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Kettle that will give you a cuppa in just three seconds
Last updated at 23:22pm on 08.06.07When you nip into the kitchen to make a cup of tea during a TV ad break, it can be touch and go whether you will be back on the sofa by the time your programme starts again.
Research suggests that a kettle filled with cold water will take two minutes 47 seconds to reach bubbling point.
Now scientists have come up with a solution to the dilemma by designing a kettle which they say can produce a cup of hot water in only three seconds.
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Green machine: The Quick Cup could help users cut their power bills
Users fill the Tefal Quick Cup kettle from the tap in the normal way. The clever bit comes when they press a red button.
The device sucks up a pre-set amount of water – 220ml, which is enough to fill a mug. This is drawn through a spiral heating element and emerges, piping hot, from the spout.
If 220ml is too much, users can press the button again to kill the flow. If more is needed, they keep their finger on the button until the device has produced enough.
The Tefal kettle is more than just a super-fast water heater for it also incorporates a water filter, which is designed to clean up the tap water it uses, reducing chlorine.
Users can press a second, black button to get a glass of room-temperature, filtered water.
The makers say the kettle will help families cut their energy use. For those of us who are inclined to heat a full kettle of water and then only use some of it, producing one cup of water in three seconds is infinitely more efficient – and cheaper.
Tefal claims the device offers energy savings of up to 65 per cent compared with the normal kettle.
Currently, more than 230million cups of tea and coffee are drunk in Briton every day. A company spokesman said: "If people heated only the water they needed, rather than full kettles, the country would save enough energy to power the entire nation's street lighting.
"We believe Quick Cup is one small step which could have a significant impact if widely taken up."
At £59.99, the Quick Cup is not cheap, but Tefal claims the energy saving offered amounts to around £30 a year.
There are some other drawbacks. While the water the device produces is very hot, it is not quite at boiling point. Consequently, tea lovers may find it doesn't draw as much flavour from a tea bag.
Similarly, the water might not be quite hot enough to work with all types of dried soup, hot chocolate or a Pot Noodle.
The company warns that it would not be hot enough to produce the sterile water needed to reconstitute dried baby milk.
Initially, the Quick Cup will be available only from Currys, where it will go on to the shelves from July 1.
Reader views (28)
I was going to buy one tomorrow because I love gadgets, but after reading these comments I won't bother because I love my coffee (I don't drink tea) scorching hot. Thanks.
- Jan Boer, Amsterdam, Holland
had quick cup for 2 months, and it broke down. have searched web and believe the product is becoming known for being unreliable. concept brilliant, but priced too high. product looks good but i am out of pocket and replacing with conventional kettle. will buy another when re-designed or another make comes on market.
- Caroline Nixon, braintree, england
Are there any answers to these faults as my red light is flashing all the time as well
- Ann Taylor, New Milton U.K.
I have found the cost of filters on Amazon come in at around £2. Unfortunately, my reminder red light seems to continue flashing even once I've replaced the filter. Still, only plan to replace the filter once a month. I do think it will save money in the long run in spite of the cost of filters (which are not essential) - who actually only fills their kettle with just enough water for their needs? (Be honest....)
- Mark, Aberdeen
had 3 in 7 days, in the end we got our money back
- Geoff, Basildon
Ditto to all the above comments but after about a month I started to notice a film on the tea I changed the filter but no change so then I cleaned it with vinegar as per instructions but still no change, I cant even strain it as the scum like film is to fine Help what is this!!!
- Maritsa, Hertfordshire
The machine is good and does what it says, but the only limitation is, the filters are very expensive and last for a few weeks.
- Andrew Mckenna, Chilwell, Nottingham uk
When making a cup of tea I find the best way to stop the splashing is to use a tea strainer, put the tea bag into the strainer pop the strainer on to the cup then fill from the 1 CUP as normal, this makes a super cup, my wife like the strength of the tea made this way, I like mine stronger so I put another bag on top of the used one and hey I have a stronger brew, you can also use a teaspoon to squeeze the bag when pouring has finished. Friends and family use this method and they say it works well, tea strainer from ASDA 37p.
- Hugo Galli, Coventry UK
The product is great for a quick cuppa but can anyone else tell me if when the water is pouring out does it splash and splutter everywhere or does it pour out properly like the picture on the box? Also the noise sounds like a drill, is this the same for everyone?
- Sam Townsend, Asford Kent
Had my one cup for 5 days now and I m having trouble getting used to it, it didn't get hot enough for me so I always run the water into a jug first then put my cup under as soon as its finished for the hot water. Defeating the object though because the filter will run through quicker and cost me more money. Not sure if I m going to keep it yet unless anyone got any better tips?
