. Some reviewers didn't mention this so perhaps the clarity of the steeped tea depends on the type of loose tea leaves one buys. Also, it makes about one china teacup of tea - OK if you are a china teacup tea sipper but if you want a big mug of tea you will need to perform the steeping procedure twice. This would be nice for loose tea enthusiasts at work who wish to dispense with an extra mug/teacup as you can drink the tea from the outer double walled glass collector.

The Bodum Canteen 6-Ounce (0.18-Liter) Double Wall Glass Thermal Tea Infuser Set is not only functional but beautiful as well. I own several Bodum pieces from the Assam, Ceylon and their Traditional line but this is the first piece that I have owned from the line known as "Canteen". Bodum has won many reddot design awards in the past and with this new line it's easy to see why. This mouth-blown glass double wall three piece set is just what the doctor ordered when you need a quick "cuppa" for yourself. The Canteen Tea Cup Infuser Set is perfect for all types of loose leaf tea and even coarse ground coffee. I have brewed loose leaf tea, herb tea and coffee in my Canteen and it has yet to leave any sediment in the bottom of my glass. You may pour boiling water over your tea/coffee or you may also microwave the water right in the glass itself. All the pieces in this set are microwave and dishwasher safe which makes for easy preparing and cleaning.

This tea infuser/cup features the cup itself, infuser/strainer and lid that converts into a saucer when the strainer is removed. All parts are made of beautiful, clear, mouth blown, ultra-light, temperature safe, borosilicate glass. Borosilicate glass substitutes boron oxide in place of the soda and lime used in traditional glassware. This medical grade glass is the same kind of glass used to make scientific lab glass items, is super light in construction while being very strong, resists scratching and will maintain clarity much better than your average, traditional glassware. It really holds in the heat due to the double wall construction while the outside of the glass remains cool to the touch. After your cup of tea or coffee has been brewed, the glass filter can be removed and used again to re-infuse your loose leaf tea or coffee grounds.

All in all, another SUPER product and beautiful design from BODUM Inc.

The problem with traditional tea balls is that tea leaves expand a lot when placed in water. The little tea balls aren't large enough to allow for this expansion and prevent the water from freely circulating around the leaves. Because of this, many tea lovers make tea by adding the leaves directly to the pot, then pouring it through a strainer into the individual cups. This works well, especially when making larger quantities, but can sometimes be a bit messy. If you are just making a single cup, you may want to consider trying this set.

This is a very elegant product. It includes a lid that doubles as a coaster, a double-walled cup, and an insert for the cup with thin slits cut out of the base. All the parts are made from very thin, lightweight glass that reminds me more of the glass from a chemistry beaker than a table setting. It is very clear, very light, and, presumably, very fragile.

Using it is very simple, though I did take a peek at the instructions (printed on the outside of the box) before trying it. The insert (with the slits) fits into the double-walled cup, the loose tea goes into the insert along with hot water, and the glass coaster is placed on top to hold in the heat while the tea steeps. After 4-5 minutes, I took the top off, flipped it over, and used it as a coaster to put the insert on. The tea flows out the slits and the tea (mostly) stays behind in the insert.

The double-wall construction of the cup keeps it from getting hot and therefore needs no handle. It looks really good with the tea in it. Because of the clarity of the glass, the tea almost appears to float above the surface of the table.

It is a very small cup, though. Think tea cup, not coffee mug. This is definitely for one serving at a time. Because making tea is sometimes a sociable occasion, I would have preferred to have two cups in the set instead of just one.

It is a great looking set, and would make a nice gift. It makes great tea (for one), and looks good while doing it. I enjoy using mine, and would definitely get it again.

Sean P. Logue, 2008

I just purchased a variety of loose tea and was looking forward to trying this product. It's ideal for a cup of tea, but a cup for me is 12 oz! After reading all the glowing reviews, I'm wondering if my set if defective because with every cup I have brewed there's quite a bit of tea that escapes, and I have to strain the tea into another cup because I don't like particles floating around in anything I'm drinking. I can actually get a fingernail through the filter slits so it doesn't strain the tea very well. It is a nice looking set, and I think it's a great idea, but in my opinion for $25 I shouldn't have to strain the tea to get the leaves out. So it's back to the tea ball and tea filters for me.

Update: 1 Star

After trying to work with this thing, I just chucked it in the trash. Tea leaves escape through the filter regardless of the size of the leaf. I brewed a full leaf oolong tea and still had to strain it. This product needs to go back to the drawing board, and it loses two more stars.

I love tea, and I find brewing tea from loose tea leaves to be particularly satisfying. In the past, I've used a mesh strainer inside a mug, and -- after using this bodum tea canteen, I think I'm going right back to that.

Before I express my disappointment in this item, let me first mention the good things:
- It looks classy.
- It feels good in your hands. Smooth and -- due to the double hull -- cool to the touch even when filled with hot water.
- It's a pleasure to drink from.

But alas, that's not enough to redeem this tea infuser set. I found it to be problematic for three reasons... one of which I was warned about, two of which were a surprise.

