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Customer reviews for Chefman Custom-Temp 1.8L Electric Tea Kettle With Tea Infuser for
Chefman Custom-Temp 1.8L Electric Tea Kettle With Tea Infuser
4.5 out of 5 stars
stars651 ratings356 reviews
  1. 5 stars78% (508)
  2. 4 stars11% (71)
  3. 3 stars4% (23)
  4. 2 stars2% (10)
  5. 1 star6% (39)

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Showing 1-10 of 356 reviews
Feb 3, 2024
Kevin Webster
5 out of 5 stars review

Verified Purchase

Fast & Efficient! Nice Safeguards & Conveniences!

I'm really enjoying this Chefman Custom-Temp 1.8L Electric Tea Kettle With Tea Infuser for a number of reasons! I grind my beans and make my coffee campfire style by simply letting the grounds steep in hot water and also drink a bit of tea and even reconstituted beef bone broth, etc., so I tend to go through quite a lot of boiled water in a typical day. Since I prefer using glass and ceramic as much as possible (for both hot and cold contents) I had been using a borosilicate "Whistling Tea Kettle" to heat my charcoal filtered water and had even figured out that I could greatly speed the process by using two kettles and only filling them half full, which would give me about a quart of boiling water in each pot, simultaneously. I would then transfer the piping hot water into two quart-size glass-lined thermal carafes and work from those to make my beverages by the cup throughout the day, in back to back fashion, making sure I started more water to boil when my last carafe was about a cup away from empty. Given my routine, this 1.8L Electric Tea is just the right size, and is able to heat nearly the same amount of water all in one pot, just as fast as I was able to with the two half-filled pots, and the real plus is the convenience of not having to stay close by and listen for the kettles to start whistling. In fact, I can now even forget I started the water to boil (which does happen...) with the worse case scenario being that I'll have to start it to boil again after the kettle shuts down, and there's even a one hour grace period before that happens, with the kettle automatically keeping the water near the desired temperature I set it up for. Speaking of setting the temperature, it's fully intuitive, as all you do is press the Temp button and then either press "BOIL" if you want to jump right to 212 degrees, or press Temp and run the displayed number up from 160 degrees in 5 degree increments to where you want to heat the water to, which is great for different types of beverages, many often even suggesting a particular steeping time and temperature.   As for steeping, the instructions on the Kettle will tell you not to use the infuser for coffee grounds though I'm sure it would work with a medium to coarse grind, but I'm guessing they don't think you'll be happy with the appearance of the pot from then on. In my case, I immediately removed the infuser and doubt I'll ever use it, mainly because I steep loose grounds or leaves right in the cup and don't bother filtering them out, actually even consuming them while enjoying the drink. (As crazy as that sounds, when you think it through, it is not much different than all the other plant material we consume, and frankly, there's a lot of valuable nutrition that can be consumed rather than discarded. Many types of tea leaves, flowers, dried fruits, etc., and even coffee beans, are actually quite tasty, and good for you, too!) For me, I plan to only use the kettle to heat water and then mix or steep my ingredients in a separate cup or container, so the infuser will stay in the cabinet indefinitely.  Another detail worth mentioning is that when you lift the kettle from the base, it will shut off, albeit the white LED lights will come on when you set the kettle back down and that may fool you into thinking it is still on. Really all the white lights are telling you is that you've made a good electrical contact and that the pot is ready to turn on. To turn it on, or back on to get it to keep the water hot for another hour, you just press the START/STOP button, once (or twice if the white lights aren't on) and the current water temperature will display along with the red LED lights will coming on, letting you know that it is in heating mode and giving you a good idea of how long it will be before your water is going to be hot. When your preset temperature is reached, the green LED lights will come on to let you know it is ready. As the temperature begins to drop after that, the green lights will stay on for the duration of the one hour keep hot period, telling you it is still in that mode and actually saying that it is "READY" even though it might be fibbing because the water temperature has actually dropped and is somewhere within the tolerance range of about 18 degrees (If preset was 212). Once the temp drops to the bottom of that tolerance it will then bring the temp back up at a rate of about 2 seconds per degree, but not necessarily clear to your originally preset temperature.  (In my case, I usually have it set for 212 degrees and the keep hot mode will allow it to drop to 194 degrees before then bringing it back to 204 degrees rather than 212 degrees, which is undoubtedly both an energy saving feature as well as meant to keep the water from boiling off. I tested presetting it at 205 degrees and the keep hot mode then only let it drop to 198 degrees and brought it back up to 208 degrees, so the range is definitely relative to your preset temperature.) If you happen to reach for your kettle during the keep hot period and find that it is at a lower temp than you want, simply tap the START/STOP button to get it to immediately start bringing the water temp back up. Of course, that also applies to those times when the pot has been off for a while and the water temperature has dropped a lot. Simply put, if you want the water to be hotter, turn the kettle on... One disappointing aspect with the Kettle, for me, is that the borosilicate carafe has a stainless steel bottom, which is undoubtedly necessary for both quicker heating and not overheating and breaking the glass. Borosilicate can handle sitting on gas stoves and other elevated grills where there is a little bit of air space under them, and even on glass stove tops, but they are not to be set directly on an electric coil. The "Whistling Kettles" I have, came with a wire meant to be placed between the glass and the coil, for that scenario. Anyway, I have always shied away from electric kettles in the past because I really wanted the water to be completely contained in glass and have yet to find any of these kettles where that's the case. Of course, another related undesirable is that you are pouring your water out of the kettle over a plastic lip (which is also the case with my glass-lined thermal carafes) so really the piping hot water is coming in contact with both plastic and stainless steel, which both do slightly affect the taste, but the real issue is that they potentially pass on unhealthy contaminants, albeit in an undoubtedly extremely minute quantity. Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to avoid consuming some unwanted and even potentially harmful contaminants in this modern world, but I do at least make the effort not to, within reasonable expectations. So, all of these nice conveniences I've found in the kettle, do come at a cost (hopefully a small one). All said, I've decided to make the compromise and hope it is relatively inconsequential in the unknowns category.  Although I do taste the difference from using all glass, in the heated water, it is pretty subtle and by far my lesser concern. Again, the convenience and functionality of this Chefman Electric Kettle is really great! If I ever come across an all glass carafe version, I'll undoubtedly make that switch, hopefully without having to lose any functionality, but until then I'll definitely be enjoying this one!

