Café Brew Collection Stove Kettle

I bought two Medelco 12-cup Glass Stovetop Whistling Kettles. Unfortunately, the delivery truck must have driven through some type of magnetic force-field anomaly because when I opened the Amazon shipping carton, I saw two rather small boxes inside. Opening one revealed a glass vessel that stated, "12 Cup Capacity", but it just looked to be too small. Testing with a measuring cup confirmed that I could only get about 60 ounces of water into it, full to the top. (In case you forgot what was covered in sophomore Home Ec, that is less than 8 cups.) The darn thing had shrunk on the way to my house! I then began to worry about the driver, but phoning the UPS station revealed that he seemed none the worse for wear. So apparently it was just glass that had shrunk from 12 to less than 8 cups in the truck. I sure hope he wasn't carrying eyeglasses for anyone! My wife's theory is that the company built 7.5 cup (not safe to try to boil all 8 cups in it) kettles, designed to sell for $59.95, but the guy who set up the lettering was a drop-out who screwed up and wrote "12 Cups" on the outside when he was supposed to write "7.5 Cups". Rather than trying to re-do the lettering, they just decided to dump the whole mess for less than 10 bucks apiece. I do remember a grocery years ago in San Francisco on Bayshore that apparently was called the "Farmers Market". It must have taken someone at least a week to paint the name on the side of the building in 10 ft high letters. Nevertheless they somehow managed to leave out one of the R's so that it read, in bright white letters, "FAMERS MARKET" Maybe the tea kettle lettering guy mixed up his cups because he was in his cups at the time. Who knows? I dunno if this thing will work. I read other reviews that say the plastic melts easily. At 10 bucks, I'm seeing this as more of a stopgap water boiling device than a permanent fixture in the kitchen. We bought two since they were cheap and hope the second one will survive based upon whatever we learn from the first one which is sure to be trashed sooner or later due to our unfamiliarity with the product. If I could have found a stainless steel one, at any price, with less than 14% 3-star or lower reviews, I would have bought it. These people might not know the difference between 12 cups and 7.5 cups, but at least they didn't make it in China with lead. My disappointment with the puny size says, "one star" but the fact that it's not Chinese, demands at least two. UPDATE/UPGRADE: We've been using our original one for approaching 2 years now, and I like it. It's better than the original 2 stars I gave. We've been careful and nothing has melted and nothing has cracked. We do cook with propane which is not as hot as natural gas, so your mileage may vary as far as doing damage to the handle if you are the impatient sort who favors high burner flames. Our water is the pits, with lots of mineral deposits, but it cleans up in about 3 minutes with some distilled vinegar. And I'm also thinking that 12 cups would have been too large and heavy to handle, if full, so the 7.5 cups or so is just about right for our uses. For what it's worth, I don't trust plastic next to hot food, so we put the whistling top in a drawer and probably will never use it.Gotta be worth 4 stars and if we still have it in another 2 years, will come back and award the 5th star. ANOTHER UPGRADE; I use this every day and it hasn't let me down. I'm real careful not to drop it or bang it against something like a faucet or granite countertop. I've really grown to like it. My last teakettle died because someone (unnamed) left it on a burner with no water it in and it warped. No way to mistake this for having water if it is empty. You've earned your 5 stars!

This is my second review of the Medelco 12-Cup Glass Stovetop "Whistling" Kettle. My first review was rather negative and I am clueless regarding that one's disposition, but after some use I have a more positive take on this kettle. First, we were coffee snubs grinding our own Starbucks beans. Then Starbucks introduced Via and other single-serving freeze-dried coffees. Most recently we tried the Tasters Choice 100% Columbian sold by Amazon and found it to be good except for the metallic flavor coming from an old stainless kettle. Now, with this glass kettle there is no more metallic flavor and instant Columbia is very good. Also, being able to see the contents is very nice. I ignore manufacturer warning not to leave the glass kettle on the burner after it begins to boil, and this has not proven to be a problem. Doing this may make the glass more likely to crack or break at some point but we are careful wit it for that reason. Unlike what others have reported, the handle does not get hot when this is used on a glass-top range. We do heat water on 75% power (manufacturer recommends 50%) to hasten boiling but the glass is so efficient that reaching the boiling stage does not take long. Once boiling starts it maintains hot water even on the coolest level of the burner. The whistle does little in the way of whistling--more like hissing-- and you do have to remove the top to pour water from it, but these drawbacks are minor in comparison to the other excellent attributes of this impressive and inexpensive glass kettle. April-2012 Update: Before making this my last review of this great product, I wanted to remove doubts I may have expressed previously. This Medelco glass kettle is holding up well even after continuing abuse (we fill it with hot water and turn the burner on 3/4 power to minimize wait time even though the instructions warn not to exceed half power. We also leave the kettle on the warming burner for hours even though the instructions say remove it from heat after the water comes to a boil.) This kettle is touch enough to last through our abuse so we would gladly order another, once we have managed to destroy this one! The whistle I complained about previously has proven to be a virtue instead. This whistle top makes a fairly mild (not too annoying) whistle that lets you know your water is ready but doesn't jerk you out of your seat to make a dash to shut it up! We like it! UPDATE: I'm hanging with the five-star rating I gave this in December 2011, after having purchased this excellent glass kettle in November that year. After almost a year and a half of once or twice daily use, this inexpensive glass kettle is still doing the job quickly, and still it is abused with higher than recommended glass-top burner temps without stress cracks or breakage. Even after frequently being left on a hot burner contrary to the manufacturer's instructions. This glass kettle is a great buy!

