The Ultimate Guide to the Borosilicate Glass Tea Kettle -

This post is about everything you need to know about a borosilicate glass tea kettle, plus my favorite options.

This post about borosilicate glass tea kettle may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.

The ritual of tea making and partaking goes back thousands of years. Weather tea is part of your culture or upbringing, part of a healing protocol or ritual, or simply a beverage you enjoy it is ideal to make your tea in the most non toxic and taste bud satisfying way possible. Borosilicate glass tea kettles offer a non toxic way to heat water and brew tea while also offering an elevated aesthetic option since you are able to see through the glass of the tea kettle.

***Note: I think there is a good chance that some landing upon this post are not actually looking for a borosilicate glass tea kettle but instead a glass tea pot. This article pertains to both but when you decide to purchase you’ll want to distinguish which you are actually looking for since the terms can be interchangeable but the products are different. GO HERE to learn the difference.

*JUMP TO MY FAVORITE BOROSILICATE GLASS TEA KETTLE & TEA POTS

What is Borosilicate Glass?

Borosilicate glass is a form of glass that is made of boron trioxide and silica. Although these chemical components might sound chemicall-y and scary, they come together to form a very non-toxic form of glass. Borosilicate glass is known for it’s resistance to thermal shock and for being very stable. I’ve read that it’s so stable that you could move it from a stove top to the freezer without it shattering. I feel non need to test that out but it is a pretty impressive claim. The brand Pyrex is a form of borosilicate glass so if you are familiar with how Pyrex reacts then you now know half of what you might want to know about how it would be to own a borosilicate glass tea kettle.

Borosilicate glass is completely transparent which allows you to watch your team leaves and herbs or flowers to re-hydrate and come to life as they brew. It also is completely tasteless so there is no added negative flavor added to your tea.

Advantages of Borosilicate Glass Tea Kettles

Aesthetics & Transparency

If you are just plopping some tea bags into your hot water to brew your tea then the aesthetics of your tea brewing ritual might not be majorly elevated by using a borosilicate glass tea kettle/tea pot. However, if you are using loose leaf tea or fruit or florals then being able to see your tea during the brewing process will most likely be a very beautiful sensory experience. I also personally thing it’s easier to clean things that are transparent (as opposed to peering into a dark kettle).

Heat Resistance and Durability

Borosilicate glass is extremely resistant to heat. It is very rare for borosilicate glass to break because of thermal shock. It is glass though so if it is dropped there’s a better chance it would shatter than if you had a stainless steel tea kettle or tea pot. However, compared to a ceramic tea kettle it might be about as durable.

Safety & Health

I would argue that because of it’s extreme stability, that a borosilicate glass tea kettle is the most non-toxic type of tea kettle that you can choose. It is so stable that it is use in the USA and Europe to dispose of highly radioactive liquid waste! You have to imagine that any seepage or mixing of chemicals from the composition of the borosilicate glass with radioactive waste could be catastrophic. To me this speaks volumes to the safety and stability of this material if food storage and preparation uses.

Neutral Taste

Because borosilicate glass is so stable and doesn’t leach any chemicals there is no flavor transfer that occurs and therefore you can enjoy the purity of your tea brew. In contrast, plastic and sometimes metal tea kettles and tea pots can give off an off putting taste.

Easy Maintenance and Cleaning

The transparency of borosilicate glass makes it very easy to clean because you can see everything! Most tea kettles and tea pots are are dark and shadowy when you look inside them so it’s very hard to see if there is hard water build up or staining or stuck loose leaf tea. There are also no special cleaning measures that need to be taken when cleaning a borosilicate glass tea kettle. You can wash them with dish soap or even put them in the dishwasher.

What to Consider When Choosing a Borosilicate Glass Tea Kettle

Capacity: Will you be using this kettle just to serve yourself tea or for a family or guest?
Stove Top or Electric: Most borosilicate glass tea kettles are made for stove top heating but there are a some electric options. Most of the electric kettles with borosilicate glass also have stainless steel and/or plastic components.
Style & Shape: Style is mostly an aesthetic thing but I also always thing about how the kettle or pot would be to store. Sometimes taller, more slender kettles store more easily and sometimes the spouts can take up a lot of space.
Brand Reputation: Sometimes you can get very lucky with generic branded products but brands with a good reputation often offer higher quality items and also better return or warranty policies.
Toxic Components?: Many tea kettles and pots contain plastic or metal components that are leach toxins into the water. All options I recommend will be free of any toxic components.
Budget: This is the not fun consideration but of course, one that comes into play when deciding which borosilicate glass kettle you will choose.

Tea Kettle or Tea Pot?

The big question is are you looking for a tea kettle or a tea pot made of borosilicate glass? A tea kettle is used for heating up water and a tea pot is used for brewing the tea. The common practice is to heat water in a tea kettle, either on the stove or as an electric kettle and then you pour the hot water into a tea pot with the loose leaf tea or tea bags.

My personal suggestion for a non toxic brew would be to use a stainless steel or stainless steel and borosilicate glass kettle to heat the water and then use a borosilicate glass tea pot to brew the tea in.

Best Non Toxic Borosilicate Glass Tea Kettles

These kettles are safe for use on a stove (except of the first option that is an electric kettle). As I noted before, some of them have some non-glass components to make them safe to handle straight from the stove.

I am in the market for a new tea kettle (because my old one broke) and also a new tea pot (because it was a gift a LONG time ago and I don’t think it’s cute and also don’t know what it’s made of.)

My plan is to start with a glass tea kettle from Tea Bloom that can also be used as a tea pot and then, when I can afford it, I want to invest in this Fellow electric tea kettle and at that point I’ll use the Tea Bloom kettle/tea pot as just a tea pot.

All of these options do not have any plastic touching the water and are considered non toxic and the safest options on the market for a borosilicate glass tea kettle.

All “kettle” options are stove top safe (unless an electric kettle option) on medium heat- read manufacturer’s instructions for safety.

Best Non Toxic Borosilicate Glass Tea Pot

The borosilicate glass tea pots listed below are meant for brewing tea but not for placing directly on a stove. For these options you would use a different way to heat the water and then pour it into one of these glass tea pots with the blooms or tea leaves or bags. Most of these are from the Hario brand. Hario tea pots are Japanese made and the brand has been around for 100 years.

Hario ‘ChaCha Kyusu Maru’ Teapot Glass Teapot 700 mL

Hario ChaCha Kyusu 'Maru' Tea Pot, 700ml

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Hario Round Tea Pot, 290ml

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Hario Leaf Tea Pot with Stainless Steel Filter, 700ml

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Hario “Pure” Leaf Tea Pot, 360ml

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Conclusion

A borosilicate glass tea kettle is an amazing non toxic option for a tea kettle because of it’s transparency, it’s chemical stability (won’t leach chemicals), and it’s thermal shock resistance.

Because it is still glass and can shatter if dropped and moved around a lot and because tea is ideally brewed by hot water being poured onto tea leaves (as opposed to boiled on the stove), I personally prefer heating water up in a non toxic stainless steel kettle (like one of these) and then pouring the heated water into a borosilicate glass tea kettle (like any of the ones recommended on this page). M

y personal favorite option for a glass kettle is this model and my personal favorite model for a tea pot is this one. Which do you like best?