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Jun 22, 2024
Lorriebell
5 out of 5 stars review

Verified Purchase

Great product

I’m glad I finally purchased one. I didn’t want another appliance hanging around the kitchen, but I find I use this more than I expected. Heats up fast. Options for temperature. But I will have to admit I haven’t used the infuser yet, but that wasn’t an option I required.

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May 2, 2024
Tina
5 out of 5 stars review

Verified Purchase

Perfect for more than making tea!

I LOVE this. I drink a LARGE cup of coffee every morning. I make it in the French press and this heats my water up perfectly! I also use it for cooking and whenever recipes call for boiling water. It heats the water so quickly. It helps me get dinner on the table in a short amount of time. I honestly haven’t used it to make tea yet but after seeing how quickly it heats up the water for coffee, I have no doubt this little pot would make a yummy cup of tea as well! Lastly, the price point was perfect. I am very satisfied with my purchase!

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Dec 21, 2023
LH
5 out of 5 stars review

Verified Purchase

Electric Kettle with Great New Features

This is a new, faster model and shows the water temperature in a simplified way. It's quick and convenient for all boiling water uses, not just tea. If you do use it for tea it has multiple temp settings for different teas. (Tea insert is removable.) New feature is a removable lid that lets you fill the kettle more easily, without the old hinged style that could break off. Only downside for some may be it's heavy when filled, but I can hold it with one hand on the handle and another around the outside of the bottom. Don't think it's any heavier than any other glass/stainless kettle. Highly recommend.

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May 9, 2024
Greggor
5 out of 5 stars review

Verified Purchase

Works great for hot drinks.

Still good after a couple weeks. Tired of kcup machines with not-so-hot coffee. This is hot and we switched to instant coffee. Now if Sam's can start selling Cafe Bustelo instant, that would be great.

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Jan 1, 2024
Carla
5 out of 5 stars review

Verified Purchase

I Love this Kettle!

This is a wonderful kettle. My previous one was all stainless and was corroding with mineral deposits from my hard water and difficult to clean because of a narrow opening. This pot has a nice wide opening and I love that you can see the water through the glass wall. The diffuser that hangs in the middle can be removed. You can see the temperature of the water as it heats and once boiling it will keep the water hot for an hour. I highly recommend this tea kettle!

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Jan 30, 2024
Christine
5 out of 5 stars review

Verified Purchase

Awesome Teapot and Water heater

I love my new Chefman teapot. Not only can you boil water, but you can select the exact temperature. The tea infuser works great for loose leave tea and it lights up red when heating, green when done, and white for standby mode. I also like that it is see through glass.

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Aug 12, 2024
Cindycat
4 out of 5 stars review

Verified Purchase

I should’ve gotten this sooner

So easy to boil water to exact temp! But don’t expect the center tube to extract much flavor. I use spring water to avoid my hard water which would eventually leave Ca deposits and I never actually make tea in the pot (except for the one trial) because of the difficulty of cleaning stains. Watch the temperature..sometimes it reverts to 212° when you don’t want it to. However, I use it all the time and I can’t imagine how much trouble it was before.

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Dec 24, 2023
cats05
4 out of 5 stars review

Verified Purchase

Okay but not there

Purchased to replace another manufacturer's electric tea kettle about 10 years old. The Chefman, varied models, had promise and features based on other reviews. This particular model had unique features for temp control. Heats fast and control is electronic features on handle. Interesting downside, unless I am missing it, there is no turn off option when water is done. The instruction guide does not address this and handle control does not turn off. Only way to turn off is remove kettle from base and unplug. Tea infuser is very tinny and will not hold up in regular use or with plastic tabs on inside of lid. Only expect a few years of regular use for price.

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Dec 30, 2024
Rebecca
1 out of 5 stars review

Verified Purchase

Defective/potentially dangerous sealant?

It was working great, and at a great price point… until I noticed that there is what appears to be the glue or some kind of silicone seal holding the base to the glass interior or the pitcher seeping out into the interior where the water goes. Will be returning this and NOT exchanging it!!

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