Review of Zojirushi CD-WBC30 Micom Electric 3-Liter Water Boiler and Warmer

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List Price: $142.00
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My old Zojirushi water boiler conked out after 8 years of regular use, so I ordered the CD-WBC30. Features have gotten better in 8 years: the LCD display shows the temperature, and I have 4 thermostat settings instead of two. I used to have to choose between 208 degrees (too hot) and 140 degrees (too cold). I can now also select 195 degrees and 175 degrees. The 175 degree setting is just fine for instant coffee and oatmeal. I've used this boiler for two months without problems.

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This is my second Zojirushi hot water pot. The first one is still going strong after years of use my daughter stole it and took it to college! The best thing about having a hot water pot is the instant availability of nearly-boiling water. I use it for tea, coffee (I make drip coffee through a single-cup filter) instant oatmeal, cup noodles, etc. It is much more efficient than using the microwave or stovetop.

The inside of the pot is easy to clean it has a Teflon-like coating. Any mineral build-up comes right off if the cleaning directions are followed to the letter. There are three choices for the "ready" sound silent, three dings, or a little melody. There are four temp settings and a timer it is nice to fill the pot and have boiling water ready when I get up in the morning.

I would not have any other brand of hot water pot, and I would NOT want to go back to heating everything in the microwave.

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The 3 liter Zorjirushi is exactly what I wanted and I've been very happy with it. It heats and then holds 3 liters of water at your choice of 4 temperatures: 208 F, 195 F, 175 F, or 140 F. Whenever you want to make a cup of tea, you simply place your cup under the outlet and then press the button. Hot water is electrically pumped out in a nice controled stream. It's designed to hold water at a temperature so that you can quickly make tea, but it's not designed to heat one or two cups of water as quickly as a microwave. If you want a quick water boiler, that isn't the intent of the Zorjirushi. If you have a little counter space that you can leave the unit on all day, then you will always have perfect temperature tea water available instantly.

Any time you add water, whether it's just to top off after you've made a cup or it it is a complete fill, the Zojirushi will heat the water all the way to boiling for about a minute before letting it cool back to your temperature setting. The manual said this was to remove chlorine, but it is also a way to ensure pure water in case some users don't dump their water every day like I do. Originally, I would have liked to have the option to skip the boiling step when I was just topping off my water, but now I agree there's good reasons to have it. The only time any steam or humidity comes out of the top of the unit is for about 1 minute while it boils. I pull the unit out from under the cabinets when it's going to boil or else the steam makes the bottom of the cabinets damp. After the boiling is done, I slide the unit back under the cabinets and everything stays completely dry for the rest of the day. I really like the delay timer that allows you to fill the unit before you go to bed and not have it heat up until just before you get up. It probably takes about 15 minutes to completely heat a full load of water to boiling and then have it cool back to 195 F where I leave it.

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Having had good experiences with other Zojirushi products, such as their bread and coffee makers, I decided to try this in my new office. While my old office had a kitchen, my new one doesn't so a water pot seemed to be a good solution.

Filling the pot with water is fairly easy, although the pot may prove a bit heavy to some when full. The directions aren't clear on this, but the lid does come off easily. Emptying the pot is easy as well. Emptying the pot at the end of each day is a good idea to keep down lime build up.

The water level indicator on the front of the pot is a bit hard to read at first. At least it doesn't have some sort of floating ball that can become stuck.

The pot has some sort of timer that I haven't quite figured out yet. It seems to be a timer to turn on, but a automatic off timer would be more useful.

The pot allows different temperature settings. But what the pot does is bring the water up to a boil and then somehow lowers it back down to the set temperature. Timewise, this makes for a counter-intuitive estimation of how much time it will take. You would think that a lower temperature would be quicker, but the opposite is true. The pot certainly does take longer to reach any temperature as compared to my electric Bodum pot, but not so much longer as to be a real bother. I save time in the long run by just having the water ready throughout the day.

