Tefal Quick Cup

When I first heard of this little number, I thought it was a brilliant idea. Waiting for water to boil is so 2007 – the Tefal Quick Cup eliminates all the boredom of making tea by giving you instant hot water at the push of a button. This takes away the need to boil a whole kettle to make a cuppa, and is therefore energy saving.

I couldn’t wait to try it out. It looks great – really modern and sleek – and so easy to use. You simply fill up the water chamber and either press a red button for hot water, or black button for cold. Sit your cup underneath the spout and wait – the quick-cup automatically shuts itself off after a standard cup load, so there’s no need to hang about holding a button down.

It’s excellent – I wasn’t sure about it at first, because it has several downsides. For example, the water isn’t even close to boiling temperature so your tea goes cold quicker. And it’s REALLY noisy… it kind of sounds like an espresso machine which has been interfered with… and it can also be quite messy, with water splashing everywhere.

But despite all its bad bits, I do love this machine - it’s really grown on me… And some good news for those of you which live in hard-water areas – it also comes with a water filter which is always a bonus!

Cost: £59.99