This is a GREAT whistling kettle. I like it so much, I bought a second one on the off chance I dropped one and broke it. Here are the highlights: It holds 12 cups of water. The lid is removable. The glass is heat resistant, laboratory quality boroscilicate. The handle is heat resistant. The whistle is gentle, not ear piercing. The glass is marked with the minimum amount of water for heating, as well as at the 6 cup level. The handle stays cool on my gas stove. You can see when the water begins to steam, form tiny bubbles, and boil. This is handy for brewing green tea, or when heating water for a manual drip or press type coffee maker, where you do not want boiling water, but you do want it very hot. It comes with a little wire "star" for use on a conventional electric range. It is unnecessary to use it on a gas range, but with an electric, put the wire "diffuser" on the burner coils, and then sit this pot on top of it. I use a gas range, so I sit the kettle right on the grate. I use the smallest burner, and I make certain that the flame is NOT licking up the sides of the kettle. If the flame is too high, it will do that, and chances are good that you will burn your hand when you grab the handle. You might also MELT the handle...not a good thing. So keep the flame reasonable. One person mentioned the Norpro 144 Heat Diffuser as a solution to keeping the handle cool. Perhaps that is the case with an electric range, but on a gas cook top, it actually spreads the heat over too wide an area, wider than the diameter of the glass kettle. Because of that, heat will rise directly to the handle. I bought the Nopro based on that advice (it was in response to a question posted about this kettle), used it once, and burned my hand when I grabbed the handle of the kettle. So if you use a gas range, do not use the Norpro 144 Heat Diffuser. It will just take longer for the water to boil, and you will need a pot holder to hold the kettle. Dislikes? Only two, and the first one is nit-picking. The top must be removed to pour the water. Hinging it would be more convenient (but that might make cleaning it in the dishwasher harder). Second: forget a 96 oz (12 cup) capacity. This kettle holds just about 64 oz (1/2 gallon). Seriously, if you don't do anything like boiling the pot dry, or dousing it with cold water as soon as it comes off the stove, this tea kettle should last a long time. Actually, the glass is thermal shock resistant, but why tempt fate?

Sadly, I've killed my beloved teapot. While I adore my new granite countertops, they are NOT gentle on glass tea kettles - go figure. So yours truly broke her darling glass teapot today. I'm SO sad. I thought about getting another one... but what are the chances of me breaking it again? Pretty good, I'd say, especially since I now have terrible pain in my fingers (especially my thumbs) from bone pain due to the cancer drug I am on. It's so sad. =( But- that doesn't mean YOU can't enjoy this! We live where the water is very hard and I would have to clean it off with Dawn soap and a long brush. That's why it broke. I could have popped it in the dishwasher - as I did on multiple occasions without any ill effects - but I decided to wash it by hand. Doofus. It whistled - very loud. I really liked that because I'd forget my name if people didn't tell me what it was (since chemo the memory has gone downhill). You could see that it was boiling as well if you take off the lid - that would stop the whistling if you didn't like that. The lid stays ON, but you do have to remove it to pour. The handle did not get very hot - unless it had been boiling away for a while. I used it on an electric stove and a gas stove and it worked fine on both. The price - well you just can't beat the price. AND it is 12 cups of water. I really liked that. I brew my own tea for iced tea with a couple of different teas and I could fill two quart size mason jars and put the tea bags in there to steep. It heats up fast, especially on a gas stove. I never put it at a very high heat, always below medium, and it heated up quickly. It is fragile compared to stainless steel. That's the biggest drawback as far as I am concerned, and the reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5, but it will never rust. I may have convinced myself to buy it again... I'll think about it tonight. =)