As noted, the water is first brought to a boil. That was a concern as it may result in flat or lifeless water. However, the water tasted just fine. I'm using it exclusively for tea, mostly oolong and green. Tea, more than coffee, can reflect bad water but the tea doesn't taste any different than tea out of my regular electric pot.

The water temperatures are geared to tea, with the proper temperature for white, green, oolong and black tea. There is a setting for 205 degrees, a good temperature for coffee, but I haven't used it.

Speaking of coffee, there are two dispensing methods. One is to dispense at a normal (but by no means gushing) rate. The other is a slow dispense that I imagine would be great for drip coffee.

The thing is a bit noisier than I would have expected. When it reaches it first boil you can hear it. Thereafter, it is quiet. There's also a chime to tell you when it is set at the desired temperature.

The power cord is normal at the plug but is different at the pot. It has some sort of short plugs and a magnet. This makes it very easy to unplug when filling or not in use (there's no power switch, you just unplug it). In some situation, say on a busy kitchen counter, the plug may be knocked undone easily.

Clean up should be easy. The pot is fully open at the top and the lid comes off. There is some sort of small wire filter on the bottom that is easily struck when wiping out the pot and could become dislodged. The manual warns of this.

As may be seen in the photo, the dispensing nozzle is far enough away to fill a fairly large teapot. The entire unit swivels on the base. The exterior of the pot does not heat up appreciably and appears to be well insulated.

The only reason I knocked it down a star is that I don't see why it can't simply bring up the water to the desired temperature without having to come to a full boil first. While I didn't note any taste differences, it does add time unnecessarily.

September 2010 update: I've now been using this for over two months. Great product.

No funny smells. A light calcium scale deposit appeared soon after the first use but did not get appreciably heavier after that. I just cleaned it for the first time with a lime cleaner from the local grocery store.

The timer works well but I wish it had a longer time. The 10 hour limit does not enable me to set it when leaving work unless I want it to start at 3 a.m.

I loved it so much, I bought a second one for home.

August 2011 update: Been a year now with two of these units. No problems whatsoever. Lime does build up some on the inside but cleans up easily with some coffee machine cleaner juice from the grocery store. Use the cleaning cycle. I clean them every month or two, just to keep ahead of the build up. It helps to pull out the wire filter every week or so and give that a rinse. I do notice that the home unit builds up lime a bit quicker than the office. At home we use filtered water but at the office we have a service bring in water.

I probably just got used to the noise, but I really don't notice it any more, as noted in my original review.

Very good value.

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I've used Zojirushi products all my life, rice cooker, water boiler, thermal lunch boxes, pressure cooker you name it. Ask any member of my family, the first thing they can tell you is that these machines are well made and they last!

I had to replace my 8 year old smaller 2L Zojirushi model because 1. it was 8 years old and the plastic inside started to deteriorate 2. 2L is too small for us, we make tea almost daily in the winter 3. when I moved, the shipping company banged it up real good so I need an upgrade

We picked this particular one for a couple of reasons.

Appearance: We like the simple champagne color without all the tacky flowers, would be better if it came in the sleek gray color, but this actually looks quite nice on the countertop and is not too gold

Functionality: As with any Zojirushi product, this does not disappoint. Easy release / dispense button prevents "accidental" leakage / pouring especially if you have young children. 4 different digital temperature control selection allows you to adjust (and hold) your water temperature as needed. We use it for tea, but imagine it'd be pretty convenient for a person who needs to make baby formula, coffee, instant noodles etc. etc.

Reliability: It's Zojirushi!

The price could be a bit steep for some, but considering the number of years you'll get out of this machine, it really is not that bad.

Tip on maintenance: save your money on the "cleansing tablets". Every month or so, I cut up a lemon, fill the machine with water, let it boil with the lemon and sit for about an hour. It smells nice, it's natural, and removes any deposits without problem!

ENJOY!