Customer Reviews

Bodum The de Chine 34-Ounce Glass Teapot

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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

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.

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.

I got this for work. I fill the main pot with water, usually hot water from a bottled water stand, and finish heating it up in a microwave. Put the infuser in and add tea. I drink primarly black tea with occasional oolong or green. The pot retains heat plenty long enough to brew the tea (for me 2 to 4 minutes depending on the type of tea). If I wanted it hotter I would leave the infuser in while heating the water. With the top on it will retain a modicum of heat for a reasonable amount of time after brewing is complete. At worst I pour a cup and reheat it in the microwave. The infuser is a little difficult to clean, but if I blow through the slits I have always been able to get them clean. I actually really like the slits because you can put almost anything in the infuser without it getting into the pot (have not tried coffee, though I think a course cut might work, but I have tried various herbal teas by cutting tea bags and empting them into the infuser).

I have 2 of these teapots and have used them for several years. BOTH have cracked infusers. The second was a gift because my friend thought the teapot was so nice, but in the end that one's infuser cracked too. Neither were handled roughly, the glass is just very thin and fragile. Perhaps we are just too uncivilized to own a glass teapot, but that isn't the only problem with this one. In addition, many types of tea get stuck in the slits in the infuser. It can be very difficult to get the little pieces out and because the glass is so fragile so you have to be very careful when you clean it. I do think the teapot looks very nice and we still use ours sans strainer from time to time (with a metal strainer or bags) but I can't recommend anyone buy this because of the 2 serious flaws. If you are very careful and very patient and don't mind cleaning your teapot all the time, then maybe this will work for you, but in the end the problems with the strainer just ruined it for us.

This is my third one of these pots. I'm not sure what causes the cracks over time but this one beats the rest. I already have a crack in the lid.

Tea bags seem to brew better if you leave the insert out and just fish the bags out later.

I purchased the Bodum The de Chine and it arrived in perfect condition. However, after using it for 60 days (about 12 uses) the core filter piece which has slits at the bottom cracked. Then the top of the teapot at where the handle meets the top also cracked... i contacted Bodum in New York about the core, they said they had no warranty on the glass products.. hmmm... isn't this all they make? glass products.. it is clear they are not standing behind their product... STAY AWAY FROM THIS PRODUCT... THE DESIGN IS GREAT, BUT THE QUALITY IS NOT THERE... i hesitate now to contact them about the teapot crack itself.. it is a lost cause, to the trash this product goes... BTW, i never put boiling water in it, temp of water was always 10 deg below boiling..

First of all, this teapot is so pricey because it is mouth-blown. However, the quality does not match the price. The strainer is a piece of glass with slits cut in it to strain the water. However, the design is poorly made because the tea leaves end up blocking the passage and water does not get through. Secondly, the teapot is made of very thin and fragile glass. A simple tap against the sink will be enough to cause a chip on the infuser. And lastly, the infuser and lid are very loose fitting causing them to wiggle freely around the teapot.

The first pot was broken when i opened the box. I did not think anything of it, as accidents happen during shipping. So i returned it and got another one(super fast, A+ for amazon returns department). We used it for several days and were really liking it, other than it can be hard to clean depending on the size of the tea you are brewing, as the slits can get clogged. Then one day i was washing the strainer and it tipped over and shattered. I did not drop it on the floor, it simply tipped over while drying and broke. I had a feeling this would happen, because as soon as we took it out of the box i was thinking how fragile the pot looked. This would be a good pot if the glass was thicker, but as it is it is way too thin, both the pot and the strainer. I would look elsewhere for a thicker pot if you need a glass one.

I received this pot yesterday. I unpacked it and started to wash it in cool water. The pot cracked sideways at the handle while I was holding it. Sending it back. Way,way,way too fragile.