The reason I bought this kettle is because I wanted a. To be able to see the water level in the kettle b. Boil my water in glass instead of metal (safer for drinking) and c. Not spend too much on something that may or may not be completely durable. I'm happy to say I'm very satisfied with this item. First off, since I can see the water level, I can properly measure exactly enough water for one cup, two cups, etc, without being wasteful. I'm also very happy to know I'm drinking water that's been boiled safely in tempered glass. I tried boiling water once in a pot and it was so nasty I turned straight around and spit it in the sink, and jumped on Amazon and bought this kettle. I don't know what kind of metals or sediment may have been in the water from the pot, but knowing every serving now is free of any metallic residue is reassuring, and the water tastes pure. So far I've had no problems with it. I live in a studio so I'm usually within a distance where I can hear it whistle, so I'm not sure how loud it would be in a large house. But it sounds pretty high-pitched and loud in mine. The only design flaw I would say (which isn't a deal-breaker for me) is the lid. It has a rim on the bottom of the lid that "clips in" to the kettle. So you have to be very gentle when pulling the lid out. You can run the risk of burning yourself if you reach across the steam and don't pull it at the right angle (which I did once, and never again), or spilling out the water if you yank it too hard. Keep in mind this kettle builds up sediment on the glass like any kettle, from minerals that are in the water. If you or someone in your house has small wrists like me you should be able to easily reach in and scrub the glass by hand to keep the mineral build-up down. I recommend doing this after each use. As for the issue of possibly breaking/melting, I can only imagine that it would occur if using high heat, leaving it on the stove for too long, or placing it incorrectly so that the handle is over the flame. I use lower-medium heat on a gas stove, and the handle doesn't even get warm. I also leave a little water in it and set it on an unused burner when I'm done, so it's not set down dry (just in case to avoid shattering). I would definitely recommend this item.

I purchased this glass tea kettle for use with my Bodum Chambord 12-cup coffee press. Although I am not a "coffee snob" I do like a very good cup of coffee, and the best coffee (and tea) is made in glass because there is no chance of tainting your coffee with metallic substances or Teflon. This kettle is easy to use and easy to clean (you can even put it in the dishwasher if you like). It comes with a heat diffuser for use on electric ranges, but I suggest using it even for glasstop ranges as well. The whistle works well, but is a little more throaty than the high-pitch whistle on your standard metal tea-kettle. I use a probe thermometer and place it in the whistle hole, and let the water get between 200-205 degrees Fahrenheit - which is the proper brewing temperature for the best cup of coffee. The kettle has a clean, retro design and is very well-constructed. Some reviewers have noted that the handle heats-up. I believe this is most likely because they are using the "big burner" on their stove and not the smaller one that is the proper size for the tea kettle (thus the handle is over the outside of the burner and causes it to heat-up). So just make sure to use the smaller, more appropriate-sized burner to prevent over-heating the handle. Regardless, the handle is pretty strong, and the entire kettle is solidly-built. The kettle is made in Germany, according to the documentation that comes with it (though the company is based in the USA). I use glass almost exclusively for all of my cooking (like Corning Visions pots and pans, this Kettle, and so on) and if I can offer some suggestions to make sure your glass cookware (like this kettle) last you a lifetime, make sure that the outside is clean and dry when you place it on the burner, and turn the burner on low temperature for a few minutes and then turn it to medium to heat-up. Gently easing-up the temperature like that allows the glass to expand slowly and prevents cracking (which happens when you heat fast - though only rarely). Another tip I mentioned earlier - always use the heat diffuser! You probably won't need it for gas ranges, but for electric and glass-top ranges, use it to be on the safe side. When you take the pot off of the hot burner - DON'T place it on a cold burner or on the counter - this causes the glass to contract quickly and could possibly cause it to crack eventually. Instead, place it on a folded, dry towel or on a pot holder or two. Let id cool before you rinse it or clean it. All-in-all, this kettle is an EXCELLENT buy! The level of quality of craftsmanship is superb and for the price - it's unbelievable!

