If you like to drink hot tea, instant hot coffee or whatever powdered drink that calls for hot water (not hot milk) to be added in (hot chocolate with water and instant oatmeal, both with hot water instead of hot milk added) or instant cup noodles -- this is a product to consider if you have the funds. Yes, it's the Japanese brand but no, it's probably not made in Japan, however it's one of the cheaper models from this brand and the buttons are all in English.
The temperature settings are in imperial unit Fahrenheit instead of metric Celcius and cannot be changed. There are 4 temperature settings it holds the water at, and a timer setting to choose how long to delay the boiling / maintain temperature in order to conserve energy -- but you must be diligent about using it otherwise you'd forget (I am talking about myself here).
It has a magnetic detachable electric cord (rather short!), and must be plugged into the wall outlet to perform its functions (boil, keep warm, dispense) -- it will not dispense water unless it's plugged in. There are other hot water dispensers that have other methods to dispense without having it plugged in, and are cheaper too, but I wanted this brand and saved for it (it is not the cheapest compared to others being sold on here).
The lid is removable as well: open the lid half way, then press the button on the lid's hinge to detach it -- pull it straight out towards you.
The dispenser swivels and turns on its base, so it can be plugged in while rotating on the spot while it's being used.
The other brands have stainless steel containers for water and I've read that it starts to rust (!); this container is not stainless steel and I only use the soft side of a sponge to wipe it down. To get rid of the white limescale water marks from calcium in my tap water, I dissolve a tablespoon of food-grade powdered citric acid I already bought from this website (I got it to make sour candies) in tap water, poured it in, then filled it up with tap water until the "Full" line, then let it boil and sit for a while. I dispense some out to clear out the pump / dispensing tube. Don't drink this sour water, it will eat away at your tooth enamel. Dump the sour contents into the sink. I try to descale it once a month (or so).
The buttons are automatically locked to prevent curious children and animals from accidentally using it and scalding themselves. To use, first press the "Unlock" button, and then the "Dispense" button. If you want a slower dispense for powdered drinks or instant cup noodles then press the "Dispense" button twice.
Like with most Japanese appliances (and your cell phones), it plays chimes and jingles with every button pressed or action performed (it announces that it's boiled, the timer delay, etc.) -- there are three sound profiles: a classical midi music one, a beeping one, and silence.
3 Litres capacity is enough for our household and helps us with our daily hydration goals. It is not cheap but for us it uses less electricity than constantly re-boiling our (broken) electric kettle (which doesn't maintain its temperature nor is it as well insulated) -- because we're not constantly waiting for water to re-boil to have hot water, the tea and coffee is drank more and we are more hydrated, so the higher cost (?) in electricity is worth it to us.
| Brand | Zojirushi |
|---|---|
| Model Number | CD-WCC30 |
| Colour | Brown |
| Product Dimensions | 28.58 x 20.96 x 29.21 cm; 2.27 kg |
| Capacity | 3 liters |
| Volume Capacity | 3 liters |
| Power/Wattage | 700 watts |
| Voltage | 120 Volts |
| Material | Stainless Steel |
| Auto shut-off | Yes |
| Special Features | Manual |
| Item Weight | 2.27 kg |
