Bodum The de Chine 34-Ounce Glass Teapot

by Bodum

Product Features

• Glass teapot designed for brewing green tea
• Heat-resistant borosilicate glass stows boiling water safely
• Removable glass filter infuses loose-leaf tea in the center of the pot
• Lid doubles as a trivet to hold filter
• 34-ounce size makes four 8-ounce cups; dishwasher-safe

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 7.1 x 5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000U6PTA
• Item model number: 1811-10US
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #82,143 in Kitchen & Dining (See Top 100 in Kitchen & Dining)

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Designed specifically to showcase the transcendent hues of green tea, the Bodum De Chine glass teapot holds loose-leaf tea in its wide glass filter/infuser. When the user adds water heated to 190 degrees F (the appropriate temperature for brewing green tea), the leaves open gradually to expose their delicate flavors and aromas. The mesmerizing process is an ideal tonic for a stressful workweek, or as a complement to reading, reflecting, and other relaxing activities.

The pot is made of heat-resistant borosilicate glass, so it holds up to the strain of boiling water. Once the tea has finished steeping, the user simply removes the filter and pours the beverage. The lid also acts as a trivet for the infuser, keeping the counter or table dry. Bodum also sells a replacement filter if the original is lost or damaged. Though designed for green tea, the De Chine teapot is equally appropriate for loose-leaf black, oolong, and white teas and herbal infusions, though users will have to adjust the water temperature accordingly. The 32-ounce teapot makes four 8-ounce cups of tea, and is dishwasher-safe. --Rivers Janssen

Product Description

Brew your favorite loose leaf tea with ease in the stylish The de Chine Teapot with glass infuser. Just put the tea into the infuser , add hot water, and let the tea steep to your liking. Because The de Chine is all glass, you can see the tea brewing, which allows you to let it steep just to your liking. Once it has finished brewing, just remove the infuser and serve. The lid acts as a trivet for the used infuser to eliminate drips on your table or countertop. The de Chine is made from heat safe borosilicate glass. The 4 cup size is 32 ounce and yields 4 - 8 ounce cups of tea.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

69 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars More trouble than it's worth!, September 23, 2004

By 

Adrian Quan (Bainbridge Island, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bodum The de Chine 34-Ounce Glass Teapot (Kitchen)

I was initially attracted to this teapot beccause of the glass infuser; plastic infusers can turn brown after just a few uses (polycarbonate is a little better), so I decided to give it a try. The good news is that, yes, because the thing was made of glass, it did not stain.

The bad news was... that it was made of glass. Thin glass. This means that it can't retain the heat needed to extract the full flavors of some black teas, but this is something I can live with as I drink mostly oolongs and herbal.

Also, perhaps because of the glass, instead of holes in the infuser, water enters through little slits. This makes cleaning this thing a PAIN! Tea leaves get stuck in this slits, and the only way I could get them out was to actually floss the slits with dental floss! I can barely be bothered to floss my teeth! Another flaw in the product is the fact that the little lid falls off whenever you try to pour out the last 1/4 of the pot. This is often pretty jarring, considering it is made of glass. If you're a little too close to the edge of the counter, you could easily end up with a shattered top. It's not like it's easy to hold on, either. The little nub on the top of the pot gets... well, steaming hot, so it is uncomfortable at best to touch it for any extended amount of time.

The real kicker that broke the camel's back (or the infuser, in this case) came on a fairly chilly morning (I had left the window open in the kitchen, too). I put the leaves in, poured in the water stright of the boil, and crack! The infuser had cracked on the bottom between two of the slits. It's not broken... yet, but I really can't use it anymore. I like milk, honey and/or sugar in my tea, but not glass shards!

So anyway, I can't really reccomend this product at all. To sum up:

Pros:

- Pretty

- Glass infuser doesn't stain

- Infuser has enough room to let most kinds of tea bloom

Cons:

- Doesn't retain heat well

- Infuser is a PAIN to clean

- Lid falls off during routine pouring

- Infuser can break under thermal stress

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Watching tea is like staring into a flame, December 5, 2004

By 

Robert S. Laroe (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bodum The de Chine 34-Ounce Glass Teapot (Kitchen)

I have had this tea-pot for a year now. It didn't get much use in the summer months, but since it has gotten chilly, I have dusted it off. I use this pot whenever I want to make more than one cup at a time. There are a few tricks to getting this pot to work its best, but it is well worth it because watching the tea infuse with the water is very hipnotic and beautiful. Some teas unravel when they are steeped, and some just put on color shows in the hot water.

Practical guide to using the pot:

First, put your hot water into the pot and your tea into the infuser, then gently put the infuser into the pot. Forcing the infuser into the water may cause a spill. I recommend this method as opposed to pouring the water into the infuser full of tea because this forces leaves into the slits and that is when it is difficult to clean.

Second, to clean the pot and filter, just rinse it while the leaves are still wet and everything should come clean. Using the above method of steeping does an excelent job at keeping the leaves from being stubborn in the slits, but a bottle brush or old toothbrush will work to get stubborn leaves out until you get the hang of it. It is great that it is dishwasher safe, but I only go that route when I neglect the pot and let leaves dry inside.

I highly reccommend this pot! It is beautiful and interesting.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful!, May 22, 2006

By 

penandra (Livermore, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bodum The de Chine 34-Ounce Glass Teapot (Kitchen)

I'm amused by all of the folks that have problems with tea leaves in the slits of the infuser . . . I'm not sure what I'm doing differently, but I have no problem getting the infuser clean. I purchased this with two (bodum) cups and find it a delightful way to have my tea on weekends and in the evenings (I use the ingenuitea (as in "unbreakable") at work). While the water is boiling, I put hot water (from the tap) into the pot to warm it (just like I would with any teapot), put the tea leaves (usually a black tea, sometimes a green) into the infuser. When the water is ready, I empty the hot water, put the infuser into the pot, and add the boiling water directly into the infuser. I let the tea brew for 3-4 minutes while I'm putting everything on a tray (to take into my family room). If I'm drinking alone, the infuser fits into the second cup and the lid goes back on the teapot. I seldom have to reheat the tea. I rinse the infuser by filling with water and pouring into my compost canister then rinse the rest down the drain . . . force from the faucet either from the inside or outside of the infuser cleans the slits. As with all glass, I handle carefully but prewarming the pot prevents thermal differences.