Very well packed and arrived in excellent condition, double boxed no damage. Very Nice German Glass tea pot. It hold 12-cups and heats up fast because it's thin glass. The main reason we got this glass teapot is that every single one of the fancy aluminum/rust proof metal flip-top handle type teapots ALL rusted and pitted at some point, either on the outside and or the inside. And that gets expensive! If you have a coil type of gas or electric range this teapot comes with a special wire to be used with these COIL type ranges. (You DO NOT need this special wire for smooth cooktops) This teapot can be easily and safely used on a gas or electric COIL type range. For use on a COIL type range you just place the included wire directly on the coil and then set the glass teapot on top of the wire. Our neighbor uses hers this way and she says it works great, just be careful not to touch the wire until its completely cool. We have a smooth glass cooktop so we do not need to use the special wire. We have had no problems with any damage to the bottom of the teapot or our smooth cooktop range. The whistle starts off quiet but if you forget it's on the stove its gets louder as it gets hotter. (Some reviews say the whistle could be louder but I think the main reason for having a whistle is just to let you know when the water is boiling and it will do that, especially if you forget and leave it boiling for a while. Of course, if you go upstairs or fall asleep you might not hear it) The top is a nice strong tempered plastic and needs to be removed for pouring. It doesn't flip up but for us it's well worth the trade off from pitted and rusted teapots. This removable top has a nice big lever that is easy to flip up and off with one finger. This 12-cup glass teapot has a nice sturdy strong tempered plastic handle (matches the removable top) far enough back from the steam so no chance of burning the hand. The handle is held in place by a wide flat metal rust proof ring and seems strong enough to last the life of the teapot. To clean the inside of the glass teapot we use a long soft plastic bristle brush with mild soap and water. This is the same long plastic bristle brush we use for our plastic water bottles and works great on the glass teapot. Can easily recommend this German Glass 12-cup teapot especially to some one looking for the perfect alternative to a rusty old teapot.

Below is the first review I wrote on thes. That was August 17, 2016. It is now December 25th 2016. 2 Days ago, my Husband put the kettle on for our morning tea. He put water in the kettle, put it on our glass top stove and turned the burner on. He went about doing his morning things. Soon he heard a crack. He looked around the kitchen and couldn't figure out where it came from. Next, the pot blew apart and water went all over. What a mess!! Thank goodness he wasn't hurt. But dang it!! I loved this pot. Now, I am not sure if a glass pot is a good idea. I put a picture below of how it broke. It is like it just cracked all around the pot. I changed my rating of this from four stars to 1 star. I would give it 0 stars if I could because someone is going to get burned badly with this kettle if they don't figure out how to fix the problem. Below is my first review and you can see how much I loved this kettle. Now.... I am done with this brand unless they can guarantee me they have fixed the problem. My Husband didn't like the tea pot I had and wanted something he and I could both live with. I wanted a glass pot that I could put on a glass top stove. He just wanted to know when the water was boiling since the one I had didn't whistle, nor could you see into it. So... we decided on the Medelco 12 Cup Whistling Pot. It works on my glass stove and it also whistles. Plus, I really like the looks of the pot. What I don't like and why I am only giving it a 4 star. When you pour the water out, you have to take the lid off, it isn't hinged. You have to completely remove the lid. Then, when I put it back on, I always burn my fingers pushing the plastic down so it locks in again. I did try just loosening the lid a little bit to let more water out when I poured it.... but I ended up spilling water all over. The lid let loose and lucky for me I didn't get burned. Hopefully Medelco sees this is a problem and gets busy making a hinged top that opens and closes easily. I made a video, no spoken words because my microphone is giving me problems, but you will be able to see how well this works on my stove and hear the whistle of the tea pot.

Always wanted a glass kettle. I like the design and whistle is not loud which suits my needs.

I'm almost glad I broke my old kettle as this one is way better. It wasn't very well packed but still arrived at my workplace in one piece. It then survived being in my bicycle basket on the way home. Seems quite sturdy and strong. And it arrived early. Happy customer.

El vidrio es delgado pero no la he golpeado, no sé qué tanto resista. Espero que dure. No hay que someterla a cambios bruscos de temperatura ni dejarla olvidada en el fuego pero el cuidado que requiere vale la pena. El agua no adquiere sabores ni químicos dañinos como en otros materiales, se calienta muy rápido, queda muy bonita después de lavarla aunque se ensucie con grasa. Por lo que representan en sabor, salud y estética el precio es muy bueno. Más de 4 años de uso y sigue muy bien, la calidad del vidrio es excelente.

ガラスなのでぶつけると割れてしまうが、ぶつけたり落としたりしなければ、何年でも持つ。 毎日これでお湯を沸かしています。（ガスコンロ直火） 気に入っているので、ぶつけて割ってしまう度に同じものを購入しています。

Very impressed with this product. Nice to be able to see how much water is left in the kettle each time and robust handle design. Two things to be cautious about, the first is do not fill when cold water when the glass is hot (this is standard with any hot glass kitchen container) and secondly it can scale up in a hard water area but it is easy to descale with a solution of vinegar and water which can be left in the kettle overnight leaving a clear glass kettle again the following day.