Capresso 260.03 PerfectTea Cordless 48-Ounce Electric Glass Kettle

I really really wanted a glass kettle, with no plastic, and to be able to see the water level. Having the temperature selection to boot made this kettle an almost sure winner - on "paper"...

I was hoping they fixed the "smell/taste" issue from the old model. They didn't. Around the heating element, there is a silicon/rubber seal. I think it's the fault of the seal - there is a smell AND taste in the water.

What I did (after washing and boiling with vinegar as instructed) was boil some water in it, let it sit there to cool, and then taste it. YUCK!!

NOW - two important things to mention.
First - my spouse is just barely able to detect it, and it doesn't bother him as all. He describes it as a "faint mineral aftertaste". To me it is SO strong, I can't see how anyone would call it faint..
Second - I *cannot* taste the difference if the water is NOT pure, i.e. in tea, oatmeal, or something else. This almost makes me want to keep the kettle,... Read more

Bought this kettle hoping for an all-glass product with no plastic, etc. I had considered the Breville Variable-Temperature Kettle but decided against it once I saw that there were plastic parts that came into contact with the boiling water. When the Capresso PerfecTea arrived, it had an awful plastic, benzene-like smell inside that seemed to be coming from a clear gasket that is in the very bottom of the kettle, protecting the heat element. The instructions had noted that this may exist as a result of "the manufacturing process" and recommended boiling water in it and discarding before use to get rid of the smell... I have boiled water in it, washed it with soap, washed it with baking soda, washed it with vinegar, and still that awful smell is there. I made one cup of tea and could smell and taste the same plastic qualities in the tea. I don't know how long it's supposed to take to get rid of the plastic smell/taste but I don't know if I'm willing to wait. I contacted Capresso... Read more

I bought this for my desk at work and thought it might inspire me to drink more tea with all of the health benefits that go along with that. I love it, I'm definitely drinking more tea, and I have no complaints whatsoever. I bought it in spite of the few previous reviewers who complained about a funky taste eminating from the container. I must say I never had that experience. My tea tastes just fine. I didn't really think that there would be much of a difference if I didn't use the handy slideout guide for brewing my tea (this is a chart to select the correct brewing temperature for different types of tea). However, there is a huge difference! I tried steeping Tazo full-leaf Zen (a green tea) after selecting "boil" as opposed to the recommended 160 degrees. After trying the tea at both temps the tea had a very noticeable and much better taste when I used the suggested temp. I really like that feature. It heats up super fast and I have been trying out all kinds of teas-... Read more