- It's darn small! I'd be surprised if you can even brew a full six ounces of tea from this thing, and who drinks just six ounces of tea at a time? But I knew about the size going in, given that it's advertised as a 6-ounce infuser set, so I can't really blame Bodum for that.
- Even with the lid on, if you fill it just a bit too much (towards the top), you'll spill hot water on yourself as you walk with it. No seal :(
- The dang thing is fragile! I accidentally bumped it off my desk onto the (admittedly short and somewhat hard) carpet and BAM, the infuser shattered into tiny pieces. I know (and appreciate) that it's glass, but that's some pretty darn weak glass.

So alas, I got just three uses out of the thing. And, given my criticisms above, I don't plan to buy a replacement.

If you like just small spots of tea and are willing to treat this item gingerly, then you may want to consider it. Otherwise, I frankly recommend my still-preferred brewing method of choice: a trusty ol' mug and a light (unshatterable!) mesh infuser.

The concept of a thermal tea-infuser is pretty neat. You get a 3-piece glass set:

1. A 6oz double-walled glass
2. A glass tea infuser/filter
3. A glass lid to retain the heat as well as act as saucier

PROS:

- Elegant construction and simple to use.
- All-glass construction with no contamination of metal particles.
- Borosilicate glass has low thermal expansion and thus more resistant to thermal shock similar to that of Pyrex and test tube and beakers at Science labs.
- Double-wall glass construction means the temperature of the drink is maintained longer.
- Double-wall glass construction also enables the outer glass to be cooler to the touch than the inner glass due to the space/air separation between the two.
- Clear glass enables you to see and adjust the amount of tea infused into the liquid.
- Very light and easy to maintain and clean.

CONS:

- 6oz of liquid only. Seriously. I'm not asking for a pitcher-size drink. I know this is meant to be for tea, but it would be more convenient to have a 9oz or even 12oz size infuser so I don't have to keep on steeping tea and wasting time waiting. Give us a larger size container with 6oz, 9oz and 12oz marking and let us adjust the amount of tea we want to drink that day.
- The photo of the tea infuser set in Amazon looks very elegant. In person it just looks and feels like another Science type of glassware.
- Like the other reviewers, I have a problem with the way the glass infuser/filter part was cut. There are very fine cuts which I would assume are hand cut leaving stress marks around the glass. If they can create a double-wall technique in glass-making, I would assume they have a better way of cutting thru the glass than what presently looks like small particles of glass can potentially be released while steeping my tea. That's just how I feel when I look at the small cuts.
- Also the way the filter is cut allows smaller tea leave to escape versus metal mesh filters which have a diamond cut pattern.
- The glass is light and also feels thin and flimsy. I'm afraid it can break relatively easy with a few bumps versus a ceramic mug.

OVERALL:

With the current price offering, I can only recommend this with reservations. Perhaps they should bring out a version 2 of this concept by:

- increasing the amount of liquid that it can hold
- place markings on the glass by showing 6oz, 9oz and 12oz sizing
- improve glass filter cutting by making a cleaner cut and a diamond pattern similar to the metal mesh tea filters/infusers

If the price goes below the USD20.00 mark, then it would be a better buy than it is right now.

This cup/infuser/lid set is very classy - it is beautiful, the cup is double-walled thin glass, making it hold heat very well, the infuser has little slits cut into the bottom that only let the smallest of leaves through, and the lid can act as a tray for the infuser when you pull it from the cup.

Why not more stars? It is *way* too small. We usually make cups of tea at least twice this size (I think my wife has several mugs that are 16+ ounces). Also, it is very thin glass - not something I would recommend for everyday use.

So if you enjoy smaller cups of tea, and want something presentable and beautiful, then this is a good product.

I'm a huge fan of Bodum, as has been stated with reviews for other products of theirs. And while I'm perfectly satisfied with this Tea Infuser set, its very nature works against the benefits of the tea.

Lovely in design and generally functional, this clear glass set lives up to promises of keeping one's hands cool and doing an excellent job of diffusing tea.

However, the thin glass is a constant source of paranoia for me. Every time I've set it on my granite counter top the 'clink' makes me think it will simply shatter with impact. It hasn't, thankfully, but all the same it oddly provokes a hovering anxiety. This being said, it works against the soothing experience of tea drinking.

Small size isn't a problem for me, nor are loose tea particles, however if I'm going to slog around a cup of brew I don't want to think more about the container than the contents.

Anyone who prefers loose tea to bags will appreciate this infuser set. And because it's as useful for making single cups as it is for use with your teapot, you never again have to worry about throwing out perfectly good tea just because it got cold.

Just fill the infuser with however much tea you want to use -- I tend to overfill so I can use it for single cups throughout the day -- and place in a cup or pot of hot water. The lid is handy for use with a pot as it closes off the top to keep the water hot while the tea steeps. Not so much for a cup, but once you put the infuser back into its glass, clap the lid on and the tea will stay moist and clean while it waits to be used again.

Bodum is generally a very reliable company, so I don't honestly expect this item to give up the ghost any time soon. And it's pretty to look at, too. Good design is pretty, and this is good design.

Highly recommended.