- Michelle Ward, Nuneaton, Warwickshire
A good product but was suprised to hear the noise it makes. It makes a good brew, could be a little hotter though.
- Sharon Evans, Wigan
I agree with all the comments. I am very disapointed as I thought it was a great idea also we had only had it a week when the filter light started flashing meaning it needed changing there was no way we had used 50 litres of water as there is only two of us. Ah well back to the shop and back to the kettle.
- Anne, Merseyside
I really wanted this to be brilliant. I only ever boil enough water for 1 cup of tea and thought this would save energy. Although noisy it did not bother me. But ... the water is not piping hot so my tea tasted as though I'd left it standing for 5 minutes! It is going back to the shop and I'm back to my hob-top kettle and piping hot tea!
- Tanya, South Wales
Wow, this is truely amazing and great marketing but they fail to tell you it is the noisest thing in the world, and that half of what goes in your cup splashes out onto a wall or worktop.
- James, Surrey
I have bought a Quick Cup, I find the draw backs are, when the machine operates it is very noisy and vibrates ( I did check the tank was seated properly) and it splutters and spits, when dispensing, I have returned one but if anything the replacement is worse.
- Roy Sharky, Lincoln, UK
This kettle is absoloutly perfect, I love it!
Every home should have one!
It doesn't break after 2 weeks!
This kettle heats the water up and is the perfect temp for your tea or coffee!
- Mish, Caerwys, North Wales
Purchased one of these ...in less than 2 weeks it failed! Total waste of money. Incidentally, I have not seen the advert on television lately...does this mean the quick cup is not all it is cracked up to be?
- Angie Alexander, March, Cambridgeshire
Good bye kettle Hello Quick Cup. Good Points- quick easy and good tasting water. Bad Points- water tank is to small and the price is a bit steep.
- Tony Grey, Reading Berkshire UK
Good point on the wattage. According to one online shop, the Quick Cup is 2.8 kW, and someone else's online statistics for an ordinary 2500W kettle are 89 seconds for 500 ml of water. I think what's going on is that the Quick Cup starts delivering water after 3 seconds, but takes roughly 30 seconds more to fill the cup. Still... even a flat-element kettle with plastic cool walls normally officially requires 500ml minimum fill (you can get away with less, but I didn't tell you that), and probably the heat goes to the wrong places as well as right. And this pours by itself. Keep your receipt?
- Robert Carnegie, Blantyre, Scotland
49 seconds to boil the the minimum amount of water in my kettle, 10 quid out of ASDA, that's about the same time it takes me to get the cup, get the tea bag, get the milk, get the sugar and get the bikkie tin. If this thing doesn't actually boil water then it's no use for making tea.
- C. Steel, Glasgow UK
Has anyone timed one of these? I was going to buy one until I saw the comments here and did the maths. The highest rated fuse allowed in a UK plug is 13A. At 13A for 3 seconds at 240V you could raise the temperature of 220ml of water by 10 degrees Celsius. So, either your tap water is very warm or your coffee not very warm.
- G. Welsby, Manchester UK
I bought a 3 second kettle only to find a week and half later it broke, what a rip-off.
- Sylvia Slater, Manchester
The kettle is fine but the filters are well over-priced. If you already have a Brita filter of some description, use the water from that until the prices drop.
- Dave R, Bedford UK
If it can't heat tea, soup, noodle and hot chocolate effectively, then essentially it's a glorified coffee peculator?
Expensive one too, if they say it saves you £30 quid a year in electricity does that include the £65 on cost of these filters?
Tight gits way out; take a mug fill with water, pour into kettle, half fill same mug again, pour into kettle.... boil. Quicker than 2:47, well on mine anyway 79 sec. Simple things like that can save you a lot of money a year on the electric methinks. Mind you need a rapid boil kettle with out an exposed element, but lets face it, £15 from Asda it's a no brainer.
- A Lowe, Hinckley, Leics
Sounds good, but is the cartridge absolutely essential? Could prove to be very expensive in the long run, but quite lucrative for the makers. I have to agree with the wattage remarks by R Saunders, Harrogate.
- I Barber, Bolton, England
I bought one and it is very quick but noisy. The filter only lasts 4 weeks and I can't find a replacement for less than 4.99 with postage over £9.
- Brenda Ball, Glenrothes Fife
It looks really good although it will take two years to recoup the outlay (£59.99 to buy, saves £30.00 per year). But I can't see how it can heat 220ml of water in just 3 seconds - it would have to be a whopping 20 kW to do that, about ten times more powerful than a normal kettle. You can't change the laws of physics ...
- Nigel Saunders, Harrogate UK
I bought one of these, different manufacturer, about 30 years ago in Skegness.
- T, Roskilde, Denmark
